Cannibal Ox

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Cannibal Ox
Also known asCan Ox
Origin Harlem, New York, United States
Genres Hip hop, alternative hip hop
Years active1998–present
Labels Definitive Jux, IGC Records/iHipHop Distribution
Members Vast Aire
Vordul Mega
Website cannibalox.com

Cannibal Ox is an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York, United States. It consists of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, often accompanied by DJ Cip-One.

Contents

History

The members of Cannibal Ox, Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, met each other as high school students in Harlem. They began performing in the New York underground hip hop scene in the 1990s, leading them to meet El-P and become among the first members of his record label Definitive Jux. [1]

In 2001, Cannibal Ox released their debut studio album, The Cold Vein . It was the first full-length studio album released by Definitive Jux, and was fully produced by El-P. The Cold Vein received positive reviews from critics and put the duo in the underground hip hop spotlight, and it has been highlighted as one of underground hip hop's best albums by outlets such as Fact and HipHopDX . [2] [3] However, the duo did not release any further projects until the 2005 live album Return of the Ox: Live at CMJ . That live album, a recording of their September 17, 2005 Rothko concert which was the midnight closing show of the 2005 CMJ Music Festival, [4] was promoted as being the start of the group's return, squashing two years of break-up rumors. The liner notes of Return of the Ox hinted that a Cannibal Ox LP would be released in 2006, though the duo ultimately released no music that year.[ citation needed ] The final El-P produced Cannibal Ox track was Mr. Lif's "Brothaz" remix, released on the 'Defintive Swim' compilation on February 27, 2007.

In March 2007, El-P stated that he "really doubt[ed]" that a second Cannibal Ox album would be released in the near future. [5] Later that year, Vast Aire confirmed that he was no longer working with Definitive Jux, and that plans for a new Cannibal Ox LP had been scrapped. He cited creative and financial differences with El-P and Definitive Jux, as well as Vordul's alleged clinical depression. [6] Though the group's members did not collaborate under the Cannibal Ox name in the late 2000s, Vast Aire made a guest appearance on Vordul's 2008 album Megagraphitti , and Vordul appeared on Vast Aire's albums Dueces Wild (2008) and OX 2010: A Street Odyssey (2010). [7] [8] In May 2011, El-P stated on his Facebook page that "there wont ever be a can[nibal] ox album produced by me again and thats a fact." [9]

On April 16, 2013, Cannibal Ox released a single titled "Gotham", produced by Bill Cosmiq. [10] The duo's next project was Blade of the Ronin , their second studio album, which was released through iHipHop Distribution on March 3, 2015. [11] Blade of the Ronin was produced by Bill Cosmiq and Black Milk. [1]

Discography

Studio albums
Compilations
Live albums
Singles

References

  1. 1 2 "Cannibal Ox Talk New Album, El-P & More". OK-Tho.com. March 13, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ Piyevsky, Alex; Geng; Twells, John; Raw, Son; Rascobeamer, Jeff (February 25, 2015). "The 100 best indie hip-hop records of all time". Fact . p. 101. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ "The 30 Best Underground Hip Hop Albums Since 2000". HipHopDX . August 26, 2015. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ "It's CMJ's 25th Anniversary". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ Friedman, Skinny (March 14, 2007). "An Interview with El-P". Can I Bring My Gat?. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Twin Cities Hip Hop • Index page". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  7. ↑ DawnStar (January 22, 2008). "Interview with the One and Only Vast Aire". Basement Flavor. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Vast Aire Song Feature". Smokingsection.uproxx.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  9. ↑ "El-P Facebook". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ Martin, Andrew (April 5, 2013). "Stream Cannibal Ox's Comeback Single 'Gotham'". Potholesinmyblog.com. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Reviews for Blade of the Ronin by Cannibal Ox - Metacritic". Metacritic .
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