Straight Off the D.I.C.
Cannibal Ox is a New York hip-hop duo made up of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega,… Read Full Bio ↴Cannibal Ox is a New York hip-hop duo made up of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, with El-P, the founder of the Definitive Jux label, handling the lion's share of production. Their first record,The Cold Vein, has been heralded as a major turning point in both hip-hop production and lyrical organization. Several notable guests appear on the album, including C-Rayz Walz, L.I.F.E. Long, Alaska (of Hangar 18), Cryptic One and El-P himself, while Vordul's baritone and Vast's nasal-y styles connect the eclectic project together.

For a while, the group was rumored to have disbanded. In 2003 however, fellow Definitive Jux rapper MURS said, "By the way, Can Ox is not broken up, it's just a rumor" between tracks on fellow Definitive Jux rapper Aesop Rock's album Bazooka Tooth. November 2005 brought the release of a live album, Return of the Ox: Live at CMJ, in the liner notes of which is the statement "Look out for the new full length LP by Cannibal Ox Summer of 06."

In addition to El-P, legendary producers Pete Rock and The RZA have reportedly signed on to contribute to the project. DJ Mighty Mi, who collaborated with Vast Aire in 2005, would be a likely producer as well.

Cannibal Ox is once again reportedly broken up for good, however; as of 2008 El-P commented that the two emcee's from the group have been unable to put anything together either in music or in their personal lives. Both artists have been pursuing successful solo careers, with two albums each under their respective belts.

Straight Off the D.I.C.
Cannibal Ox Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴

Vast (talking; Vordul in [])
Yo, yo [what]
Def Jux, cipher unknown [this is hard right here]
Co-Flow what the deal? [this is Brooklyn right here]
This on fire right now [this is east, this is west]
3rd degree [what]

(Vast Air Kramer)
Yo, I been nice but you rather put your hat in your sleeve
And break arms like Segaul, don't wear your heart on your sleeve
There's two things in life; fact and belief
Yea, and you best to believe, it's a fact I just rolled the leaf
Def Jux don't care about your culture or creed
Or the color you bleed, and it be Ox versus aliens
All you see is martians piled up
That's jiggy shit; my be -boy chest rises up
You ain't a convict, you got caught jaywalking
And you don't know the alphabet, but you still talking
Well I got a blade too
And I know it's sharp enough to cut you
They call me starvin' Harlem, scissor tongue, I lick tissue
And pardon me, my lava just spit almost hit you
You know I got liver, spinning got a lot of it
We can call it in the air, this is for rain drop missiles
Heads or tails
The last cat who tried to see me, he now gotta touch braille
Everybody inherit the earth, why not?
We can sell it to the frail, and feed 'em fairy tales

(Vordul)
Cannibal O-plus the-X
love to sex, microphones, the type of poems
We spit rips through scripts and strips ya bones
Yo we sick wit poems off the dome
I'm off the known, inhaling Newports and eights
Cause New York is sick, still we walk and spit
Straight off the dick
Wit these niggas please you freeze in the NYC where everyone..

Live from the 1-3-5 representing niggas that strive
Straight through hard times trying to survive
Inside of New York, the island of crime
Where the most violent of minds, walkin these blocks
Stay eyeing on mine, yo my brain sparks like sporting a glock
I might start firing live, straight off of the top
Cannibal Ox, inspiring minds, flipping on tracks
Spitting these live, animal raps
I'm strangling cats, sliding on my side of the map
Thinking he all, you ain't got it like a mighty matter of fact
You small, claiming you large?
I'm pulling ya car, leavin ya scarred
Reppin tragedy, warfare, but nod yo, this god writes like
Travelled bars and dabbled stars and shine to
Rap Allah, yo we crack cigars that gettin' me stressed
Pulling on sets, stabbing these birds, loving the sex
Now I'm chillin in front of my rest
Smoking the rent, watching these cops, popping on blocks
Screaming y'all niggas ain't nothing awake
We trying to gain freedom like a tribe in Tibet
Starving niggas had to still spit it live on the set
Live on the set
You know what I'm sayin? I dunno

So nigga
How you do it, we stay moving
Through the jungle, ghetto surviving, spittin lines off the
How you do it, we stay moving
Through the jungle, ghetto surviving, spittin lines off the
So how you do it, Cannibal O-plus the-X
Love to sex, microphones, the type of poems
We spit rips through scripts and strips ya bones
Off the dome, I'm off the known, inhaling Newports and eights
Cause New York is sick, but still we walk and spit
Straight off the dick
Wit deez, straight off the dick with these
y'all gon' freeze in the NYC
Cannibal O, hail from the be
y'all better realize
Unh ah, unh unh unh

Cipher unknown, Cannibal O
unh
Straight off, straight off, straight off the dick with these
y'all niggas freeze so please
unh, unh, straight off the dick with these
straight off the dick with these y'all niggas freeze
In the NYC so c'mon, please





(instrumental to fade)

Overall Meaning

In "Straight Off the D.I.C.", Vast Aire and Vordul Mega of Cannibal Ox express their lyrical prowess and their experiences living in New York City. Vast Aire boasts about his sharp tongue and skill with a blade, warning others not to cross him or they may end up like the last cat who tried to see him - unable to see at all. He also comments on the size of his ego and his desire to inherit the earth, even if it means selling fairy tales to the frail. Vordul Mega discusses his love for sex, microphones, and smoking cigarettes in the city that never sleeps, while acknowledging the harsh reality of living in a place with high levels of crime and violence. Cannibal Ox as a group represent the underdogs that strive and persevere through tough times.


