View source for El-P

{{Short description|American rapper (born 1975)}}
{{For|the Canadian recording engineer and producer|Al-P}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = El-P
| background = solo_singer
| image = North by Northeast (NXNE) 2014 Pictures by DJ Fusion (FuseBox Radio Broadcast) (cropped).jpg
| caption = El-P performing in June 2014
| birth_name = Jaime Stuart Meline
| alias = {{plainlist|
* El Producto
* Lazerface
}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|3|2}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Underground hip hop]]<ref>{{cite book|page=84|last=Harrison|first=Anthony Kwame|year=2009|title=Hip Hop Underground: The Integrity and Ethics of Racial Identification|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|isbn=9781439900628}}</ref>
* [[progressive rap]]<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Jenkins|first=Craig|date=September 25, 2013|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2013/09/best-rap-producers/el-p|title=The 10 Best Rap Producers Right Now|magazine=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
* [[alternative hip hop]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Faraone|first=Chris|date=July 3, 2012|url=https://thephoenix.com/boston/music/140822-el-p-keeps-control-of-his-alt-rap-flow/|title=El-P Keeps Control of His Alt-Rap Flow|newspaper=[[The Boston Phoenix]]|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
}}
| discography = [[El-P discography]]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Rapper
* songwriter
* record producer
}}
| years_active = 1992–present
| label = {{flatlist|
* [[Definitive Jux]]
* [[Thirsty Ear]]
* [[Fat Possum]]
* [[Rawkus Records|Rawkus]]
* [[Fool's Gold Records|Fool's Gold]]
* [[Big Dada]]
* [[Mass Appeal Records|Mass Appeal]]
* Jewel Runners
}}
| current_member_of = [[Run the Jewels]]
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[Company Flow]]|[[The Weathermen (hip hop group)|The Weathermen]]}}
| website =
| <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| module          = {{Infobox person|embed=yes
 | signature       = El-P sig.svg
 }} 
}}

'''Jaime Stuart Meline''' (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name '''El-P''' (shortened from his previous stage name '''El Producto'''), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of [[Company Flow]], he has been a driving force in [[alternative hip hop]] since the mid-1990s, producing for rappers including [[Aesop Rock]], [[Cage (rapper)|Cage]], and [[Mr. Lif]]. He was a member of [[The Weathermen (hip hop group)|The Weathermen]] and was the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the [[Definitive Jux]] record label.

After releasing four solo studio albums that were critically acclaimed{{emdash}}''[[Fantastic Damage]]'' (2002), ''[[High Water (El-P album)|High Water]]'' (2004), ''[[I'll Sleep When You're Dead]]'' (2007), and ''[[Cancer 4 Cure]]'' (2012){{emdash}}El-P began experiencing mainstream success in 2013 when he formed the hip hop superduo [[Run the Jewels]] with fellow rapper [[Killer Mike]]. They have released four studio albums for free, all of which have received widespread acclaim: ''[[Run the Jewels (album)|Run the Jewels]]'' (2013), ''[[Run the Jewels 2]]'' (2014), ''[[Run the Jewels 3]]'' (2016), and ''[[RTJ4]]'' (2020).

==Early life==
El-P was born Jaime Meline in the [[Brooklyn]] borough of [[New York City]] on March 2, 1975, the son of Nan Dillon<ref name="Chamberlin" /> and jazz pianist Harry Meline (who performed under the [[stage name]] Harry Keyes).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abacus.bates.edu/pubs/mag/96-Fall/keyes.html|title=Harry Keyes '54|publisher=Abacus.bates.edu|access-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224145204/http://abacus.bates.edu/pubs/mag/96-Fall/keyes.html|archive-date=December 24, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> He is of Cajun, Irish, and Lithuanian descent.<ref name="Chamberlin">[http://danielchamberlin.com/?page_id=178 URB Magazine 2002 via DanielChamberlin.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208120814/http://danielchamberlin.com/?page_id=178 |date=December 8, 2015 }} Accessed December 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/arts/music/18herm.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 | title=Indie Rapper Reseizes the Brooklyn Moment | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 18, 2007 | access-date=September 19, 2015 | author=Hermes, Will | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129233650/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/arts/music/18herm.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 | archive-date=January 29, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref> Although his mother was raised [[Catholicism|Catholic]] and his father was raised [[Judaism|Jewish]], they did not emphasize either faith to him during his childhood and he later joked that he "got none of it except a [[Brit milah|circumcision at birth]]".<ref name="Chamberlin" />

