Cancer 4 Cure is the third solo studio album by American rapper and producer El-P. It was released through Fat Possum Records on May 22, 2012.[1] It peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2]
| Cancer 4 Cure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 22, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–2012 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 49:05 | |||
| Label | Fat Possum Records | |||
| Producer |
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| El-P chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Cancer 4 Cure | ||||
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Background
editThe album is dedicated to El-P's friend and fellow rapper Camu Tao, who died of lung cancer in May 2008 at the age of 30.[3] In an interview with Rolling Stone, El-P said, "Camu was a huge inspiration on this record, mostly because he had a huge effect on my life and who I am."[4] He elaborated, "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."[5]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10[6] |
| Metacritic | 84/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | A[9] |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| The Guardian | |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Mojo | |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[3] |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10[16] |
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".[7]
David Jeffries of AllMusic stated, "Cancer 4 Cure 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."[8]
In a more critical review, Dan Weiss of The Boston Phoenix stated that the album "is definitely not El-P's Age of Apocalypse" and that "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".[17]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 405 | Albums of the Year | 12 | [18] |
| Beats per Minute | The Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 34 | [19] |
| Chicago Tribune (Greg Kot) | Top 10 Albums of 2012 | 7 | [20] |
| Cokemachineglow | Top 50 Albums 2012 | 3 | [21] |
| Complex | The 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 10 | [22] |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 25 | [23] |
| Exclaim! | Best Albums of 2012: Top 50 Albums of the Year | 14 | [24] |
| No Ripcord | Top 50 Albums Of 2012 | 36 | [25] |
| Obscure Sound | Best Albums of 2012 | 35 | [26] |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 12 | [27] |
| Pitchfork | The Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 45 | [28] |
| PopMatters | The 75 Best Albums of 2012 | 35 | [29] |
| The Best Hip-Hop of 2012 | 4 | [30] | |
| Pretty Much Amazing | Best Albums of 2012 | 20 | [31] |
| Spin | 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012 | Unranked | [32] |
| Spinner | The 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 33 | [33] |
| Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 15 | [34] |
| Treble | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 22 | [35] |
| The Village Voice | Pazz & Jop | 26 | [36] |
Track listing
editAll tracks are written and produced by El-P, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Request Denied" | 4:32 | ||
| 2. | "The Full Retard" | 3:39 | ||
| 3. | "Works Every Time" | 3:35 | ||
| 4. | "Drones Over Bklyn" |
| 5:49 | |
| 5. | "Oh Hail No" (featuring Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Danny Brown) | 3:41 | ||
| 6. | "Tougher Colder Killer" (featuring Killer Mike and 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
editCredits adapted from liner notes.
- El-P – vocals, design
- Little Shalimar – guitar (1, 2, 10, 12), vocoder (6), guitar effect (7), synthesizer (12), recording (all tracks)
- Wilder Zoby – synthesizer (1), keyboards (3, 5, 7, 12)
- Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – organ (1, 6), keyboards (5, 7, 9)
- James McNew – bass guitar (1, 6, 10)
- Camu Tao – vocals (2)
- Paul Banks – vocals (3)
- Jaleel Bunton – guitar (3)
- Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire – vocals (5)
- Danny Brown – vocals (5)
- Dave "Smoota" Smith – horns (11)
- Killer Mike – vocals (6)
- Despot – vocals (6)
- Matt Sweeney – guitar (6, 12)
- Himanshu Suri – vocals (7)
- Nick Diamonds – vocals (11)
- Biondo – vocals (12)
- Joey Raia – mixing
- Glenn Schick – mastering
- Ron Croudy – design
- Timothy Saccenti – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[2] | 71 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[37] | 15 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[38] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ "El-P "Cancer For Cure" Album Art / Tracklist". Fat Possum Records. April 6, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ a b "El-P: Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Weiss, Jeff (May 21, 2012). "El-P: Cancer for Cure". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Cubarrubia, R.J. (May 21, 2012). "Q&A: El-P on His New Album and Staying Relevant in Hip-Hop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Alexander Fruchter. "Interview El-P: Back In The Flow". Ruby Hornet. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "Cancer For Cure by El-P reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Cancer4Cure by El-P". Metacritic. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Cancer4Cure – El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Harvey, Eric (May 22, 2012). "El-P: Cancer For Cure". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Kot, Greg (May 20, 2012). "Album review: El-P, 'Cancer 4 Cure'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (May 24, 2012). "El-P: Cancer for Cure – review". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ Martens, Todd (May 21, 2012). "Album review: El-P's 'Cancer 4 Cure'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "El-P: Cancer 4 Cure". Mojo (224): 92. July 2012.
- ^ "El-P: Cancer 4 Cure". Q (312): 98. July 2012.
- ^ Hermes, Will (May 22, 2012). "Cancer4Cure". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Reeves, Mosi (May 16, 2012). "El-P, 'Cancer for Cure' (Fat Possum)". Spin. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ Weiss, Dan (May 15, 2012). "El-P - Cancer For Cure". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "Albums of the Year 2012". The 405. 2012. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Beats per Minute. December 14, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Kot, Greg (December 7, 2012). "Greg Kot's top 10 albums of 2012". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums 2012". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Complex. December 18, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2012". Consequence of Sound. December 14, 2012. p. 3. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Keast, James (December 11, 2012). "Best Albums of 2012: Top 50 Albums of the Year". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums Of 2012 (Part One)". No Ripcord. December 18, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Mineo, Mike (December 5, 2012). "Best Albums of 2012: #40 to #31". Obscure Sound. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Jackson, Josh (November 26, 2012). "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Paste. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Pitchfork. December 20, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- ^ "The 75 Best Albums of 2012". PopMatters. December 9, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "The Best Hip-Hop of 2012". PopMatters. December 11, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Best Albums of 2012". Pretty Much Amazing. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "SPIN's 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012 (page 16 of 41)". Spin. December 11, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Spinner. December 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". Stereogum. December 5, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2012". Treble. December 9, 2012. p. 3. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Pazz + Jop 2012". The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "El-P: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "El-P: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
External links
edit- Cancer 4 Cure at Discogs (list of releases)
- Cancer 4 Cure at MusicBrainz (list of releases)