Artist: El-P
Title: Fantastic Damage
Label: Definitive Jux
This is not old-school. This is not new-school. This is not poppy. This is not jazzy. This is not pleasant. This is the long-awaited solo debut from former Company Flow member and underground hip hop mogul El-P.
This is 16 tracks of raw, futuristic, harsh, soundscapes crafted with such complexity that hours could be spent simply identifying the sounds found in each beat. On top of that there is the unmistakable flow of El-Producto; spitting rhymes just as complex as the beats with his trademark ferocity and aggression. Sounds heavy, don’t it? Well, it is. This album is not background music. El is miles and miles apart from any other producer in hip hop today. These are not 8 bar drum loops with a jazzy sample on top. These beats aren’t static, and you’ll rarely find a standard verse-hook-verse-hook progression. The beats often break down into complete chaos, then reassemble themselves, totally altering the feel of a track. This type of production is certainly an acquired taste, but if you can get into the feel of this “dusty but digital” rugged style, it doesn’t get any better.
Lyrically, El is somewhere in the space between extremely on point and way over our heads. His style of prose has been compared to James Joyce, and that comparison is not entirely without merit. He plays with language quite a bit, and he’s often hard to follow. To enjoy the depth and range of this album, it’s going to require your full attention, and probably some outside research. This could be a turnoff for some people, and I don’t blame them. It’s tough to have to go online to look up the lyrics to the songs, then spend hours puzzling over each line, deciphering the meaning of the song as a whole. Fortunately, such analysis will bear fruit, as each song does indeed make sense once you get through the dense language and metaphors that El-P employs. “Deep Space 9mm” is a vicious assault on the record industry machine, while “TOJ” is an exceptionally heartfelt confession of lost love. In the standout track “Stepfather Factory”, El puts his abusive past to rest by rhyming as a representative of a futuristic corporation which sells robotic replacements for deadbeat dads. El attacks a range of topics, but the album as a whole is far more personal than anything he’s done before, with the exception of “Last Good Sleep”. The emotional aspect of the album gives it an impact not found in many abstract hip hop endeavors, where style trumps content. Here, El finds a comfortable balance between these two elements.
Overall, if you’re looking to dance, look elsewhere. If you want a challenging, complex album the likes of which you probably haven’t heard before, check out “Fantastic Damage”.
9/10