El-P

El-P married comedian and musician Emily Panic in October 2018.

Run the Jewels, a current collaboration of El-P with Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike, was formed in 2013. The two rappers were introduced by Adult Swim executive Jason DeMarco in 2011. 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. The duo released their self-titled debut album on June 26, 2013. They released Run the Jewels 2 on October 28, 2014. Run the Jewels 3 was released on December 24, 2016, three weeks prior to the previously announced release date of January 13, 2017. Run the Jewels 4 is scheduled for release on June 5, 2020. All of their albums to date have been released for free.

In October 2009, El-P announced that he was working on his third studio album, titled Cancer 4 Cure. El-P also 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 officially complete. The album was later released to music retailers on May 22.

Company Flow dissolved amicably in 2001 and the following year El-P released his debut solo album Fantastic Damage, to wide critical acclaim. In 2004, El-P collaborated with the Blue Series Continuum for a jazz-fusion album titled High Water, which received favorable reviews from both the hip hop and jazz worlds, 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. In an interview about I'll Sleep When You're Dead, he identifies himself as an atheist.

El-P's 2004 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, 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."

Having released four solo studio albums between 2002 and 2012 that were critically acclaimed by underground audiences, El-P began experiencing mainstream success in 2013 when he and rapper Killer Mike formed the hip hop duo Run the Jewels. They have released three studio albums: Run the Jewels (2013), Run the Jewels 2 (2014), and Run the Jewels 3 (2016). Their fourth studio album, Run the Jewels 4, will be released in June 2020.

El-P's rapping style is characterized by dense, aggressive, and verbose attacks which include heavy use of metaphors, sci-fi fantasy themes, pop culture references, and 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. 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".

After an 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 then 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 quickly rose to prominence.

Getting involved with the hip hop culture of New York City at an early age, El-P decided to pursue a career in music after being expelled from several schools for problems with authority. At his 17th birthday party, he met Mr. Len, whom he had hired as a DJ for the night. The two quickly became friends and formed Company Flow in 1992. They released their first vinyl single, "Juvenile Techniques", in 1992. Bigg Jus later joined the group and in 1996 the trio released its debut EP, Funcrusher. 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).

Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from El Producto), is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, and record producer. Originally a member of Company Flow, El-P has been a driving force in alternative hip hop for over two decades, producing for rappers such as Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, and Cage, among others. He is the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label, and was a member of The Weathermen.

El-P was born Jaime Meline in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on March 2, 1975, the son of jazz pianist Harry Meline, who performed under the name Harry Keyes. He is of Cajun, Irish, and Lithuanian-Jewish descent.