Fantastic Damage

Fantastic Damage
Fantastic Damage
Studio album by El-P
Released	May 14, 2002
Recorded	2000–2001
Genre	Underground hip-hop, experimental hip-hop
Length	70:18
Label	Definitive Jux
Producer	El-P
El-P chronology
Singles from Fantastic Damage
	"Stepfather Factory"; Released: 2001; "Deep Space 9mm"; Released: 2002; "Truancy"; Released: 2002; "Dead Disnee"; Released: 2002;

Fantastic Damage is the debut 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]

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] El-P recorded the album in his bedroom in Brooklyn using turntables, an Ensoniq EPS-16 Plus sampler, a Kaoss Pad and an Oberheim OB12 synthesizer. According to El-P, he primarily used a DA-88 and "barely touched ProTools".^[7] It took over a year and a half to record the album.^[6]

Public Enemy was a big influence on El-P's production style on the album.^[6] The album contains references to Philip K. Dick and George Orwell, who El-P credits as influences on his worldview and lyrics.^[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[8]
Entertainment Weekly	A^[9]
NME	8/10^[10]
Pitchfork	8.9/10^[11]
Rolling Stone	^[12]
Spin	9/10^[13]
Stylus Magazine	A^[14]
Tiny Mix Tapes	5/5^[15]

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."^[8] Kathryn McGuire of Rolling Stone called it "a heavy, turbulent affair".^[12]

Pitchfork placed Fantastic Damage at number 11 on its list of the top albums of 2002,^[16] while Spin placed it at number 27 on its list of the year's best albums.^[17] In 2015, Fact placed it at number 21 on its "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.^[18]

Although interpreted as a "post-9/11 record" which channeled the feelings of New Yorkers and Americans after the September 11 attacks, the album was written and largely recorded before September 11, 2001.^[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
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)^[20]	9
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[21]	14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[22]	82

References

^ 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.
^ ^a ^b "El-P Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
^ Thill, Scott (April 10, 2007). "El-P Wakes the Dead". Wired. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
^ Thill, Scott (September 10, 2008). "9/11 Rewind: El-P's "Deep Space 9mm"". Wired. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
^ Heaton, Dave (February 4, 2003). "EL-P: Fandam Plus: Instrumentals, Remixes, Lyrics & Video". PopMatters. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Chennault, Sam (August 1, 2002). "El-P". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
^ "Classic album - El-P on Fantastic Damage: "I was throwing everything I had at these tracks - anything could become a bassline if you pitched it down"". MusicRadar. November 10, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Huey, Steve. "Fantastic Damage – El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ Hermes, Will (May 24, 2002). "Fantastic Damage". Entertainment Weekly. No. 655. p. 94. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ "El-P: Fantastic Damage". NME. May 25, 2002. p. 30.
^ Chennault, Sam (June 18, 2002). "El-P: Fantastic Damage". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ ^a ^b McGuire, Kathryn (June 20, 2002). "El-P: Fantastic Damage". Rolling Stone. No. 898. p. 83. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ Ryan, Chris (July 2002). "Under Dawgs". Spin. Vol. 18, no. 7. p. 111. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ Mueller, Gavin (September 1, 2003). "El-P – Fantastic Damage – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on January 8, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ Jean-Pierre. "El-P – Fantastic Damage". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
^ "Top 50 Albums of 2002". Pitchfork. January 1, 2003. p. 4. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
^ "Albums of the Year". Spin. 19 (1): 70–73. January 2003. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
^ 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.
^ Ducker, Eric (May 15, 2020). "Thank God For Drugs And Drums: El-P Revisits His Solo Debut". NPR. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
^ "El-P Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
^ "El-P Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
^ "El-P Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.

External links

Fantastic Damage at Discogs (list of releases)
Fantastic Damage at MusicBrainz (list of releases)

[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.

[billboard200-2] "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.

[pitchfork-interview-6] Chennault, Sam (August 1, 2002). "El-P". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 6, 2018.

[radar-7] "Classic album - El-P on Fantastic Damage: "I was throwing everything I had at these tracks - anything could become a bassline if you pitched it down"". MusicRadar. November 10, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

[allmusic-8] Huey, Steve. "Fantastic Damage – El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[9] Hermes, Will (May 24, 2002). "Fantastic Damage". Entertainment Weekly. No. 655. p. 94. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[10] "El-P: Fantastic Damage". NME. May 25, 2002. p. 30.

[11] Chennault, Sam (June 18, 2002). "El-P: Fantastic Damage". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[rollingstone-12] McGuire, Kathryn (June 20, 2002). "El-P: Fantastic Damage". Rolling Stone. No. 898. p. 83. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[13] Ryan, Chris (July 2002). "Under Dawgs". Spin. Vol. 18, no. 7. p. 111. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[14] Mueller, Gavin (September 1, 2003). "El-P – Fantastic Damage – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on January 8, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[15] Jean-Pierre. "El-P – Fantastic Damage". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

[16] "Top 50 Albums of 2002". Pitchfork. January 1, 2003. p. 4. Retrieved September 5, 2018.

[17] "Albums of the Year". Spin. 19 (1): 70–73. January 2003. Retrieved June 24, 2019.

[18] 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.

[npr-19] Ducker, Eric (May 15, 2020). "Thank God For Drugs And Drums: El-P Revisits His Solo Debut". NPR. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

[heatseekers-20] "El-P Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.

[independent-21] "El-P Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.

[rbhh-22] "El-P Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.

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v t e El-P
Discography Production discography
Studio albums	Fantastic Damage I'll Sleep When You're Dead Cancer 4 Cure
Instrumental albums	El-P Presents Cannibal Oxtrumentals FanDam Plus High Water Collecting the Kid
EPs	Shards of Pol-Pottery
Scores	Bomb the System Capone
Related articles	Company Flow Definitive Jux The Weathermen Run the Jewels

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