Vast Aire

All Music Guide:

The New York-based rapper Vast Aire first appeared on the East Coast's underground hip-hop scene as part of the Atoms Family collective in the late '90s, but he gained wider attention as one half of the duo Cannibal Ox alongside Vordul Megilah. In collaboration with producer El-P (also the head of their label, Definitive Jux Records), the quirky duo debuted with 2001's The Cold Vein. This album's mixture of hard beats, gritty street rhyming, and woozy, nearly psychedelic textures earned comparisons both to Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest, a tribute to the duo's ability to integrate opposing influences. Although Cannibal Ox never officially split up, Vast Aire soon turned his attention to his solo career beginning with a self-distributed mixtape entitled Dirty Magazine. His proper solo debut, 2004's Look Mom... No Hands, featured guest appearances by Megilah, Madlib, MF Doom, and Aesop Rock, among others. In contrast, Vast Aire's second solo album, 2005's The Best Damn Rap Show, gave co-credit to producer Mighty Mi but otherwise lacked the presence of guest stars. Its release was followed by the reappearance of Cannibal Ox with 2005's Return of the Ox, a live album recorded at the CMJ Music Marathon, and Deuces Wild saw Vast Aire returning to the solo game in 2008. Collaborating with rappers like Raekwon and Guilty Simpson, the rapper follwed up with Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey in 2011.

Wikipedia:

Vast Aire (born Theodore Arrington III on February 5, 1978) is a rapper from New York City. He is one half of the New York hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, which consists of him and fellow rapper Vordul Mega. He is also a member of the rap group Atoms Family. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York, then lived in Jamaica, Queens before moving to Harlem, and became acquainted with the underground rap scene, performing in many clubs while still a teenager. He was once a part of the underground hip hop group The Weathermen.

Vast Aire's fame increased significantly as part of Cannibal Ox with Vordul Mega. Together with producer El-P, it recorded its debut album, The Cold Vein, and released it in 2001. The album was a critical success. Since then, Vast Aire has pursued solo interests. His first solo album Look, Mom...No Hands was released in April 2004. This was followed by The Best Damn Rap Show, a collaborative effort with DJ Mighty Mi from the High and Mighty in 2005. These solo projects did not break Vast Aire from his obligations at Definitive Jux with Cannibal Ox. Vast has since gone on to work with members from the Megahertz crew, and was a member of The Weathermen alongside Copywrite, Yak Ballz, Cage, Aesop Rock, the late Camu Tao, and Tame One. However, he was kicked out of the Weathermen by Camu Tao after allegedly stealing from both Yak Ballz and Tame One. He has recently denounced the Weathermen group as a whole after the rapper and Weathermen founder Cage wrote the song "Nothing Left to Say" about Vast Aire trying to profit from Camu Tao's death, and then called him out on his Myspace page. He is also a part of a group called LXG, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

When asked about the meaning of his name, Vast Aire explained: "I guess it means mad styles. I think it means a lot of attitude. Vast Aire. I have a very wordy type of style. Vast was given to me by a friend of mine I went to school with and the Aire pretty much came from me being a junior. My name is Theodore Arrington II. I used to spell it proper. H-E-I-R. But, in the past couple of years, I switched it to A-I-R-E."