El-P's parents divorced when he was seven years old. His mother was assaulted by his drunken stepfather during his childhood, and he later wrote the track "Last Good Sleep" about hearing the attack from the next room and not realizing what had happened until the next day.<ref name="Chamberlin" /> His mother responded to the beating by immediately ending the relationship, reporting El-P's stepfather to the police, and changing their home's locks; however, El-P had recurring nightmares about the incident for many years, and once chased a stranger who he believed was his ex-stepfather through the [[New York City Subway|New York subway]].<ref name="Chamberlin" />

El-P was expelled from two high schools for various issues, including his refusal to stop wearing his baseball cap backwards.<ref name="Chamberlin" /> He later got his [[GED]].<ref name="Chamberlin" /> He went to [[musical engineering]] school at the Center for the Media Arts in [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8tRwzOjy40|title=Nardwuar vs. EL-P|date=February 14, 2014|website=Youtube|access-date=June 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228161830/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8tRwzOjy40|archive-date=February 28, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> After graduating, he enrolled at [[Hunter College]], but dropped out because most of his courses did not relate to the career he wanted.<ref name="Chamberlin" />

==Career==
===Early career===
Getting involved with the [[hip hop culture]] of New York City at an early age, El-P met [[Mr. Len]] when he hired Len as the DJ for his 17th birthday party. The two became friends and formed [[Company Flow]] in 1992. They released their first single, "Juvenile Technique", in 1993.<ref name=HuAM>{{cite web|website=[[AllMusic]]|publisher=Netaktion LLC|location=Goshen|url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/company-flow-mn0000096780/biography|last=Huey|first=Steve|title=Company Flow Biography}}</ref> [[Bigg Jus]] joined the group and in 1995 the trio released their debut EP, ''[[Funcrusher EP|Funcrusher]]''.{{refn|name=Fcr5|<ref name=Her97>{{cite interview |last=Meline|first=Jaime (El{{nbh}}P)|subject-link=El-P|title=Indie Rapper Reseizes the Brooklyn Moment: El{{nbh}}P (Jaime Meline)|interviewer-last=Hermes|interviewer-first=Will|interviewer-link=Will Hermes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/arts/music/18herm.html|date=March 18, 2007|quote=The group self-released the 'Funcrusher' EP in 1995, and before long El{{nbh}}P quit his job in the Tower Records mail-order department 'because, y'know, I was a rap star.' |work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605065111/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/arts/music/18herm.html|archive-date=June 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=La09>{{cite book|editor-last=Larkin|editor-first=Colin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|section=El{{nbh}}P|location=Oxford/New York|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=9780195313734|year=2016|url= https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195313734.001.0001/acref-9780195313734|quote=Although the producer now says that the Funcrusher EP (1995) and its subsequent extension Funcrusher Plus became 'like monsters', Company Flow provided a potent counterpoint to mainstream hip-hop aesthetics.|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230201133826/https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195313734.001.0001/acref-9780195313734|archive-date=February 1, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=GolFon18>{{cite book|editor-last1=Goldsmith|editor-last2=Fonseca|editor-first1=Melissa|editor-first2=Anthony|year=2018|pages=133–135|location=Santa Barbara/California|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]]|isbn=978-0-313-35758-9 |url= https://www.abc-clio.com/products/b4237c/ |quote=The trio's first EP, Funcrusher (1995) led to a deal with Rawkus Records and the release of the band's debut album|title=Hip Hop Around the World: An Encyclopedia|work=ABC-CLIO |section=Company Flow}}</ref><ref name=Sha02>{{cite magazine|author-last=Shapiro|author-first=Peter|author-link=Peter Shapiro (journalist)|quote=the two released a single, 'Juvenile Techniques', later that year under the name Company Flow. Recruiting rapper Bigg Jus, the new trio released the Funcrusher EP in 1995 on their newly formed label, Official Recordings.|publisher=The Wire Magazine Ltd|location=London|pages=20–23|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|title=Invisible Jukebox: El{{nbh}}P|date=May 2002|issue=219}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Black Mamba Serums 2.0|date=2004 |url=https://bigdada.com/release/bigg-jus/black-mamba-serums-v2-0 |publisher=[[Big Dada]]|id=BD071 |location=London}}</ref>}} It sold well for an independently released record, with more than 30,000 copies sold despite only being available on [[Phonograph record|vinyl]].<ref name=HuAM/> Subject to a major-label bidding war after the success of the EP, Company Flow waited until it could get a contract on its own terms. The group eventually signed with [[Rawkus Records]], and released its debut full-length album, ''[[Funcrusher Plus]]'' (1997).

