The Blogger Formerly Known as Faraone would have loved this p0ast. This post is just begging out for a true Def Jux fan boy to write it, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m a poor substitute for one. The whole rapping about geometry and laser beams and backpacks kind of passed me by back when I was in middle school listening to Puffy or whatever, and it never quite took even later on.
But since then a lot has changed. El-P has seen Def Jux melt away into nostalgia, their roster scattered around the industry but seemingly replaced by a new group of eccentric hardcore scumbag New Yorkers carving out their own niche: Mister Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Das Racist, Despot, Action Bronson and others who came of age when Def Jux was dominating the underground. The guests will be getting a lot of the attention generated by his new album Cancer4Cure, but the credit should go to El-P for doing what many veteran artists cannot: adapting their signature sound into something more contemporary. I’ve listened to the album about twice over (maybe more than anything else El-P has put out in a while already) and the results are pretty incredible. “Full Retard” and “O Hail No” (with Danny Brown and a ridiculous verse from eXquire) will be the immediate favorites for sure, but don’t sleep on “Stay Down” (f/ Nick Diamonds), epic closer “$4 Vic” or “Sign Here.”
LINK: El-P Cancer4Cure Full Album Stream via RollingStone