Gazeebow Unit is a rap group from
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, Canada, founded by a group of teenagers in the provincial capital of
St. John's.
Gazeebow Unit uses a home computer to develop their music; they integrate samples and downloaded drum loops.
["St. John's hip-hop trio attracts the attention of folklore scholars"]
''The Globe and Mail'', JOAN SULLIVAN, ST. JOHN'S. February 2, 2006Special to The Globe and Mail The group was noted for its combination of the rap music styles with depictions of working-class Newfoundland culture and the use of the
Newfoundland English
Newfoundland English is a term referring to any of several accents and dialects of Atlantic Canadian English found in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of these differ substantially from the English commonly spoken elsewhere in C ...
dialect.
History
Gazeebow Unit was formed in 2005 by young white rappers from a suburban community, calling themselves Mike $hanx, Alpabit, and M to the C.
They performed and recorded a number of satirical raps, including "Trikes & Bikes", "Mugsy" and "The Anthem". The group did not perform their music live at the time; instead they began distributing them online.
In 2006, Gazeebow Unit began performing, and appeared as part of a
Donnie Dumphy concert in St. John's.
Critical reception
As well as gaining a large online audience of young rap fans, Gazebow Unit's raps attracted the attention of folklore experts, including Professor Philip Hiscock of Memorial University, who declared the trio's raps to be a form of folk music, blending the new rap form with traditional Newsfoundland culture and lyrics.
There was disagreement, however, as to whether the members of the group were serious rappers. Academic Sandra Clarke declared that the use of Newfoundland vernacular by Gazeebow Unit was
parodic
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
, imitating the "
skeet
Skeet may refer to:
* Skeet shooting, a discipline of competitive clay pigeon shooting
** ISSF Olympic skeet, a variant used at the Olympic Games
People
* Skeet Childress (born 1979), American guitar player in the band Look What I Did
* Skeet Q ...
" blue-collar white culture of Newfoundland, to which the suburban youth did not actually belong.
Rachel Susan Grace Deal, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Memorial University of Newfoundland, May 2016 Marina Terkourafi, on the other hand, describes their use of Newfoundland dialect as metaparodic.
Further reading
*''Gazeebow Unit: Local Language And Vernacularity In A St. John’s Rap Group'', Philip Hiscock. Presented MUN Folklore Society, 15 November 20
References
{{reflist
Musical groups from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian hip hop groups
Working-class culture in Canada