El-P is one of the most amazing rap producer right now. Oh yes, I'm aware that this isn't rocket science for most people who are into modern rap and that he is a controversial figure for a lot of hip hop head who don't recognize Def Jux (El-P's label) as a true hip hop label. But, there is always a but, how could anyone describe his sound otherwise ? El-P, even if he transforms his music with much electronic elements and doesn't respect the traditionnel structure of any rap song is undoubtly one of the most important rapper and producer right now for this reason. His music is catchy while not being a dumbed down version of what rap music is supposed to be. I've got nothing against Lil Jon, even if I am not able to listen to more than a couple of his songs on a row IF I want to listen to him (which doesn't happens often to be honest), and I recognize the catchiness of his songs, but there isn't much to listen to. There is much to dance to, that's for sure. But listenning and putting something in the background are two different things and what El-P is doing is music that demands to be heard to be fully understood. I remember reading on Mog a comment about his lyrics stating that when he was still in Company Flow you didn't need a dictionnary to understand what he meant. I'm french, so I would be supposed to have a problem understanding what the guy is saying. But, just like Aesop Rock, who is, in my opinion, a more complex lyricist, i don't need to understand every word to get the full picture. The same goes for his instrumentals. El-P's music is very complex and layers a lot of sounds on top of each other to create each songs. Still, the hooks are undoubtly there and you just have to follow them to catch everything that surrounds them and get into the whole experience. I first had troubles to listen to "Fantastic damage" when I first got it because there was too much to get listen to and too many cold sounds (as opposed to "I'll sleep when you're dead", which is a warmer record) but recently I've given a more focused spin on it and it hit like a thousand bricks. This record is catchy as hell and there aren't any bad tracks on it. From "Dead disnee" to "Constellation funk", the record flows and grabs you. And don't get me started on "Stepfather factory" and "Delorean". El-P is one of the most amazing rap producer right now.If you haven't heard his music yet, don't wait any longer.
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