Cancer 4 Cure

For the Eels song, see Cancer for the Cure.
Cancer 4 Cure
Studio album by
El-P
ReleasedMay 22, 2012 (2012-05-22)
Recorded2008–2012
GenreHip hop
Length49:05
LabelFat Possum Records
Producer
El-P chronology
I'll Sleep When You're Dead
(2007) 		Cancer 4 Cure
(2012)
Singles from Cancer 4 Cure
  1. "The Full Retard"
    Released: April 24, 2012

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]

Background

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The 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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[6]
Metacritic84/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The A.V. ClubA[9]
Chicago Tribune[10]
The Guardian[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
Mojo[13]
Pitchfork8.5/10[3]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
Spin7/10[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]

Accolades for Cancer 4 Cure
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

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All tracks are written and produced by El-P, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(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" 
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar
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" 
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar
3:18
9."Sign Here"  2:51
10."For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)" 
  • El-P
  • Wilder Zoby
3:15
11."Stay Down" (featuring Nick Diamonds)
  • El-P
  • Nick Diamonds
  • Little Shalimar
3:10
12."$4 Vic/Nothing but You+Me (FTL)"  8:23
Total length:49:05

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

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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

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  1. ^ "El-P "Cancer For Cure" Album Art / Tracklist". Fat Possum Records. April 6, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "El-P: Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Weiss, Jeff (May 21, 2012). "El-P: Cancer for Cure". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Alexander Fruchter. "Interview El-P: Back In The Flow". Ruby Hornet. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  6. ^ "Cancer For Cure by El-P reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Reviews for Cancer4Cure by El-P". Metacritic. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Cancer4Cure – El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Kot, Greg (May 20, 2012). "Album review: El-P, 'Cancer 4 Cure'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  11. ^ MacInnes, Paul (May 24, 2012). "El-P: Cancer for Cure – review". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  12. ^ Martens, Todd (May 21, 2012). "Album review: El-P's 'Cancer 4 Cure'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  13. ^ "El-P: Cancer 4 Cure". Mojo (224): 92. July 2012.
  14. ^ "El-P: Cancer 4 Cure". Q (312): 98. July 2012.
  15. ^ Hermes, Will (May 22, 2012). "Cancer4Cure". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  16. ^ Reeves, Mosi (May 16, 2012). "El-P, 'Cancer for Cure' (Fat Possum)". Spin. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  17. ^ Weiss, Dan (May 15, 2012). "El-P - Cancer For Cure". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  18. ^ "Albums of the Year 2012". The 405. 2012. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Beats per Minute. December 14, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  20. ^ Kot, Greg (December 7, 2012). "Greg Kot's top 10 albums of 2012". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top 50 Albums 2012". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Complex. December 18, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  23. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2012". Consequence of Sound. December 14, 2012. p. 3. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  24. ^ Keast, James (December 11, 2012). "Best Albums of 2012: Top 50 Albums of the Year". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  25. ^ "Top 50 Albums Of 2012 (Part One)". No Ripcord. December 18, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Jackson, Josh (November 26, 2012). "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Paste. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  28. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Pitchfork. December 20, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  29. ^ "The 75 Best Albums of 2012". PopMatters. December 9, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  30. ^ "The Best Hip-Hop of 2012". PopMatters. December 11, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  31. ^ "Best Albums of 2012". Pretty Much Amazing. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  32. ^ "SPIN's 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012 (page 16 of 41)". Spin. December 11, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  33. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Spinner. December 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  34. ^ "Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". Stereogum. December 5, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  35. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2012". Treble. December 9, 2012. p. 3. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  36. ^ "Pazz + Jop 2012". The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  37. ^ "El-P: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  38. ^ "El-P: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
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