Debaser is a two-man hip-hop group from

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and are part of the crew Sandpeople. The duo consists of Ethic (MC) & Sapient (MC/Producer) and was founded in late 2005. Their name is a direct reference to the definition of the word ''debaser'', not to be confused with the popular song

Debaser "Debaser" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, and is the first song on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. The song was written and sung by frontman Black Francis and was produced by Gil Norton during ''Doolittles recording sess ...

by the

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

History

Ethic & Sapient both grew up in the city of Eugene, Oregon where they were family friends at a young age. It wasn't until 2005 that the two began making music together and the group Debaser was quickly formed the same year. In early 2006, Debaser juggled driving from Eugene to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

on weekends to record Sandpeople projects with doing shows in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

& recording their debut album ''Crown Control'', which featured

Opio Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai. History East Oakland ...

(of

Hieroglyphics Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...

Luckyiam Tommy Woolfolk, better known by his stage name Luckyiam, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a founding member of Living Legends. He is also a member of CMA and Mystik Journeymen. History Luckyiam released ''Most Likely to Succeed'' ...

(of

Living Legends Living Legend(s) may refer to: Film and television * "The Living Legend", a 1978 episode of ''Battlestar Galactica'' * "Living Legend" (''CSI''), a 2006 episode of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' * ''Living Legend'' (audio drama), an audio d ...

Grayskul Grayskul is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, consisting of rappers Onry Ozzborn and JFK Ninjaface. Since its formation in 2003, the group has released ten solo albums. The duo often collaborate with artists from the Pacifi ...

and Sleep (of Oldominion). They began touring as a group regularly throughout the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

in 2007. Debaser spent much of 2008 & 2009 working on music with their crew Sandpeople and touring. During that time, Sapient also focused on establishing himself as a producer. He has since made beats for tracks that featured

Inspectah Deck Jason Richard Hunter (born July 6, 1970), better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He is a member of the groups Wu-Tang Clan and Czarface. He has acquired critical praise for his intricate ly ...

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

, Slug of Atmosphere, and

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emer ...

to name a few. In late 2009, they released a follow-up to ''Crown Control'' as a free album named ''Back to Work''. It was offered exclusively as a download on Sandpeople's website and features Phat Kat,

Rasco Keida Brewer (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as Rasco (a bacronym for "Realistic, Ambitious, Serious, Cautious, and Organized"), is an American rapper. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Rasco became associated with hip hop in California. ...

and

. Debaser released the album ''Peerless'' on May 4, 2010. The 14-song album features The Grouch,

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

Eyedea Micheal David Larsen (November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010), better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American musician, rapper, and poet. He was a freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Larsen had appear ...

. Before Debaser was formed, Ethic spent a little over one-year in Australia living in the city of Melbourne, Victoria. During his time there, Ethic collaborated with many of Australia's most heralded artists including Bliss n Eso who have featured the MC on two of their albums. He also appeared on the album ''Interview with a Madman'' by Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read, a man considered to be a part of "Australia's criminal folklore," and was a judge for the first ever MC battle between Australia & New Zealand.

Discography

Albums

*''Crown Control'' (2006) *''Back to Work'' (2009) *''Peerless'' (2010)

Singles

*''Nothing but Silence'' (12" vinyl) -

Obese Records Obese Records was a record label that released music from the Australian hip hop genre. It was the largest Australian independent hip hop label, including performers Pegz, Thundamentals and Dialectrix. Obese Records also operated two retail ...

Compilations & Appearances

*''Points of View'' - Sandpeople (2004) *''All in Vain'' - Sandpeople (2005) *''Axis'' -

Pegz Tirren Staaf, otherwise known as Pegz (or MC Pegasus), is an Australian hip hop artist and producer hailing from Melbourne, Victoria. He was the CEO of Obese Records—the record label responsible for artists such as Hilltop Hoods, Downsyde, ...

(2005) *''

Interview with a Madman ''Interview with a Madman'' is a hip hop album by Australian criminal Mark "Chopper" Read, released on Rott'n Records on March 13, 2006. Read's foray into music features gritty tales of organised crime, jail time and ear mutilation, and he is ...

'' -

Chopper Read Chopper may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Chopper'' (comics), a horror comic book mini-series * ''Chopper'' (film), a 2000 Australian film by and about Mark "Chopper" Read * Chopper (''Judge Dredd''), a character in British comics anth ...

(2006) *''Sandpeople Presents...'' - Sandpeople (2006) *''The One & Only'' - Al-One & Only One (2006) *''Roll Call'' - DJ Bonez (2007) *''Honest Racket'' - Sandpeople (2007) *''B-Sides, Vol. 1'' - Sandpeople (2007) * ''Flying Colours'' - Bliss n Eso (2008) *''B-Sides, Vol. 2'' - Sandpeople (2009) *''Long, Story Short - EP'' - Sandpeople (2009)

References

External links

Sandpeople Website

Sapient Website

Debaser Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Debaser (Rap Group) American hip hop groups West Coast hip hop groups Rappers from Oregon American musical duos Hip hop duos