Vast Aire

“I hears Justice was blind when Uncle Sam fucked her / I heard she came when he whispered he loved her / Young & naďve she thought nothing of it / And respecting her he thought nothing of it / I just want to get my point across like Jesus / So I look the sky like ‘Hey, Zeus!’ / You got answers? / Cause I’ve got questions / Fold my arms / Peep the clouds and receiving lessons...” Finally, the wait for that new abstract Uptown-fire is over. Vast Aire, remember him? He’s the titan MC who shocked the world and conquered critics as the leader of Definitive Jux’s landmark upstart crew, Cannibal Ox. Their essential El-P engineered 2002 LP Cold Vein was a chart-topper in every smart music critic’s year-end poll. In 2004, Vast is stepping out of his role as chief Ox man to unleash on of the year’s strongest albums with is debut solo effort “Look Mom...No Hands.” Featuring a wide range of guest mc’s from MF Doom & Aesop Rock to hip hop veteran Sadat X (Brand Nubian) the album is stacked with incredible moments. From the the digitalunderground- esque jeep juice of “Pegasus” to the soul-driven love joint “Could You Be?” to the Parliament-club funk of “Elixir” Vast keeps us guessing. He battles verbal enemies with “When Michael Smacks Lucifer” and demolishes all doubters with the crackling head-nod anthem “Candid Cam.” Veteran scratch master and live veteran DJ Cip One of Cannibal Ox blesses the record with cuts throughout. The debut 12" “Look Mom... No Hands” is a cypher for the album overall–not-to-be-categorized,never constrained. The A-side finds Vast declaring freedom over an empire-built slap of visceral Madlib organ-funk. While the flip sees longtime Atoms Family associate Cryptic One lace the soon-to-be classic hypnotic banger “Why’s Da Sky Blue?” with bass-booms and synths swearing abduction. Vast rides the gritty, atmospheric track like water and takes us back to the 80’s to lay out the dusty-but-digital details of time spent running wild along Harlem’s wild blocks: “This is when every video game was 8-bit / and you get popped in your mouth for talking shit / I wrote this rhyme thinking of 50 cents and ashy elbows / summer-time nights and staring out the window / if you hear gun shots you’re gonna hear a widow / crying 5 seconds apart / like thunder and lightning...” The rest of “Look Mom... No Hands” is just as hot. Knee-deep in production from legends-in-the- making such as RJD2, Ayatollah, Da Beatminerz, CamuTao and the elusive Californian Beat-Scientest & MC Madlib (Quasimoto, Yesterday’s New Quintet, Busta Rhymes) who provides his blunted blue-funk assault for 3 of the albums many highlights. The work documented between Vast & Madlib is a milestone collaboration in the careers of two blossoming hip hop prodigies blending two coasts like “Cali-weed to New York, its like African Snow...” Vast is an Uptown representative who has been making noise in the NYC underground since 1995. He’s put in work, and now his signature voice and incredible delivery is unmistakable in the rap game. He’s learned to harness his poetic street flow, informed by his passion for Aikido martial arts, and craft memorable songs. Already larger than life in physical form, with the launch of “Look Mom... No Hands” Vast’s finally able to make moves with no boundaries. Its timeless stuff that is as original as it is hardcore, mapping the journey of a true hip hop artist set free.