So I think it's safe to say this album is shaping up to be pretty ill...
https://soundcloud.com/ihiphop-distr...harlem-knights
So I think it's safe to say this album is shaping up to be pretty ill...
https://soundcloud.com/ihiphop-distr...harlem-knights
Harlem Knights hot off the presses:
This album is shaping up to be sharp. Vordul paints a great picture as always, and Vast's verse is the best I've heard from him yet on this album, spare a few lines.
Last edited by Dark Matter; 02-12-2015 at 09:53 PM.
Dope shit
I thought the beat was dope.
And of course Cann Ox are gonna kill it on the verses. Those 2 are poetic rawness.
I was surprised to see DOOM on there. He sounded a little out of place, but MF is my favorite emcee, so, so glad to hear him featured.
I miss the old days of Def Jux.
I want to hear DOOM over some El-P beats.
Cannibal Ox
With their first album in 14 years out next month, the NYC hip-hop duo talk about the music of their lives: the transformative power of Big Daddy Kane, the poetic vulnerability of Billy Corgan, the preternatural wisdom of Lorde, and more.
5-10-15-20 features artists talking about the music that made an impact on them throughout their lives, five years at a time. For this edition, we spoke with New York City hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox: Vast Aire, 37, and Vordul Mega, 35. Blade of the Ronin, their first album since 2001’s excellent The Cold Vein, is out March 3 via IGC/iHipHop.
Vast Aire: I was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and by the time I was 3, I was in the Bronx. There was music being played constantly in my household—soul, old funk, jazz. It was a spiritual place; a lot of incense, and the hallways were divided by beads. My parents are weirdos. My dad is like the thug from the Bronx and my mom is like the well-brought-up Mount Vernon girl—but her father was a gangsta. I guess that’s what attracted them to each other, because my mom had an idea of what my grandmother had experienced—that power, that ability to be able to make a decision. My father is the Islamic side of me, and my mother is the Christian side of me—and that right there should show you the open-mindedness that I grew up around. The Quran was open, the Bible was open.
I remember “The Message” being played in boomboxes and at houses and on ball courts, and I tell Mega that [the Cannibal Ox track] “Iron Galaxy” is like our “Message”, where we’re like, “Is anyone paying attention?” We’re just an extension of that same futuristic sound.
Vast Aire: After hearing “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’” at 10, I knew I wanted to rhyme. I have to give Big Daddy Kane credit, because that’s a defining moment. It woke something up in me. I was gonna be writing in tags after that. My birth name is Theodore, and my first rhymes were just breaking down who I am: [raps] “T to the H to the E to the O, that’s my name, don’t wear it out/ So sit back, relax, I’m about to drop funky lyrics on this track.”
Around this time in the late ‘80s, strange, beautiful things started to happen: styles. Big Daddy Kane does not sound like KRS-One. KRS-One does not sound like LL Cool J. Nas does not sound like Wu-Tang. I don’t understand this garbage right now where everyone sounds the same and they don’t feel no way about it. I come from a hip-hop where you had to have your own sound. It was like a kung-fu movie: He had tiger, you had crane. Everyone had a unique thing to bring. And that uniqueness pushed everybody.
Vordul Mega: The first music I actually listened to was definitely rock. The instrumentation was so intriguing and intricate, and then I started understanding the lyrics. I felt bands like Guns N’ Roses were exposing certain levels of vulnerability, just being a human, evoking human emotions. I got into groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest afterwards.
Vast Aire: The early ‘90s were crazy years for hip-hop—there was Hieroglyphics and everything they brought to the table, EPMD, D.I.T.C., the Boot Camp Clik—I could go on and on. But if I I had to single out one album for me at 15, it would be 93 'til Infinity. Souls of Mischief were like the West Coast Tribe for me. They came out of that lane. They had their own slangs. The way they approached funk records was slightly different. That was a huge record for the time, not just the single. People need to realize the single is good, but you go back to that album, and they were doing some inspiring stuff. "That's When Ya Lost" is one of my favorite joints. Very inspiring dudes.
Vordul Mega: Smashing Pumpkins is one my favorite bands to this day. When Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness came out, oh man. That album was so eclectic and it evoked so many emotions. It was also about the lyrics of Billy Corgan and his voice. Certain artists speak to certain issues people go through. He had a very poetic way of describing feelings you might go through. Smashing Pumpkins was serious to me. And Beck! Beck was ill, man.
I went to Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, which had an art program, so I was drawing and reading comics, making characters and creating abilities for them. At lunchtime, I would meet kids and we would pull out our drawings of characters and what we was into. We'd talk about comic books, and that's how I met Vast, and that's how I started to rhyme. I started getting in these cyphers, saying a little something. And then we formed a group of MCs called Atoms Family. We would stay at each other's houses writing rhymes and recording little sessions on my first Casio recorder.
