Fantastic Damage

Fantastic Damage is the first solo studio album by American hip hop artist El-P. It was released through Definitive Jux on May 14, 2002.[1] It peaked at number 198 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2] Music videos were created for "Stepfather Factory"[3] and "Deep Space 9mm".[4]

Fantastic Damage
Studio album by
El-P
ReleasedMay 14, 2002 (2002-05-14)
GenreHip hop
Length70:18
LabelDefinitive Jux
ProducerEl-P
El-P chronology
El-P Presents Cannibal Oxtrumentals
(2002)		 Fantastic Damage
(2002)		 High Water
(2004)
Singles from Fantastic Damage
  1. "Stepfather Factory"
    Released: 2001
  2. "Deep Space 9mm"
    Released: 2002
  3. "Truancy"
    Released: 2002
  4. "Dead Disnee"
    Released: 2002

Fandam Plus: Instrumentals, Remixes, Lyrics & Video was released through Definitive Jux on October 1, 2002.[5]

Production

The majority of Fantastic Damage was made after the breakup of El-P's previous group Company Flow.[6] It took over a year and a half recording the album.[6] Public Enemy was a big influence on El-P's production style on the album.[6] There are references to Philip K. Dick and George Orwell on the album; they influenced El-P's worldview and lyrics.[6]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA[8]
NME8/10[9]
Pitchfork8.9/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Spin9/10[12]
Stylus MagazineA[13]
Tiny Mix Tapes5/5[14]

Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote, "Fantastic Damage constitutes some of the most challenging, lyrically dense hip-hop around, assembled by one of the genre's true independent mavericks."[7] Kathryn McGuire of Rolling Stone called it "a heavy, turbulent affair."[11]

Pitchfork placed Fantastic Damage at number 11 on its list of the top albums of 2002,[15] while Spin placed it at number 27 on its list of the year's best albums.[16] In 2015, Fact placed it at number 21 on its "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.[17]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Fantastic Damage"3:22
2."Squeegee Man Shooting"4:24
3."Deep Space 9mm"3:47
4."Tuned Mass Damper"4:05
5."Dead Disnee"3:53
6."Delorean"5:33
7."Truancy"5:04
8."The Nang, the Front, the Bush and the Shit"5:37
9."Accidents Don't Happen"4:50
10."Stepfather Factory"4:11
11."T.O.J."4:32
12."Dr. Hellno and the Praying Mantus"4:39
13."Lazerfaces' Warning"4:36
14."Innocent Leader"2:21
15."Constellation Funk"4:58
16."Blood"4:26

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • El-P – vocals, production, recording, mixing, art direction
  • Aesop Rock – vocals (6)
  • Ill Bill – vocals (6)
  • Rob Sonic – vocals (7)
  • Vast Aire – vocals (8, 12)
  • Cage – vocals (9)
  • Camu Tao – vocals (9)
  • Nasa – vocals (15), recording, mixing
  • C-Rayz Walz – vocals (16)
  • Mr. Lif – vocals (16)
  • DJ Abilities – turntables
  • Dan Ezra Lang – art direction, design, painting
  • Alexander Calder – painting
  • Phase Two – painting

Charts
Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[2] 198
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] 9
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[19] 14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 82

References
  1. Purdom, Clayton (May 14, 2017). "El-P's Fantastic Damage turns 15 today—too bad you can't find it anywhere". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  2. "El-P Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  3. Thill, Scott (April 10, 2007). "El-P Wakes the Dead". Wired. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  4. Thill, Scott (September 10, 2008). "9/11 Rewind: El-P's "Deep Space 9mm"". Wired. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  5. Heaton, Dave (February 4, 2003). "EL-P: Fandam Plus: Instrumentals, Remixes, Lyrics & Video". PopMatters. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. Chennault, Sam (August 1, 2002). "El-P". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  7. Huey, Steve. "Fantastic Damage – El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  8. Hermes, Will (May 24, 2002). "Fantastic Damage". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  9. "El-P: Fantastic Damage". NME: 30. May 25, 2002.
  10. Chennault, Sam (June 18, 2002). "El-P: Fantastic Damage". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  11. McGuire, Kathryn (June 20, 2002). "El-P: Fantastic Damage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  12. Ryan, Chris (July 2002). "Under Dawgs". Spin. 18 (7): 111. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  13. Mueller, Gavin (September 1, 2003). "El-P – Fantastic Damage – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on January 8, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  14. Jean-Pierre. "El-P – Fantastic Damage". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  15. "Top 50 Albums of 2002". Pitchfork. January 1, 2003. p. 4. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  16. "Albums of the Year". Spin. 19 (1): 70–73. January 2003. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  17. Piyevsky, Alex; Geng; Twells, John; Raw, Son; Rascobeamer, Jeff (February 25, 2015). "The 100 best indie hip-hop records of all time". Fact. p. 81. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  18. "El-P Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  19. "El-P Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  20. "El-P Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
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