“I grew up on listening to, like, Mantronix and BDP and EPMD and Kool G Rap and Ultramag and Public Enemy and Fat Boys and Run DMC and a lot of those early records, those Rubin-era records. Those were always snare- and stab-heavy records.”

American rapper, songwriter, and record producer

El-P, born Jaime Stuart Meline, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer active since the 1990s. He first came to prominence as a member of Company Flow, and later became widely known as one half of Run the Jewels. He has been a major figure in alternative hip-hop, both as a solo artist and as a producer. His credits include work with Aesop Rock, Cage, and Mr. Lif, and he was also a member of The Weathermen and a co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label.