Vast Aire: By the time I was 20, I was very open-minded. I was studying Buddhism—hardcore, raw conceptuals. Musically, I was getting ready to embark on The Cold Vein. I was just going off of pure spontaneity at that moment because I knew I was about to go to a new realm where you don't quite know the rules yet. You have to experience it. I was probably running around with BMS, Mr. Lif, and El-P in Japan, getting people ready for this new movement.
The Busta Rhymes joint "Everything Remains Raw" was inspirational at the time. Especially coming from an older Leader of the New School, it stood out. It was one of those songs that was defining, like, “There are new rules.”
Vordul Mega: Before The Cold Vein, we had demos that we recorded at this kid Cryptic's house on some four-track. We met El while going to parties in Brooklyn where there were cyphers, and people in a circle in the front of the party just rhyming. We passed him along that demo, just on tape, and that's when he was like, "Oh, I like this stuff." When we got to talking, he was like, "Yo, would y'all be interested in doing music together?" That same day me and Vast were on the phone throwing names in the air, and that's when we came out with Cannibal Ox.
I was listening to a lot of underground stuff then, listening to [radio DJ] Bobbito every time he came on. I was all about staying up to tape songs. That's when you had A-Butta, Natural Elements, Wordsworth, and Punchline. It was about metaphors and punchlines.
Vast Aire: Around this time, [my solo album] Look Mom... No Hands is out, so I'm touring the world and having the time of my life. I'm entering a new realm creatively and feeling out certain things that I like to do. Meanwhile, Nas and Jay Z battled, which was huge. And they did it like gentlemen, too, which I must commend, because we were coming out of that East Coast/West Coast bullshit where, if you battled someone, you didn’t know if it was gonna get physical or not. So I respect that they were able to have one of the biggest battles, keep it real, and let the music speak for itself.
Vordul Mega: I can remember recording material but not releasing anything. That was when rapping went back to being more of a hobby rather than something that was expressed and displayed. One of my friends introduced me to girl named Brooke, who happened to live just a few blocks away. I would go over and visit her, and she would be typing out poetry on a typewriter. She listened to, like, Jack Kerouac—a lot of stuff that I never had a chance to hear.
Vast Aire: I was probably jamming some crazy Devin the Dude in 2008! I love Devin!
Vordul Mega: Around 30, I was living with a cousin and a friend in a two-bedroom crib in Jersey where the rent was like $900, but I didn't want to keep up with it because I felt like I could hold on to the little bit of money I was making at that time and find something a little more decent. I decided to come back home to live with my folks until I could put some money to the side to really get on my feet. So I’ve just been in my parents' crib for the past five years. It's been challenging, but decent because my parents have always supported what I was doing. It's never been a thought to make [music] a career. So five years ago, I was more about getting little off-the-books jobs. I wasn't even rhyming so seriously or consistently at that time.
Around then, I wasn't even really buying albums. I was just hearing whatever was playing in the store, whatever was poppin'. When I started getting back into listening to music, I started listening to pop. Lady Gaga was one of the first artists I started listening to again. I was like, "Oh, she sound like Madonna!" And I always was into Madonna.
Vast Aire: We did the Kickstarter, which brought awareness that we were trying to do a full-length. Then we put out the "Gotham" single and it made a lot of noise. It let us know that we didn't fall off, that they fell off. And now we're here two years later with a bomb-ass album.
As far as what’s happening now, I like Mike WiLL and Rae Sremmurd. They're bringing something innovative to the game. Big K.R.I.T. is retarded to me—I wanna do an album with him tomorrow. There's a lot of good, innovative stuff coming out. But on the real, Blade of the Ronin is gonna shut everything down.
Vordul Mega: Working with Vast on new Cannibal Ox songs has been exceptional. I have my solo efforts and I've recorded a few things, but I always feel good being a part of something.
I have recently been listening to Lorde. I really like the music behind her, and she has a beautiful voice. She speaks. I first saw her on last year’s Billboard Awards, where she was getting awards left and right, and I didn't even know who this person was. Then she's talking about songs she wrote when she was 13, which are the hit songs on the album. She was like, "Yeah, I'm 17 now." 17! I was like, "This girl is wild young! What does she have to say?" And I listened to her whole album on YouTube, and ever since then I haven't stopped listening.
http://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-1...7-cannibal-ox/
^ A very intriguing interview, thank you for posting.
