Cancer 4 Cure

El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Critic Score
Based on 35 reviews
2012 Ratings: #46 / 1118
Year End Rank: #36
User Score
Based on 520 ratings
2012 Rank: #98
Liked by 37 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Sputnikmusic

As with previous efforts, Cancer for Cure pushes the sonic envelope of hip-hop beyond its contemporaries from the very start.

100
The Skinny

When we look back on the hip-hop of early C21, Cancer4Cure will stand tall above the floodwaters of nostalgia. El-P is one of the few great artists still inhabiting the form.

100
A.V. Club

Cancer For Cure is a triumph of imagination and intelligence in service of a pervasive sense of personal and political unease.

86
Coke Machine Glow

El-P's always been ahead of the curve but Cancer for Cure isn't valuable for its prescience so much as its currency of the now and the way it unites rap head nostalgia for the future beats of the past with the beats of the present.

85
Pitchfork

The textures and tones are distinctly different from past releases, but it's unimaginable that it could be made by anyone else. 

85
The 405

Cancer 4 Cure grounds hip hop, taking it back to when it was seen as the new punk rock.

85
Beats Per Minute

This is a high point in his already illustrious career; a labyrinthine and ultramodern take on hip-hop that will likely age like a Cabernet.

85
Prefix

The true brilliance of Cancer For Cure is its refusal to find common ground, to come to the middle and meet anyone.

80
Clash
A synth heavy, angst ridden, paranoia-fuelled musical monolith filled with catchy hooks, heavy drums and nods of the cap towards Dubstep.
80
The Guardian
A collection that sees El-P update his sound and his flow to combustible effect.
80
Mojo
A one-man rap vigilante.
80
NOW Magazine
The production has been updated for a new, not so distant future, but retains its mechanical crunch and metallic din.
80
Q Magazine
He's equally skilled as a stream-of-consciousness philosopher or gripping storyteller.
80
FACT Magazine

Tthe music is certainly some of El’s most engaging yet, and should possess real lasting power.

80
Drowned in Sound

For all its darkness, paranoia and rage, Cancer For Cure emerges as one of the year's most endlessly re-playable records.

80
Tiny Mix Tapes

Cancer 4 Cure is as hard and vital as anything El-P has ever released, and that's no light praise.

80
musicOMH

Cancer For Cure is a dependably bold, powerful statement, perhaps not quite as masterful as its predecessors, but still overflowing with ideas and innovation.

80
AllMusic

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.

80
No Ripcord
For all the missteps along the way, El-P arrives somewhere quite poignant, and although he may not have paved his own way there, his route is quite impressive, and there is no wasted beat and no unseen seriousness and intensity.
80
Consequence of Sound

The roads in his mind are curling back onto themselves like a mobius strip and more than ever, most of the verses on Cancer 4 Cure are infinite loops, cannibalizing his own words over and over.

80
HipHopDX
Elitist as it might seem, it's a Rap album that sounds better if you can name most of the Gang Starr Foundation.
72
Paste

Cancer For Cure is a shirked, claustrophobic, paranoid clutter of rhyming conspiracy theories.

70
Alternative Press
Even if it's probably not a classic, it's still pretty damn solid.
70
Uncut
At times you're left craving some of the eerie minimalism of El-P's classical Cannibal Ox Productions.
70
Rolling Stone

 El-P’s blitzkrieging fourth record is a paranoid reality show – and that’s its appeal.

70
Under the Radar

Cancer for Cure stuns by featuring some of the most energetic tracks El-P has ever put his name to.

60
The Needle Drop
While hip hop artist El-P is still progressing his craft as a producer on his latest studio album, some of his hooks and more conceptual tracks just aren't sitting well with me.
UltimateLifeFrm
80

Cac Naofa, téann sé seo crua! [Holy shit, this goes hard!]

El-P is most well known as one half of the Hip-Hop duo Run The Jewels, releasing 4 studio albums (3 solo, 1 collab) before forming RTJ.

Cancer 4 Cure is dedicated to Camu Tao, a rapper who was also a close friend of El-P who died of lung cancer back in 2008, aged 30.

The production on C4C is some of the most savage and energetic I've heard as far as Hip-Hop goes, especially for something released in 2012.
It's got hard ... read more

PelicanManners
74

If i would’ve reviewed this a couple of years ago, i probably would’ve given it a score of around 90. It wore of me quite a bit, for some reason it can’t hold my attention, the same way it used to anymore. At some points of the project the instrumentals feel very dated, not nearly as impactful as they should be. I still love a lot of the tracks on here and I don’t dislike any of them. It’s just that a lot of them lost their charm on me. I’d say this is still ... read more

Geem
75

Oop, I found the last one!
El-P remains lyrically fresh, but the production isn't up to par with some of his other work, and doesn't have me in love on every listen. Nonetheless, Cancer 4 Cure is a very enjoyable hip hop record, and shouldn't be skipped over when talking about El-P's career. Really good stuff.

kattenbroekcom
76

While Cancer for Cure has all of the elements of the previous album, it does feel like leftovers or less well produced songs anyway. Still a very good project and has some bangers.

pette
97

All the different insane sounds in this LP just shows how much of a music genius El-P is

Cannel74
80

A decent album with some hits but also some misses that are just too bland to be memorable. Despite that, El-P exhibits splendid production capabilities across the tracks.

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Added on: March 9, 2012