by Jason BirchmeierAs hip-hop became increasingly commercial and calculated in the late 90s, a thriving indie scene began developing in response, one of the more significant artists in that underground scene being Cannibal Ox. The Harlem duo — Vast Aire and Vordul Megilah — eschewed the trademark late-90s Cash, Money, Hoes/Bling, Bling style in favor of an edgier approach that confronted commercial hip-hop, acting almost as a foil to everything popular at the time in hip-hop — namely, the mentality valuing materialism over creativity and ultimately craft. Of course, one cannot mention Cannibal Ox without bringing attention to the duos producer, El P, one of the more inventive beatmakers of his time. The Cold Vein, Cannibal Oxs 2001 LP, broke through to the mainstream on a small level, initially drawing nothing but praise from such noteworthy publications as The Wire and CMJ, in addition to the expected hip-hop press. Countless comparisons to 36 Chambers-era Wu Tang somewhat pigeonholed the group, even though the tag was no doubt flattering and drew the attention of many curious heads.\r