Cancer 4 Cure

Cancer 4 Cure
Studio album by El-P
Released	May 22, 2012
Recorded	2009[1]-2012
Genre	Alternative hip hop, Underground hip hop
Length	49:05
Label	Fat Possum Records
Producer	El-P, Nick Diamonds, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby
El-P chronology
I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007) Cancer 4 Cure (2012) Run the Jewels (2013)
Singles from Cancer 4 Cure
"The Full Retard" Released: April 24, 2012

Cancer 4 Cure is the third full-length studio album by El-P, released on Fat Possum Records on May 22, 2012.

Background

Jaime Meline has stated that "I think that I’m trying to create an idea or illustrate a thought pattern, just because there’s darkness that I see and think about, it doesn’t mean I’ve given into it. I think the record is ultimately about not giving into it. For the most part I’m struggling with that darkness throughout the record. When I say it’s about wanting to live, I just say that because that’s how I feel. When you get hit with death, sometimes as horrible as it is, one of the things that can come out of it is a reaffirmation of how much you don’t want to go, and I think that’s what happened with me."^[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
The A.V. Club	(A) [5]
BBC	(Very Favorable) [6]
The Boston Phoenix	[7]
Chicago Tribune	[8]
Los Angeles Times	[9]
musicOMH	[10]
Pitchfork Media	(8.5/10) [11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[13]

At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 84, based on 39 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." AllMusic reviewed the album giving it a score of 4 out of 5, stating "Cancer4Cure is about hip-hop like Glengarry Glen Ross was about sales, but these great works transcend their industries, offering solace and inspiration to anyone who would prefer a satisfied mind over a Cadillac Eldorado, or in current terms, an Escalade."^[4]

In contrast The Boston Phoenix stated that "Cancer for Cure is definitely not El-P's Age of Apocalypse; in fact it's the only El-P production that sounds like it's been made on planet Earth, following hip-hop rules that someone else already defined."^[7]

The album was listed 15th on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2012.^[14]

Track listing

Track Listing was confirmed by FatPossum.^[15]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Request Denied"	4:32
2.	"The Full Retard"	3:39
3.	"Works Every Time" (featuring Paul Banks)	3:35
4.	"Drones Over Bklyn"	5:49
5.	"Oh Hail No" (featuring Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire & Danny Brown)	3:41
6.	"Tougher Colder Killer" (featuring Killer Mike & Despot)	3:39
7.	"True Story"	3:14
8.	"The Jig Is Up"	3:18
9.	"Sign Here"	2:51
10.	"For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)"	3:15
11.	"Stay Down" (featuring Nick Diamonds)	3:10
12.	"$4 Vic/Nothing but You+Me (FTL)"	8:23
Total length:		49:05

Personnel

Music El-P - Composer, Producer, Vocals Paul Banks - Vocals Biondo - Vocals Danny Brown - Composer, Vocals Jaleel Bunton - Guitar Despot - Vocals Nick Diamonds - Composer, Producer, Vocals Killer Mike - Composer, Vocals Little Shalimar - Guitar, Guitar Effects, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocoder James McNew - Bass Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire - Composer, Vocals Isaiah "Ikey" Owens - Keyboards, Organ Dave Smith - Horn Himanshu Suri - Vocals Matt Sweeney - Guitar Camu Tao - Composer Wilder Zoby - Keyboards, Producer, Synthesizer

Technical El-P - Design Ron Croudy - Design Joey Raia - Mixing Timothy Saccenti - Photography Glenn Schick - Mastering Torbitt Schwartz - Engineer Little Shalimar - Engineer

References

1. El Producto (September 21, 2009). "oh hi there.". Cancer4cure.blogspot.com. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
2. Alexander Fruchter. "Interview El-P: Back In The Flow". rubyhornet.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
3. "Cancer4Cure - El-P". Metacritic. 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
4. David Jeffries. "Cancer4Cure El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
5. Eric Harvey (2012-05-22). "El-P Cancer For Cure". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
6. Mike Diver (2012). "El-P Cancer4Cure Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
7. Dan Weiss (2012-05-15). "El-P - Cancer For Cure". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
8. Greg Kot (2012-05-20). "Album review: El-P, 'Cancer 4 Cure'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
9. Todd Martens. "Album review: El-P's 'Cancer 4 Cure'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
10. Daniel Paton (2012-05-28). "El-P - Cancer For Cure". MusicOMH. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
11. Jeff Weiss (2012-05-21). "El-P Cancer for Cure". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
12. Will Hermes (2012-05-22). "El-P Cancer4Cure". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
13. Brent A. "El-P Cancer 4 Cure". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
14. "Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". Stereogum. December 5, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
15. "El-P "Cancer For Cure" Album Art / Tracklist". Fat Possum Records. 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2012-05-22.

External links

• Cancer 4 Cure at Discogs (list of releases)