Vast Aire, one half of the highly lauded rap duo Cannibal Ox and founding member of the Atoms Family and of The Weathermen, announces the release of his upcoming EP entitled A Space Iliad, which features 10 b-sides and remixes from his previous album, OX 2010: A Street Odyssey, which includes features from Sadat X, C-Rayz Walz, Sub Con, Double A.B., and more. A Space Iliad will be released on January 29th, 2013 on Man Bites Dog Records. Today, Vast shares the first single from the project, entitled “Royal Purple Bag,” a raw song that reinforces his position as a power-player in the independent rap scene.

As Vast Aire explains, “A Space Iliad is the rest of the adventure left over from the great explosion of OX 2010: A Street Odyssey.” Vast puts his signature illustrative style of rap on display with songs such as “Royal Purple Bag,” which reminds fans that hip hop originated as a New York art form, “The Verdict Remix,” which builds off of a funk-inspired bass line, incorporating twinkling piano riffs to give the perfect contrast to Vast Aire’s low growl-toned vocals and “The Cannon of Samus Remix,” which provides a stage for Vast to show off his fast-paced lyricism. On the single, “Royal Purple Bag,” He displays his raw “no holds barred, go all out” style and regards the premiere single as having “a fun, raw, smoked-out freestyle vibe.”

Vast Aire is known for his lyricism, being a founding member of three well-respected rap crews, and his dark aggressive hip-hop style. CanOx recently did two features on Double A.B. & Dub Sonata’s album Media Shower, including “Street Survival” which also features rapper Evidence. The duo ended 2012 with a sold out reunion show at the Knitting Factory in NYC and will be touring and working on the next CanOx record in 2013.