[[File:El-pflick.jpg|thumb|upright|left|El-P on stage in 2007]]

After an [[instrumental hip hop|instrumental]] album titled ''[[Little Johnny From the Hospitul: Breaks & Instrumentals Vol.1]]'' (1999), also on [[Rawkus]], disagreements between El-P and the label led to Company Flow leaving Rawkus. El-P decided to start his own [[record label]], [[Definitive Jux]] (known informally as Def Jux, and extra-formally as Definitive Juxtapositions), and because of critically acclaimed albums such as [[Cannibal Ox]]'s ''[[The Cold Vein]]'' (produced by El-P) and [[Aesop Rock]]'s ''[[Labor Days]]'', the label rose to prominence.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Company Flow dissolved amicably in 2001 and the following year El-P released his debut [[solo album]] ''[[Fantastic Damage]]'', to critical acclaim. In 2004, El-P collaborated with the Blue Series Continuum for a [[jazz-fusion]] album titled ''[[High Water (El-P album)|High Water]]'', which received favorable reviews from both hip hop and jazz critics, as well as from more mainstream critics independent of both scenes. 2005 saw the release of ''[[Collecting the Kid]]'', an odds-and-ends assortment including work from ''High Water'' and ''Bomb the System'', in addition to several songs of unknown provenance. El-P's second proper studio album, ''[[I'll Sleep When You're Dead]]'', was released on March 20, 2007. It generally received very favorable reviews and became El-P's most commercially successful album as a solo artist to date, peaking at No. 78 on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. In an interview about ''I'll Sleep When You're Dead'', he identifies himself as an atheist.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Diver|first1=Mike|title=El-P: "When I run out of magic pills, I'll lose my sh*t"|url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/1896260-el-p--when-i-run-out-of-my-magic-pills-i%E2%80%99ll-lose-my-sh-t|website=Drowned In Sound|date=April 23, 2007 |access-date=July 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331000824/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/1896260-el-p--when-i-run-out-of-my-magic-pills-i%E2%80%99ll-lose-my-sh-t|archive-date=March 31, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2009, El-P announced that he was working on his third studio album, titled ''[[Cancer 4 Cure]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cancer4cure.blogspot.com/|title=im going to stab you.|author=el producto|publisher=Cancer4cure.blogspot.com|access-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113072444/http://cancer4cure.blogspot.com/|archive-date=January 13, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> El-P was a part of a group called Central Services, which consisted of El-P, [[Camu Tao]], and Allysin Baker. In the fall of 2010, the EP ''Forever Frozen in Television Time'', was released exclusively on the Def Jux digital download service. In August 2011, it was announced that El-P signed with Fat Possum Records, which would release ''Cancer 4 Cure''. Later that month, El-P released a single off the upcoming album, via the [[Adult Swim]] Singles program, titled "Drones Over BKLYN". On February 22, 2012, El-P announced on his Facebook page that ''Cancer 4 Cure'' was complete. The album was released to music retailers on May 22.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cancer4cure-mw0002334307|work=All Music|title=Cancer4Cure}}</ref>