The song's title, "Straight Off the D.I.C.", stands for "Straight Outta Downtown Industrial Complex". This refers to Definitive Jux, a record label known for its underground hip-hop artists, with whom Cannibal Ox was affiliated. Def Jux was located near the downtown industrial complex in Brooklyn, hence the title.




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Tommaso Guarducci

STRAIGHT OFF THE D.I.C. LYRICS

[Intro: Vast Aire]
Def Jux, cipher unknown
This is hard right here
Co-Flow what the deal?
This is Brooklyn right here
This on fire right now
This is east, this is west
3rd degree
What

[Verse 1: Vast Aire]
Yo, I been nice since you had to put your hat in your sleeve
And break arms like Seagal, don't wear your heart on your sleeve
There's two things in life: fact and belief
Yea, and you best to believe, it's a fact I just rolled the leaf
Def Jux don't care about your culture or creed
Or the color you bleed, and it'd be Ox versus aliens
All you see is martians piled up
As the yeast in my b-boy chest rises up
You ain't a convict, you got caught jaywalking
And you don't know the alphabet, but you still talking
Well I got a blade too
And I know it's sharp enough to cut you
They call me Starving Harlem Scissor Tongue, I lick tissue
And pardon me, my lava just spit almost hit you
You know I got lava spit, and got a lot of it
We can call it in the air, this is the rain drop missiles
Heads or tails
The last cat who tried to see me - he now gotta touch braille
Everybody inherit the earth, why not?
We can sell it to the frail, and feed them fairy tales


[Hook: Vordul]
Cannibal O, plus the X
Love to sex microphones, the type of poems
We spit rips through scripts and strips your bones
Yo we sick with poems off the dome
I'm often known, inhaling Newports and eighths
Cause New York is sick, still we walk and spit
Straight off the D.I.C
With these niggas please you freeze in the NYC where everyone...

[Verse 2: Vordul]
Live from the 1-3-5, representing niggas that strive
Straight through hard times trying to survive
Inside New York, the island of crime
Where the most violent of minds, walking these blocks
Stay eyeing on mine, yo my brain sparks like sporting a Glock
I might start firing live, straight off of the top
Cannibal Ox, inspiring minds, flipping on tracks
Spitting these live animal raps
I'm strangling cats, sliding on my side of the map
Thinking he all, you ain't got it like the mighty, matter of fact
You small, claiming you large?
I'm pulling your card, leaving you scarred
Repping tragedy, warfare, but nod yo, this god writes like
Travelled bars adapt to stars and shine to
Rap Allah, yo we crack cigars to get through stress
Pulling on sess, stabbing these birds, loving the sex
Now I'm chilling in front of my rest
Smoking the rent, watching these cops, popping on blocks
Screaming y'all niggas ain't nothing to wet
We trying to gain freedom like a tribe in Tibet
Starving niggas had to still spit it live on the set
Live on the set


How you do it, we stay moving
Through the jungle, ghetto surviving, spitting lines off the D.I.C
How you do it, we stay moving
Through the jungle, ghetto surviving, spitting lines off the D.I.C



All comments from YouTube:

Eddie Rivera

I REMEMBER BUYING THIS IN LIKE 2000. SHIT STILL SOUNDS FUTURISTIC. CLASSIC ALBUM. MUST HAVE FOR ANY HIP HOP HEAD. CRAZY METAPHORS, DOPE LYRICS, SICK BEATS. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT

JO 7Z

Same dude! El P Vast aire def jux anticon records sole aesop rock...such fookin good stuffs back these years ;)
There still Run the jewelz Aesop rock...but...

Shel R

I was 10 years old lol. How I would love to have an original CD of this album I would frame that ish

wolfprincess5G

It's literally the cannibal ox of rap.

Johnny Luna

this record sounds like you're frantically running through corridors in an abandoned space station.

Isidro de Asturias

Or through some abandoned building in gloomy ass N.Y.C.

ironmaz1

it helps me focus :P

logicone

@Ernest Ndzimandze 100% El-Productos production talents..

Ernest Ndzimandze

Very true man, its amazing that an artist, through sound can be used to paint such a scenery, most of the songs on this album are like this.

gweah

This might actually be my favorite song on the whole album

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