"Vordul Mega: Around 30, I was living with a cousin and a friend in a two-bedroom crib in Jersey where the rent was like $900, but I didn't want to keep up with it because I felt like I could hold on to the little bit of money I was making at that time and find something a little more decent. I decided to come back home to live with my folks until I could put some money to the side to really get on my feet. So I’ve just been in my parents' crib for the past five years. It's been challenging, but decent because my parents have always supported what I was doing. It's never been a thought to make [music] a career. So five years ago, I was more about getting little off-the-books jobs. I wasn't even rhyming so seriously or consistently at that time.
Around then, I wasn't even really buying albums. I was just hearing whatever was playing in the store, whatever was poppin'. When I started getting back into listening to music, I started listening to pop. Lady Gaga was one of the first artists I started listening to again. I was like, "Oh, she sound like Madonna!" And I always was into Madonna."
I found this section to be particularly interesting, as the time period Vordul is describing (2009-2010) was when rumors were running rampant that he was homeless. It's good to know that the rumors were exaggerated, and he was able to hold it down when times got difficult. Vordul inspires me; even when in the darkest of pits, it's important to never lose sight of the light.
Last edited by Dark Matter; 02-22-2015 at 08:53 AM.
Doom>>> vordull
Lol. I see what you did there.Originally Posted by CEITEDMOFO
BLADE OF THE RONIN is now streamable in its entirety on Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/ihiphop-distr...e-of-the-ronin
The album turned out as I expected: Solid production, stellar verses from Vordul, mediocre-great verses from Vast, and solid guest appearances. Definitely worth the purchase.
One of my favorite tracks from the album.
Vordul DESTROYS this track!
Last edited by Dark Matter; 02-26-2015 at 11:17 PM.
Why are you always shitting on Vast Aire? Hes better than vordul.
Ordering this album now.
Don't get me wrong, Vast is a good MC, and has some great verses on this album. Blade, Water, and The Fire Rises being a few highlights. I guess I'm overly critical of him since I've rarely been able to latch onto his more-so comedic/arrogant approach to rhyming post Cold Vein, and often perceive it as corny rather than witty. I dug his witty intelligent puns of the Atoms Fam/CV era, and I feel that witty intellect Cholesterol, or Straight off the D.I.C contained, was somewhat pushed to the back burner afterwards, re-surging only on occasion. Ox 2010 was a solid release, a real good showing by Vast.
While Vordul in my view has only continued to grow and mature as an MC, who has shifted more toward day-to-day relatable life events in terms of content, to directly connect on an emotional level with the listener; yet never losing touch with his roots of sharp, captivating image laden lyricism.
Keep in mind this is also only my first impression. On second listen there are Vast Aire verses that are growing on me, seeing the strengths that had gone unnoticed. I'd have to say his verses range from good-great on this album, I was overly harsh in my previous statement.
Last edited by Dark Matter; 02-27-2015 at 12:49 PM.
Damn, House of Cards is back, Can Ox stream, MMA tonight, PS4... my weekend is set.
"Return to earth as a person, only to see you mouse niggas running from the serpent" - Jus Allah
"Lickin my paws
Before me, the remains of cartilage
On the forest floor
Watching hunters sit on a horse
That move with adrenaline and force
Intent for a main course
To fulfill what's in my veins coursing
Remain cautious, sipping more
Enabling all fours, still blood on the jaw
Luded from being up in the map
After viewing the scenery
Becoming adaptable
Instinctively cutting through grass
With retractable claws
Have the forest look of raining leaves
While gaining speed*
Maintaining extreme balance
Achieving with the mechanics
Of a cheetah, behind me the sounds
Of people, police, and golden retrievers
Off of their leashes
As I came across a deer
Steadied my breathing*
And proceeded to pounce, and divide
And swallow their feces"
- Vordul Mega.
A fresh perspective on both Vordul and Vast post Cold Vein, leading up to Blade of the Ronin:
From the ironclad lyrics to the bulletproof beats,*Cannibal Oxsounded invincible on their 2001 debut LP,*The Cold Vein. But the New York duo, composed of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, weren't as unstoppable as they seemed.
Vein*may have been hailed as an indie rap classic, thanks to the pair's fierce, impenetrably complex rhymes and the steely beats provided by then-fringe producer*El-P, but it took Cannibal Ox another decade and a half to complete a proper follow-up. That next instalment, dubbed*Blade of the Ronin*is due Tuesday (March 3) via IGC Records/iHipHop Distribution, and Aire insists the duo haven't gone rusty in the interim.
*
"Technically it wasn't a real hiatus," Aire tells Exclaim! — his bullhorn voice booming in conversation as much as it does on the mic — of the period between Ox LPs. "I tend to do more than Mega, but he never stopped. He was on*all my solo projects; we're always working. The music might not get released, but we're always in the studio."