===Run the Jewels===
{{main|Run the Jewels}}
[[File:Run the Jewels (16941768047).jpg|thumb|right|El-P (right) performing with [[Killer Mike]] as [[Run the Jewels]] in 2014.]]
[[Run the Jewels]], a collaboration of El-P with [[Atlanta]]-based rapper [[Killer Mike]], was formed in 2013. The two rappers were introduced to each other by [[Adult Swim]] executive Jason DeMarco in 2011.<ref name=RollingStone_RTJ>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/run-the-jewels-how-2014s-hardest-rap-duo-came-back-from-oblivion-20141024 |title=Run the Jewels: 2014's Brashest Rap Duo Comes Back From Oblivion |newspaper=Rolling Stone |date=October 24, 2014 |author=Christopher R. Weingarten |access-date=May 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025163522/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/run-the-jewels-how-2014s-hardest-rap-duo-came-back-from-oblivion-20141024 |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The meeting led to several collaborations, including Killer Mike being featured on the song "Tougher Colder Killer" from ''Cancer 4 Cure'' while El-P produced the entirety of [[Killer Mike]]'s sixth album ''[[R.A.P. Music]]''. When ''R.A.P. Music'' and ''Cancer 4 Cure'' were released within weeks of each other, a joint tour was planned. The success of the tour eventually led to the formation of Run the Jewels.<ref name=RTJ_NPR>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/microphonecheck/2014/11/11/363125142/run-the-jewels-im-taking-this-life |title=Run The Jewels: 'I'm Taking This Life' |website=NPR – Microphone Check |date=November 11, 2014 |author=Frannie Kelley |access-date=May 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425223749/http://www.npr.org/blogs/microphonecheck/2014/11/11/363125142/run-the-jewels-im-taking-this-life |archive-date=April 25, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The duo released [[Run the Jewels (album)|their self-titled debut album]] on June 26, 2013.<ref name=RTJ_releasedate>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.23535/title.killer-mike-el-p-run-the-jewels-release-date-tracklist-album-download |title=Killer Mike & El-P "Run The Jewels" Release Date, Tracklist & Album Download |website=HipHopDX.com |author=Jake Paine |date=June 23, 2013 |access-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504063733/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.23535/title.killer-mike-el-p-run-the-jewels-release-date-tracklist-album-download |archive-date=May 4, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They released ''[[Run the Jewels 2]]'' on October 28, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/56526-killer-mike-and-el-p-detail-run-the-jewels-rtj2-album-announce-tour/ |title=Killer Mike and El-P Detail Run the Jewels' RTJ2 Album, Announce Tour |website=Pitchfork |author=Evan Minsker |date=September 2, 2014 |access-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904234947/http://pitchfork.com/news/56526-killer-mike-and-el-p-detail-run-the-jewels-rtj2-album-announce-tour/ |archive-date=September 4, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Run the Jewels 3]]'' was released on December 24, 2016,<ref name=BB_RTJ3>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/run-the-jewels-new-album-rtj3-early-release-listen-7633335/ |title=Run the Jewels' New Album, 'RTJ3,' Released Early: Listen |website=Billboard.com |date=December 26, 2016 |author=DiMeglio, Mary J. |access-date=December 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228094947/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7633335/run-the-jewels-new-album-rtj3-early-release-listen |archive-date=December 28, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> three weeks prior to the previously announced release date of January 13, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/70497-run-the-jewels-release-rtj3-listen/ |title=Run the Jewels Release RTJ3: Listen |first=Sam |last=Sodomsky |date=December 25, 2016 |access-date=December 28, 2016 |work=[[Pitchfork Media]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226161925/http://pitchfork.com/news/70497-run-the-jewels-release-rtj3-listen/ |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> A fourth album, ''[[RTJ4]]'' was released on June 3, 2020. All of their albums to date have been released for free.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.getalternative.com/album-review-run-the-jewels-rtj4/ | title=Album Review: Run the Jewels – RTJ4 | date=July 11, 2020 }}</ref>

