El-P, El-Producto, or Jaime Meline somewhat changed
hip-hop when he and fellow members of
Company Flow came out with
Funcrusher Plus in '97, an album which is still played and remembered today, five years later, and which some consider one of hip-hop's greatest achievements.
So when Company Flow went their seperate ways last year, people were wondering when El-P would release his own album. This year, in May of 2002 Fantastic Damage was released on El-P's new label, Def Jux and to much rejoicing, it follows in the vein of Company Flow with a sometimes strange illogical Dr. Octagon flow and its willingness to experiment in samples that might not be entirely ear pleasing at first but when you listen to what he does with them all becomes worthwhile.
The album also has some of his friends: Ill Bill, Camu Tau, Nasa, Steven Seagal, DJ Abilities, Rob Sonic, Aesop Rock, Cage, Mr. Lif, C Rayz Walz, and Vast Aire. When he wasn't making the new album he was also flowing on the Handsome Boy Modeling School album So...How's Your Girl with Alec Empire distorting any sense to the lyrics, and producing Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, Quannum's Spectrum, and most famously Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein.