Pitchfork 2010: El-P
By Andy Keil
El-P (El Producto,) a Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist on the Definitive Jux label jumpstarted the crowd during his 4:35pm set on Friday afternoon of the Pitchfork Music Festival. As the first hip-hop act of the festival, El-P set the bar for the other hip-hop artists yet to come (Raekwon, Freddie Gibbs, and Big Boi of Outkast fame). He took time to pay homage to honor hip-hop’s roots by playing several early 90s cuts alongside his own material. Surprisingly, the energy level stayed cranked to 11 throughout the entire 45-minute set.
El-P’s rapping style is best characterized by his incredible use of metaphor that often throws in references to science fiction and fantasy alongside aggressive witty attacks. He’s been described 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,” according to Steve Huey, a critic over at allmusic.