===Production and featured appearances===
El-P has contributed productions and guest rhymes to albums by [[Aesop Rock]], [[Evil Nine]], [[DJ Krush]], [[Murs (rapper)|Murs]], [[Cage Kennylz|Cage]], [[Mr. Lif]], [[Prefuse 73]], [[Del tha Funkee Homosapien]], [[Mike Ladd]], [[High and Mighty (band)|The High and Mighty]], [[Jedi Mind Tricks]], [[Aceyalone]], [[Atmosphere (music group)|Atmosphere]], [[Techno Animal]], and [[Das Racist]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/09/run-the-jewels-review | title=Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels – review | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=January 9, 2014 | access-date=September 19, 2015 | author=Petridis, Alexis | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906115743/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/09/run-the-jewels-review | archive-date=September 6, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/el-p-mn0000794301 |title=El-P Biography |website=Allmusic |author=Kieran McCarthy |access-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224195302/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/el-p-mn0000794301 |archive-date=December 24, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> He collaborated with [[Alec Empire]] on the first [[Handsome Boy Modeling School]] album and with [[Cage Kennylz|Cage]] and [[Chino Moreno]] on the second. He was selected, along with [[DJ Shadow]] and [[Trent Reznor]], to work on [[Rage Against the Machine]] frontman [[Zack de la Rocha]]'s solo album (which never materialized). He produced [[The Veils]] album Total Depravity, with the song Axolotl later appearing in [[David Lynch]]'s new series of ''[[Twin Peaks]]''. He has provided remixes for the likes of [[Beans (rapper)|Beans]] (of [[Anti-Pop Consortium]]), [[Beck]], [[Blackalicious]], [[Head Automatica]], [[Hot Hot Heat]], [[Dizzee Rascal]], [[Syd Matters]], [[Nine Inch Nails]], [[Push Button Objects]], [[Rob Sonic]], [[TV on the Radio]], [[Lorde]], and Yasushilde, among others. El-P provided the soundtrack for the graffiti film ''[[Bomb the System]]''.<ref name="bio">{{cite web
 |year = 2002
 |title = El-P Biography at DefinitiveJux.net (old)
 |access-date = April 7, 2007
|url = http://www.definitivejux.net/jukies/el-p/
 |url-status = usurped
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070409072357/http://www.definitivejux.net/jukies/el-p/
 |archive-date = April 9, 2007
|df = mdy-all
}}</ref><ref name="bio2">{{cite web
 |year = 2007
 |title = El-P Biography at DefinitiveJux.net (current)
 |access-date = April 7, 2007
|url = http://store.definitivejux.net/store/artist_el_p.html/
 |url-status = usurped
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070326193952/http://store.definitivejux.net/store/artist_el_p.html
 |archive-date = March 26, 2007
|df = mdy-all
}}</ref>

===Film scoring===
El-P was the principal composer for the 2005 film ''[[Bomb the System]].'' His track "Another Body" was made for Josh Trank's 2015 superhero film ''[[Fantastic Four (2015 film)|Fantastic Four]]'' and featured in the film's end credits. He called the track "an homage to one of my biggest influences [[Philip Glass]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2015-07-26 |title=Hear El-P's 'Fantastic Four' End Credits Song 'Another Body' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-el-ps-fantastic-four-end-credits-song-another-body-43184/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> El-P was one of the candidates to score a trailer for 2017's ''[[Blade Runner 2049]]'', but his score was "rejected or ignored".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/blade-runner-2049-score-trailer-soundtrack-el-p-run-the-jewels-hans-zimmer-a7965371.html |title=Listen to El-P's 'rejected' Blade Runner 2049 score |date=September 25, 2017 |work=The Independent|access-date=October 7, 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007220511/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/blade-runner-2049-score-trailer-soundtrack-el-p-run-the-jewels-hans-zimmer-a7965371.html |archive-date=October 7, 2017|last = Hooton|first = Christopher}}</ref> He later worked again with Trank and created the score for the 2020 biopic ''[[Capone (2020 film)|Capone]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nme.com/news/el-p-shares-score-tom-hardy-movie-capone-2678768 | title = El-P shares soundtrack for Tom Hardy movie 'Capone' | last = Daly | first = Rhian | date = May 29, 2020 | website = New Musical Express (NME) | access-date = February 22, 2021}}</ref>

