El- P: Cancer 4 Cure Review

I think it's a horse.

Album: Cancer 4 Cure

Artist: El-P

Genre: Underground Rap/Hip-Hop

8.8/10

  


   
     Ah, underground rap… What comes to mind when one hears the phrase “underground rap”?  Maybe you think of a small club filled with at-risk youth swaying to a floor-on-the-floor beat while an MC freestyles about ‘the popo’ or ‘popping caps in asses’.  What if I told you one of the smartest albums I’ve heard recently was recorded by an underground rapper?  Cancer 4 Cure by El-P is a fantastic album that blends sickly dark beats with incredibly clever and impactful lyrics, with a dash of sick flow from El-P and guests (Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, and the chubbier guy from Das Racist to name a few).

      El-P lyrics are poetry in motion.  He combines paradoxically smoothly aggressive delivery with the use of poetic devices like interior rhyme, cacophony, alliteration and knowledge of meter:  “Fuck your droid noise, void boys 'noid ploy'/ Oi Oi I'll fucking kick the shit out yo groin boy” from “The Full Retard” or “I am the son disgust trusted with the undefined/And I can no longer contain what's under my disguise/I've always had the cancer for the cure/That's what the fuck am I” from the powerful closer “$ Vic/FTL (Me and You)” are some prime examples.  His word choice is deliberate and strong.  There’s humor and pop culture refrences from comparing Obama and Reagan to quote-dropping “the full retard” from Tropic Thunder or “the fucking Catalina Wine Mixer” from Step Brothers.  This adds a strong element of humor which as a strong juxtaposition to the serious themes of corruption and effects of violence, creating a wide spectrum of emotions for the listener.  “Sign Here” tells the story of someone forcing another to sign a contract.  “The Jig is Up” follows an interrogation, ”Works Every Time” examines the delusions of a drug abuser, and “Tougher Colder Killer” claims that “there will always be a tougher colder killer than you”, challenging human nature.  El-P’s aggressive lyrics contain both subtly and direction.  I think all the points and themes presented in this album can be summed up in the allusion to Brer Woods in the closing hook: “You cannot throw me in the briar patch/ Bitch that is where I live”.

       El-P’s guests also contribute their own ideas in awesome ways.  Killer Mike uses both spoken word and rap flow.  Despot calls out Jay-Z and Kanye and demands more love for underground rap.  Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire adds a very smooth texture to the song “Oh Hail No”.

      Finally, I want to assess the production of Cancer 4 Cure.  Most of these songs contain awesome production values, with different noodly bits and samples thrown in at cool places to keep the listener wrapped within the song.  Request Denied has a friggin’ organ solo.  El-P’s first few words come out of a telephone receiver transitioning into clear tones in “Drones Over Bklyn”.  Sickly synthesizers and drumbeats are the most prevalent however, and for the most part contribute to the album’s dark aggressive experience.

     Cancer 4 Cure is an album for the ages.  The flows are hot, the beats are sick, and the lyrics really stand out.  This is a must-have for rap fans, or for music fans in general.  I’m giving it 8.8 Cancers Cured out of 10.

FAVE TRACKS: Request Denied, The Full Retard, Drones Over Bklyn, Stay Down, $ Vic/FTL (Me and You)