OX 2010: A Street Odyssey
Back in 2001, Harlem duo Cannibal Ox dropped the futuristic insta-classic *The Cold Vein*, the debut full-length release on Definitive Jux label. Underground hip-hop heads, critics, and bloggers (then a relatively new phenomenon) went crazy for it, bugging out over El-P\'s crunchy, apocalyptic beats, as well as the furious rhymes from Vast Aire and Vordul Mega. Though they released a live album in 2005, the two of them split amicably and have been working on various projects for different labels. *OX2010* is Vast\'s third solo album (following *Look Mom...No Hands* and *Deuces Wild*), and is a thoroughly strong listen, weather you\'re a Can Ox fan from back in the day, or just down with grimy, NYC-centric hip-hop. Not as abstract as his earlier stuff, it benefits from strong production, quality lyricism, and impressive guest appearances from Raekwon and Vordul (\"Thor\'s Hammer\"), Cappadonna (\"I Don\'t Care,\"), and Guilty Simpson (\"The Verdict\").
In between skate parks and street corners is where you will find the music of Vast Aire. A NYC native whose influences range from Comic Books, Nintendo Games, Japanese Anime and the Metaphysical Sciences. An artist who has been influenced by a variety of music and has affected a new generation of musicians. Cannibal Ox’s “Cold Vein” is considered a modern classic album not just in Hip Hop but in all musical genres. Vast Aire, who was responsible for much of the creation and development of that album, has now made another classic. “Cold Vein” which was released in 2001, is now followed up by “OX 2010: a street odyssey”. The feel is both spacey and epic and explores a new style for Vast Aire called “Simplex” which is simple ideas but explored in a complex manner. Much like the Kubrick masterpiece about the darker side of mankind, Vast Aire explores the darker side of himself. The writing for this record pushes Vast Aire into new territories, with deeper more profound ideas and codes to keep listeners and critics decyphering. It is rare for an artist to follow up to a classic album a decade later. With “OX 2010,” Vast Aire certainly has returned.
One-half of legendary indie-rap duo Cannibal Ox follows 2008's Dueces Wild with an album that briefly features CanOx partner Vordul Mega.
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Vast Aire’s latest solo album features cameos from his Cannibal Ox partner Vordul Mega, alongside familiar names like Wu-Tang’s Raekwon and Cappadonna, and less well-known artists like Guilty Simpson (of Stone’s Throw), and Kenyattah Black.