| Cancer 4 Cure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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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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]
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]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10 [6] |
| Metacritic | 84/100 [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| The A.V. Club | A [9] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| Mojo | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10 [3] |
| Q | [14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| 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] |
All 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 | |||
Credits adapted from liner notes.
| 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 |
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