*
Mega not only concurs with that point — he feels his fellow MC is mincing words.
*
"I was just writing to the air for a while, just writing for the sake of it, and I wasn't really completing projects or bodies of work," Mega admits of the decade-plus drought, adding that his more focused friend helped keep his career on track throughout those wayward years. "I had a bit of solo stuff happening. But usually the only real opportunity I'd have to get on records was if Vast hollered at me for one of his joints, then I'd jump on."
*
Aire says both he and Mega are more motivated then ever on*Blade of the Ronin,*because he feels a gaping void has been left by Cannibal Ox's absence.
*
"We tired of this different so-called 'avant-garde' hip-hop, where all they're doing is copying the entire rap catalogue [from] 1994. They're copying everything, they stole even the haircuts," Aire says of his genre's current state, adding that he thinksBlade of the Ronin*will remedy all that. "So instead of complaining, Vordul and I decided to push the bar so far with this album that it'll force other MCs to be inspired."
*
But Mega doesn't share that outlook, saying that his time away from the industry has given him a fresh perspective on its newfound strengths. "I wasn't even paying attention to music for quite awhile. When I got away from it, it felt like pop music was this really specific thing, and you'd just hear rap on BET. But it seems like anything can be considered pop music now, and it's interesting to see all the genres merge, and see what hip-hop has become. It feels like a lot of languages are being spoken now, and a lot is being heard."
*
Those conflicting vantages are a good indication of Aire and Mega's complementary styles — an aggressive traditionalist paired with a more opened-minded free spirit, each offering the other balance. Some of those viewpoints persisted throughout the interview. When asked aboutRonin's*guest spots, Mega focused on the youngest of Ox's collaborators. That junior MC's name is Detroit's ownElzhi, a highly buzzed up-and-comer who guests on the*Ronin*track "Carnivorous," and who Mega describes as "totally ill."
*
Aire, on the other hand, spent more time reflecting on the LP's elder statesmen, including features by old cohorts like the Wu-Tang Clan's U-God (who "murdered the track," according to Aire) on "Blade: The Art of the Ox," and especially acclaimed MC DOOM, with whom Cannibal Ox has a special rapport.
*
Aire goes on to describe their collaboration on the song*"Iron Rose,"saying: "I've toured with DOOM many times, and always wanted to get on a joint with him. And he understands us, he understands that Ox uses a lot of imagery about iron and descriptions about metal. We needed someone to finish the track so I called him and said 'Man, the world is a hard, metal place.' And he knew what to do. We got him closing the track, and he came hard."
*
But Aire and Mega are in complete agreement on one thing: the calibre ofRonin's*production, which came courtesy of two burgeoning beatsmiths. The aforementioned "Blade: The Art of the Ox," was produced by Detroit'sBlack Milk, whom Aire describes as "knowing how to pick that right sample and freak it and twist it. I've always wanted to work with him, and he gave us a grungy, grimy beat."
*
Aire says he's even more impressed with the LP's main producer, who built every beat except for "Blade." That studio journeyman calls himself*Bill Cosmiq. The burgeoning New York producer has worked with Aire on a number of projects, including "Gotham," a then-fresh track that was added to Cannibal Ox's 2013*Gothamretrospective.
*
Aire says that Cosmiq is "the best producer working that nobody knows right now. And I'm trying to change that. He's able to help us create that Cannibal Ox vibe — aggressive, murky, dark, real tight and even reflective."
*
Aire says that last point — Cannibal Ox's reflective tendencies — may not be apparent. But he adds that those nuanced moments are what the fans who've been waiting since 2001, and the naysayers who dismissed the duo long ago, will have to contend with for years to come after hearing*Blade of the Ronin.
*
"It's a very broad album. And you're not going to understand it all on the first listen," Aire says. "This is classic Cannibal Ox. You know there are going to be three meanings to every line. So you might get the first meaning, and be glad that we're back. But six months from now you're going to understand the other side of a line you already loved, and that's what we do best."
*
Mega says the prospect of writing and performing those intricate rhymes, along with the fanfare that has ensued since Cannibal Ox officially announced its reunion, means that he and Aire will be seeing eye to eye more often — at least when it comes to focus, diligence and determination.
"Last time I was all for going with the nature of things," Mega offers, "even when it wasn't working out. But it'd take a lot for a kid to not respond to what's happening to us now. I'm definitely going to stay more involved this time around."
http://exclaim.ca/music/article/cann...blade_of_ronin
This album is the best shit I heard in years
Many underground mc's need to take note of the beats used for this masterpiece
Last edited by TRONIX; 03-02-2015 at 03:37 PM.
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