Cannibal Ox "The Cold Vein" Def Jux DJX07-2 2001 (73:48)
Iron
Galaxy (5:56)
Ox
Out The Cage (3:28)
Atom (5:52)
A B-Boys Alpha (4:27)
Raspberry
Fields (4:01)
Straight Off The D.I.C. (4:17)
Vein (4:27)
The F-Word (5:27)
Stress Rap (5:31)
Battle For Asgard (4:26)
Real Earth (3:57)
Ridiculoid (4:46)
Painkillers (5:58)
Pigeon (6:10)
(5:04)
Harlem based duo Vast Aire Kramer and Vordul Megilah have just joined the ranks of Intelligent HipHop with their debut long player. Under the tutelage and gritty production of Company Flow's EL-P, Cannibal Ox represent both the avant-garde and the streets of NYC with raw beats, angular rhythms, osmotic synth/sample atmospheres and pure inner city knowledge. The opening track "Iron Galaxy" (first unleashed last year on a split EP) drops enough stream of conscious science in its 6 minutes to almost make the remaining 68 minutes unnecessary. Observations such as "And if there's crack in the basement? / crack heads stand adjacent", "you were a stillborn baby / your mother didn't want you, but you were still born" and "I rest my head on 115, but miracles only happen on 34th" speak truths only some truly know with utter conviction. The lessons continue throughout, plus clever boasts and various other tales: "Ox Out the Cage" - "I grab the mic like Are You Experienced? / but I don't play the guitar, I play my cadence"; "A B-Boys Alpha" - "my first fight was me against five boroughs / I lost my first wish / but remembered every detail of my first kiss / that's that Bronx Tale bliss"; "Real Earth" - "this ain't a space race so why you rushin' / to be the first to catch a concussion from EL-P's percussion?" Musically and lyrically, "The Cold Vein" is the real deal. I'll be surprised if I hear a stronger hiphop album this year ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via CD Universe.