# Cancer 4 Cure

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. It peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard 200 chart.

## Background

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. 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." 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."

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10 |
| Metacritic | 84/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | A |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| The Guardian | |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Mojo | |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10 |
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".
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."
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".
Accolades for Cancer 4 Cure :
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
| The 405 | Albums of the Year | 12 |
| Beats per Minute | The Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 34 |
| Chicago Tribune (Greg Kot) | Top 10 Albums of 2012 | 7 |
| Cokemachineglow | Top 50 Albums 2012 | 3 |
| Complex | The 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 10 |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 25 |
| Exclaim! | Best Albums of 2012: Top 50 Albums of the Year | 14 |
| No Ripcord | Top 50 Albums Of 2012 | 36 |
| Obscure Sound | Best Albums of 2012 | 35 |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 12 |
| Pitchfork | The Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 45 |
| PopMatters | The 75 Best Albums of 2012 | 35 |
| PopMatters | The Best Hip-Hop of 2012 | 4 |
| Pretty Much Amazing | Best Albums of 2012 | 20 |
| Spin | 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012 | Unranked |
| Spinner | The 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 33 |
| Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 15 |
| Treble | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 22 |
| The Village Voice | Pazz & Jop | 26 |

## Track listing

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

## Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.
* El-P – vocals, design
* Little Shalimar – guitar (1, 2, 10, 12), vocoder (6), guitar effect (7), synthesizer (12), recording (all tracks)
* Wilder Zoby – synthesizer (1), keyboards (3, 5, 7, 12)
* Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – organ (1, 6), keyboards (5, 7, 9)
* James McNew – bass guitar (1, 6, 10)
* Camu Tao – vocals (2)
* Paul Banks – vocals (3)
* Jaleel Bunton – guitar (3)
* Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire – vocals (5)
* Danny Brown – vocals (5)
* Dave "Smoota" Smith – horns (11)
* Killer Mike – vocals (6)
* Despot – vocals (6)
* Matt Sweeney – guitar (6, 12)
* Himanshu Suri – vocals (7)
* Nick Diamonds – vocals (11)
* Biondo – vocals (12)
* Joey Raia – mixing
* Glenn Schick – mastering
* Ron Croudy – design
* Timothy Saccenti – photography

## Charts

| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
| US Billboard 200 | 71 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) | 15 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 7 |