Are you correcting and furthering the present wrongs that exist in the ugly genre of hip-hop and pop music and making an earnest sound with some intelligence? Are you building for hip-hop? Since Company Flow, El-P has been a mason, surveyor and an architect.
DJ Dibbs started the show with Gary Jules singing “Mad World.” Unconventional intro, I’m on board, ready for a show.
El-P and DJ Dibbs hypnotized the crowd with tracks from I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and Fantastic Damage. El-P played his new songs “Tasmanian Pain Coaster,” “The Numbers,” “Reprise” and rewarded fans of Fantastic Damage with “9mm” and “Step Father Factory.” Then he gave us a gift with “Vital Nerve.”
El-P is a heavy and relevant MC. He’s also a humble MC who can balance the inherent boasting that is being an MC with a human approach, and he can flow better than anyone you know.
The bottom line is that if you have the chance to catch El-P or get his new album, do both. If you are losing faith in hip-hop or curious what hip-hop to listen to, EL-P is your man.