Start the Day off Right w/Vast Aire

Vast Aire (the not-so-gentle-but-very-giant half of new york rap duo Canibal Ox) is one of those emcees that I find myself defending a lot. People say, "Vast is no good without El-P" the label boss who did the beats on CanOx's debut smash The Cold Vein... and all I can do is shrug my shoulders and put my headphones back on. I just don't agree with that! One of the best compliments I can give a movie is that it makes me want to go home and draw, and when Vast grabs the mic, I get that same sensation. It's like, Vast is not a storyteller type rapper, but when he rhymes, I see pictures in my head...

I think most people just attribute it to the cinematic quality of El-P's production. The production on Real Earth (above) and Scream Phoenix definitely open the mind's eyelids. But I can assure you, I wouldn't have given a second listen to either if not for the mighty Vast Aire. So for this post I will only post one joint from The Cold Vein, the aforementioned Real Earth, which I erroneously called Aire in Space for years, so I never could find it on YouTube.

This one's called Handle That, and was on Vordul Mega's solo album The Revolution of Yung Havoks. For the record, Vordul's the not-Vast half of Can Ox, and a pretty undervalued rapper himself, But this post's about Vast. I went crazy when Vast said "Who you know who can hover over ground Zero, without Namor's feet, son? Gotta be the Aire Force One" cuz I'm a dork like that...