The Montreal-based hip hop outfit defined the decade for what would come to be known colloquially as Rap Keb, as the province witnessed the merger of global hip hop dominance with the Quebec star system. The road was paved early on by the likes of Dubmatique and Muzion, and leveled by groups like Atach Tatuq and subsequently Alaclair Ensemble, with a viable fan market thriving today for dozens of active talents. But Dead Obies — and especially this project, their sophomore, arranged and composed by super-producer VNCE Carter and recorded live with institutional Montreal band Kalmunity — captures the essence of the mid-decade explosion of artist profiles province-wide. The title, from German, means “the whole of the art,” and DO captured the moment here.
