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Cancer For Cure is a one-man attack on the mediocrity of mainstream, commercial Hip-Hop.
El-P has been in the game for nearly two decades now, from his work with Cannibal Ox to his sprawling I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, his career has been anything but stagnant and nothing if not exciting.
His third studio release sees the producer-rapper step up his game to an entirely different level.
Simply put Cancer For Cure blows all competition out of the water and makes you wonder why when you turn on the music channels there are people like Drake and Tinie Tempah masquerading as rappers.
From the production, to the lyrics and the delivery Cancer For Cure is everything you will ever need from a rap album.
Kicking things off with the thumping Request Denied, the New York native weaves his intricate flow over a baron industrial, electronica landscape.
Flowing into The Full Retard, one of the album’s many highlights, El-P continues to find the lyrical dexterity that makes the beats come to life, flowing over breaks and samples with ease.
The guest spots are kept to a minimum. Mr. MuthaFuckin Exquire, Killer Mike, Despot and Danny Brown pop up, with Mike and Danny doing El-P proud but never stealing the limelight.
From Drones Over Bklyn to Oh Hail No each track is perfectly formed, with no duds, infusing dub step, grime and industrial production into the underground king’s lo-fi sound.
The album ends with $ Vic/FTL (Me and You), a blues infused number that tops off the album perfectly.
By the time the tinkling piano keys kick in towards the end you realise you have been on a journey through one of hip-hop’s most talented minds.