Cannibal Ox’s Blade of the Ronin album is slated for a March 3 release, information the group is releasing exclusively through HipHopDX.
Bill Cosmic produced the majority of the 19-cut collection, which is slated to feature MF Doom, Wu-Tang Clan’s U-God, Elzhi, the Artifacts
Blade of the Ronin is the studio follow-up to Vast Aire and Vordul Mega’s 2001 album, The Cold Vein.
In 2005, the Harlem, New York duo released Return of the Ox: Live at CMJ, a live album recorded in at the CMJ music conference in New York.
The Blade of the Ronin cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
- . Cipher Unknown (Intro)
- Opposite of Desolate f/ Double A.B.
- Psalm 82
- The Power Cosmiq f/ Kenyattah Black
- Blade: The Art of Ox f/ Artifacts & U-God (of Wu-Tang Clan)
- Pressure of Survival (Skit)
- Carnivorous f/ Elzhi & Bill Cosmiq
- Thunder In July f/ Space, Swave Sevah & Elohem Star
- Water
- The Horizon (Interlude)
- Harlem Knights
- Sabertooth f/ Irealz & Bill Cosmiq
- Iron Rose f/ MF Doom
- Solar System (Cosmos) (Skit)
- The Fire Rises
- Gotham (Ox City)
- Unison (Skit)
- Vision f/ The Quantum)
- Salvation
(January 20, 2015)
UPDATE: The stream of Cannibal Ox’s Blade of the Ronin album is available.
It is as follows:
if this is gonna be produced by el-p, classic inbound
El-P will never fuck with Vast Aire again. Vast Aire tried to hold a charity memorial concert for Camu Tao and tried to take the money for himself, saying Camu Tao owed him before he died.He also stole from a bunch of former Def Jux label mates. Vast Aire is scum and won’t ever get an El-P beat again. No one has REALLY looked out for Can Ox since.
Bill Cosmiq gets down on the boards, and VORDUL always delivers the goods! This is gearing up to be a classic record. And FYI for those that haven’t followed Ox from the origins:
Cannibal Ox were apart of the the Atoms Family long before El-P ever reached out to do the Cold Vein (just look up the song Not For Promotional Use, recorded in 1998); and even then, the three of them created the album as friends. El-P was never an official member of Cannibal Ox, just produced The Cold Vein.
El-P has worked with Vordul Mega post falling out with Vast Aire in the late 2000s (Keep Living featuring Billy Woods), but he has stated that he will no longer work with Cannibal Ox as a unit.
Even if El-P were to work with Cannibal Ox today, in my opinion their sounds wouldn’t mesh, as El-P’s style of production is drastically different these days.
I’d have to disagree with the last statement. There are tons of similarities to El-P’s production now and when he did The Cold Vein. The only difference is his sound evolved and became better. I’m a huge Cold Vein fan and it actually is my favorite underground hip-hop album ever. But this release is going to be mediocre as fuck, as was the EP. The reason why The Cold Vein was what it was- is because of the stellar and ahead of it’s time production by El-P, anyone that thinks differently is just fronting. Look at the careers now? El-P has blown up, Vast and Vordul are trying to eat and stay alive by rehashing Can Ox… Sad really.
the cold vein is one of hip hop most slept on classic albums this shit should be fire
I really didn’t like those new songs on the “Gotham” EP and I’m kind of let down seeing them added on to this album. The Bill Cosmiq guy does nothing for me going by those tracks, and with him producing the majority of the album, I dunno what to expect. Just sounds like another Hack underground producer. I get that EL-P will never work with them again but it would have been nice for them to get another dope producer involved. This dude is going to be to the new Can Ox record what C-Lance was to Jedi Mind Tricks when Stoupe left – A Hack trying to replace a legend.
you tripping b. bill cosmiq is a a good competent producer. not sure why you believe hes a hack producer (whatever you mean by that) but going by gotham song and the quantum paragon ep, i think cannibal ox will be more than ok to deliver on a dope album. granted, it probably won’t top the cold vein, but they don’t necessarily have to. i believe people like you are not really giving bill a chance and just shooting him down just because hes not el-p. he, nor cannibal ox, are trying to “replace” el-p, they’re just moving forward to the next phase of their career with a new album, new sound. stop expecting them to create another cold vein and let them move on to doing something difference with difference producers. sheesh
meant to say different
Like I said, I’ll listen to the album, but judging from the 3 track EP my hopes are not high. That dudes production just doesn’t stand out to me.
It’s not about wanting it to sound like EL-P. I would be just as happy with somebody else if the music came out sounding good.
Like in Movies, when Ridley Scott didn’t want to direct the sequel to “Alien”, they went out and got James Cameron and made a movie just as good if not better. I’d be fine with something like that, but I don’t see it coming from this cat.
I’ll still give the album a chance when it drops though.
All of you are ex-Def Jux employees trying to further shit on the group that dissed your master.
All I got to say is Vordul needs to put a solo album, similar to Megagraphitti. Get Billy Woods, Elucid, Gore Elohim and Uncommon Nasa on some tracks, and it will be a classic. Maybe add some A.M Breakups, RJD2 and what not on production too. That’s a bit of a far-fetched and unreachable goal, but it’d be nice to see.
To be honest I say this as lyrically Vordul is pulling all the weight. But both him and Vaste need to let go of the past and stop rapping about pigeons and pheonix. Both were dope concepts, but yeah it’s already done so think of a concept/philosophy/metaphor which is new. Hopefully the album title suggests different themes. Fawk man, they could talk about the changes Harlem is going through, such as the people involved in the music scene there (being th A$AP Mob trying Southern Music, and destroying the foundations of hip hop) or the gentrification of Harlem
I’m giving these guys a second chance I think this new album could go either direction. But scrap the Gotham EP tracks. Apart from Bill Cosmiq’s production I thought it was garbage. Just hope they lift their game up.
i dunno what you all talking about, i think these beats are banging. cold vein was one fo them albums i bought and it wasnt what i was used to so never really gave it a chance, may have to go back and try again as it gets so much acclaim.
Shit sounds dope 2 my, I tried listening to both run the juwelz albums, but I think they’re horrible. So I’m glad that El-p didn’t produce this.
how are the rtj records horrible? sure the new can ox sounds nice, but its definitely not better than rtj lyrically or musicially.
rtj is horrible? yeah, well, thats just like…your opinion man – the dude
on first listen, the production is dope. i really like the guest verses from elzhi, mf doom and the quantum, and i like the album. however, i don’t LOVE the album. i think this album’s weakest point is the lyricism from can ox. they simply aren’t up to par on some of the tracks. the highlights of the album for me are iron rose, harlem knights, the power cosmiq, the track with the artifacts, sabertooth and vision. with that being said, i definitely look forward to can ox’s artists the quantum when they drop a full length album cause the producer bill cosmiq did a good job with the production, their guest verses and their ep paragon shows they have potential to becoming the next dope act to blow up.
there will never be another Cold Vein, that was a one off that can never be repeated- the sun, moon and starts were aligned for that and IMO is one of the greatest Hip Hop albums ever, El-P’s production was at its peak and I dont think he has made anything to that same level since, although i still like everything he does. It is like Capone N Noreaga trying to make that War Report 2 album, never gonna be anywhere near as good as the first, so we need to just accept that…i will still go out and cop the album tho to support Can Ox. PS thanks for the info on why El P annd Vast no longer chop it up, that is out of order if Vast did do that…
Who made the cover art?
Did you find out yet who made it?