#ThrowbackThursday - Cannibal Ox's IRON GALAXY, Rap Avatar Sticker

"You were a stillborn baby Mommy didn't want you, but you were still born Boy Meets World. Of course his pops is gone What you figure, that chalky outline on the ground is a father figure?" -Vast Aire

New York Rap Legend VAST AIRE Soldiering Through the Death of Both Parents

Our hearts go out to Cannibal Ox front man Vast Aire, who lost his father today.  He already lost his moms last month from complications of Coronavirus.

"We're all initiated into the League of Shadows. I told Raven to keep her eye on the Sparrow..." -Vast Aire

I am already on record as having said that the team behind The Cold Vein had already made the best record they would ever make in their lives. That isn't a diss. Cold Vein is just that good. R.A.P Music, the album El-Producto did with Killer Mike didn't change my opinion about that, and neither did these three new Cannibal Ox songs. But like El and Mike's record, this Gotham maxi-single sure is dope...

"I don't know his name but he aim like Wayne Gretsky..." -Vast Aire

The stars aligned just after the turn of the century, and Vast Aire, Vordul Mega and El-Producto put out one of the dopest records of all time, namely The Cold Veinby Cannibal Ox...

"I kiss every baby and sign every breast..." -Vast Aire, speaking on history with the fans

You know we heart that nuh Vast Aire, so when my dude over at 808Crate.com slid me the link to this interview entitles "What Inspires Vast Aire" I already knew it was getting re-blogged before I even watched it for all my street nerdcore heads ...

I can't stop listening to "Empire State" by MIGHTY JOSEPH (Vast Aire & Karniege) #nowPlaying

How could I possibly resist Mighty Joseph? Vast Aire and Karniege, two of my favorite emcees? both equally comfy spitting that special blend of nerdcore New York thug genius that I am so enamored with? Conversational flows smuggling weapons-grade wordplay? Plus, one of the illest album covers ever? Once I start bumping Empire State, how the hell can I stop listening to it?

The easy answer is I can't!

Happy Thor's Day!

"When we form Voltron, I'm the Black Lion, so stop your bloodclot cryin'..." -Vast Aire

Start the Day off Right w/Vast Aire

Vast Aire (the not-so-gentle-but-very-giant half of new york rap duo Canibal Ox) is one of those emcees that I find myself defending a lot. People say, "Vast is no good without El-P" the label boss who did the beats on CanOx's debut smash The Cold Vein... and all I can do is shrug my shoulders and put my headphones back on. I just don't agree with that! One of the best compliments I can give a movie is that it makes me want to go home and draw, and when Vast grabs the mic, I get that same sensation. It's like, Vast is not a storyteller type rapper, but when he rhymes, I see pictures in my head...

Mega...

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope everyone's feeling good... I woke up this morning humming the hook to Believe, a stand out track from Vordul Mega's 2004ish solo album The Revolution of Yung Havoks, so I figured if it helped me get my day started, it might help you, too...

Start the Day off Right ---->

Scream Phoenix by Cannibal Ox
people rarely speak about hipHop as being uplifting, particularly grimy underground New York hip hop... but i can honestly say that the Cannibal Ox ode to resurrection Scream Phoenix did a lot to help me get through a very difficult patch in my personal life. the overlapping Phillip Glass samples by El Producto provide the perfect backdrop for the poetic language of perfectly unbalanced flows of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega.
dope...
-samax
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At the Top of the game like the Score board ---->

Thug Melody by C-Rayz Walz
my first exposure to C-rayz Walz was on a song called Battle for Asgard off the classic Cannibal Ox spinner The Cold Vein where he opens his verse with the open-mouth declaration "Battle for Asgard, and we fight as gods"... C-Rayz reminds me of the rappers that had me mesmerized as a kid, weaving in and out of real and imaginary life so much, it's not clear if they would be more at home in an action movie or a Saturday morning cartoon.

Elephant Guns by C-Rayz Walz
Walz raps about all the same things that keep me yawning when other rappers do it (guns, women, how awesome they are, etc), but he does it like he just got back from another universe! he also laces in so many unexpected phrases and ideas that he's impossible to sleep on. when i bought Ravipops (The Substance) after recognizing him from his Can Ox cameo, it was probably a couple years old. Still, it very rarely came out of my ceedee player for awhile... and much of the time, it was spinning on repeat, playing Thug Melody or Elephant Gunz, both of which feature Walz spitting fiercely over beats by Belief (who is nice wit' it). if you like emcee battles, freestyle rhymes, or want an introduction to real hipHop, you need go no further than this super-prolific emcee... if you like these songs, rotate over to his mySpace page or twitter, and see what he got for you... anyways, hope y'all enjoy!
holla!
-samax
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