Cannibal Ox

Cannibal Ox is a New York hip-hop duo that came together in the late 1990s. They're made up of Vast Aire, who handles most of the rapping, and Vordul Mega, who produces and also raps. Their first album, 'The Cold Vein,' came out in 1998 and got a lot of attention for how different it sounded from what was happening in rap at the time.

That album had tracks like 'Ox Out The Cage' and 'A B-Boys Alpha,' which showed off Vast Aire's dense, sometimes cryptic lyrics over Vordul's atmospheric, layered beats. They worked with the independent label Def Jux, which fit their approach but didn't necessarily push them toward mainstream radio.

After 'The Cold Vein,' they kept working but didn't release another full album together for years. Their sound, that mix of abstract wordplay and moody production, found listeners in the underground and influenced other artists who were more interested in texture and ideas than club hits.