==Style==
El-P's rapping style is characterized by dense, aggressive, and verbose attacks that include heavy use of metaphors, sci-fi fantasy themes, pop culture references, and [[Association (psychology)|associative]] wordplay. His lyrics often feature themes found in the works of sci-fi author [[Philip K. Dick]], such as paranoia and questions about the nature of reality.<ref name=PF_LP_PKD>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/interview/5866-el-p/ |title=El-P |website=Pitchfork.com |date=August 1, 2002 |author=Chennault, Sam |access-date=December 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229170844/http://pitchfork.com/features/interview/5866-el-p/ |archive-date=December 29, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Reviewing his 2002 album ''[[Fantastic Damage]]'', critic Steve Huey described El-P as "one of the most technically gifted MCs of his time, spitting out near-impossible phrases and rhythmic variations that simply leave the listener's head spinning".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/fantastic-damage-mw0000219593 |title=Fantastic Damage – El-P |website=Allmusic |author=Steve Huey |access-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502212648/http://www.allmusic.com/album/fantastic-damage-mw0000219593 |archive-date=May 2, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

El-P's 2004 album ''[[High Water (El-P album)|High Water]]'' was a radical departure, pitting his beats and production against a jazz band under the direction of pianist [[Matthew Shipp]], a fan of El-P's music. In a 2003 interview with Shipp for ''[[Bomb (magazine)|Bomb]]'' magazine, El-P stated, "First and foremost, I wanted to [make a different album] because it scared the shit out of me. And when I get offered the chance to be involved with something that scares me, I usually do it, because I'm trying to learn, I'm trying to understand music as much as I can, to become a better musician in general and work in different capacities."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bombmagazine.org/articles/el-p/|title=El-P by Matthew Shipp – Bomb Magazine|website=bombmagazine.org|date=October 2003 |access-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921031825/https://bombmagazine.org/articles/el-p/|archive-date=September 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
El-P began dating comedian and musician Emily Panic in 2010, and they married in October 2018.<ref>{{cite tweet| author=Emily Panic|user=aprettybigmouth|number=1252251033717346313|title=Happy 10 yr anniversary to my beautiful husband @therealelp. The funniest, smartest, most empathetic person I know...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/el-p-and-emily-panic-are-married/|title=El-P and Emily Panic Are Married|last=Bloom|first=Madison|date=October 17, 2018|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018015447/https://pitchfork.com/news/el-p-and-emily-panic-are-married/|archive-date=October 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Panic was featured on Killer Mike's 2012 album ''[[R.A.P. Music]]'', which El-P produced.<ref>{{cite web|title=R.A.P. Music - Killer Mike : Credits : AllMusic|url=http://beta.allmusic.com/album/rap-music-mw0002330220/credits|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=17 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305041346/http://beta.allmusic.com/album/rap-music-mw0002330220/credits|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> On February 16, 2025, El-P's father, fellow musician and jazz pianist Harry Meline, also known as Harry Keyes, died at age 92.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harry Keyes '54 |url=https://www.bates.edu/magazine/back-issues/y1996/fall96/departments/class-notes/alumni-profiles/harry-keyes-54/ |website=Bates EDU |date=September 21, 1996 }}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|El-P discography|Company Flow#Discography|Run the Jewels discography|l1=|l2=Company Flow discography|l3=}}

;Studio albums
*''[[Fantastic Damage]]'' (2002)
*''[[High Water (El-P album)|High Water]]'' (2004)
*''[[I'll Sleep When You're Dead]]'' (2007)
*''[[Cancer 4 Cure]]'' (2012)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs artist|EL-P}}
* {{IMDb name|1474803}}

{{El-P|state=expanded}}
{{Run the Jewels}}
{{Company Flow}}
{{Definitive Jux Records}}

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