Scientists Discover Cancer for Cure?: El-Producto - "The Full Retard" (Fat Possum)

For all intensive purposes, El-P and his Brooklyn-based crew, Company Flow (1992-2002) essentially spearheaded the formation of East Coast Underground ["Indie"] Hip-Hop. Company Flow has since disbanded and El-P recently dissolved his own record label, Definitive Jux. But El-Producto is still fairly active as a producer, solo artist, graphic designer, etc. Fresh on the heels of his upcoming solo album, Cancer for Cure (May 22nd), El-P has carefully re-aligned himself with the Brooklyn scene that he once helped create. Much like a returning, hard-partying frat boy, El-P now rolls with Indie Hip-Hop's finest up-and-comers: Das Racist, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Danny Brown, Killer Mike, Nocando, Aesop Rock, Despot, Cannibal Ox, and... The Mars Volta? El-P most recently lent his production talents to Das Racist and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's breakthrough efforts, Relax/Lost In Translation; Even spitting a few memorable bars, for good measure. El-P & Killer Mike's joint album, R.A.P. Music will actually see a wide release 1 week before Cancer for Cure on Williams Street Records.


"The Full Retard," which [not so] subtly references an infamous line uttered by Robert Downey, Jr.'s character from Tropic Thunder, is Cancer for Cure's first proper single. It was preceded by "Drones Over BKLYN" (Adult Swim) and it's companion remix, "Rush Over BKLYN" created for Legitmix. El-P recently told Pitchfork's very own Larry Fitzmaurice that "The Full Retard" isn't meant to offend anyone, "it's a fucking joke, a Pop Culture reference. Even the context of that reference itself isn't making fin of retarded people -- it's people condescending to retarded people. I mean, honestly. Blow me."

Complete with countless punchlines inter-woven throughout a hard-hitting Boom-Bap beat, "The Full Retard" sounds mildly similar to Def Jux's early cut & paste" sample-based output(s). Cancer for Cure is slated to feature contributions from a variety of El-Producto's friends-musicians: "Inter-Paul" Banks, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Danny Brown, Killer Mike, Despot, and Nick Diamonds (Islands). Head on over to Definitive Jux's now defunct website to pre-order Cancer for Cure and Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music... in a variety of formats and assorted packages, ranging from $12-85.