The Prequel

Theodore Arrington III (born February 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Vast Aire, is an American rapper from New York City. He is one half of the New York hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, which consists of him and fellow rapper Vordul Mega. He is also a member of the rap group Atoms Family. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York, then lived in Jamaica, Queens before moving to Harlem, and became acquainted with the underground rap scene, performing in many clubs while still a teenager. He was once a part of the underground hip hop group The Weathermen.

Career

Vast Aire's fame increased significantly as part of Cannibal Ox with Vordul Mega. Their debut album, '' The Cold Vein'', recorded with producer El-P, was released in 2001 to critical acclaim. Since then, Vast Aire has pursued solo interests. His first solo album '' Look Mom... No Hands'' was released in April 2004. This was followed by ''The Best Damn Rap Show'', a collaborative effort with DJ Mighty Mi from The High & Mighty in 2005. These solo projects did not break Vast Aire from his obligations at Definitive Jux with Cannibal Ox. Vast has since gone on to work with members from the Megahertz crew, and was a member of The Weathermen alongside Copywrite, Yak Ballz, Cage, Aesop Rock, the late Camu Tao, and Tame One.

Name

When asked about the meaning of his name, Vast Aire explained: "I guess it means mad styles. I think it means a lot of attitude. Vast Aire. I have a very wordy type of style. Vast was given to me by a friend of mine I went to school with and the Aire pretty much came from me being a junior. My name is Theodore Arrington II. I used to spell it proper. H-E-I-R. But, in the past couple of years, I switched it to A-I-R-E."

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Look Mom... No Hands'' (2004)
*''The Best Damn Rap Show'' (2005)
*''Empire State'' (2007)
*''Dueces Wild'' (2008)
*'' OX 2010: A Street Odyssey'' (2011)

Compilation albums

*''Best of the Best Vol. 1'' (2013)

EPs

*''A Space Iliad'' (2013)
*''The Heir Vast'' (2016)

Singles

*"Look Mom...No Hands" b/w "Why'sdaskyblue?" (2003)
*"Elixir" b/w "Candid Cam" (2004)
*"Pegasus" b/w "Red Pill" (2004)
*"In the Zone" (2016)
*"Frankfurter" (2018)

Guest appearances

* Aesop Rock - "Attention Span" from '' Float'' (2000)
*Techno Animal - "We Can Build You" from ''The Brotherhood of the Bomb'' (2001)
*Aesop Rock - "Nickel Plated Pockets" from ''Daylight'' (2002)
*El-P - "Dr. Hell No and the Praying Mantis" from '' Fantastic Damage'' (2002)
* RJD2 - "Final Frontier" emixfrom ''The Horror'' (2003)
* Diverse - "Big Game" from '' One A.M.'' (2003)
* C-Rayz Walz - "The Lineup" from ''Ravipops (The Substance)'' (2003)
*Push Button Objects - "Fly" from '' Ghetto Blaster'' (2003)
* Jean Grae - "Swing Blades" from ''The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP'' (2003)
*S.A. Smash - "Slide on 'Em (Escapade)" from ''Smashy Trashy'' (2003)
*Aesop Rock - "N.Y. Electric" from ''Bazooka Tooth'' (2003)
*Illogic - "Time Capsule" from ''Celestial Clockwork'' (2004)
* Blueprint - "Small World, Big Plans" from ''Chamber Music'' (2004)
* Vordul Mega - "Handle That" from ''The Revolution of Yung Havoks'' (2004)
* Billy Woods - "Drinks" from ''The Chalice'' (2004)
*Mr. Complex - "Calm Down" from ''Twisted Mister'' (2004)
*Wu-Tang Clan - "Slow Blues" from ''Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture'' (2005)
*Dabrye - "That's Whats Up" from ''Two/Three'' (2006)
*Oh No - "No Aire" from '' Exodus into Unheard Rhythms'' (2006)
*Wisemen - "Iconoclasts" from ''Wisemen Approaching'' (2006)
*Toteking - "Jugar Duro" from ''Un Tipo Cualquiera'' (2007)
*Vordul Mega - "AK-47" and "In the Mirror" from ''Megagraphitti'' (2008)
*Double A.B. - "The Diesel" from ''The Diesel'' (2008)
*Mind over Matter - "Clipped Wings" from ''Keepin' It Breezy'' (2008)
*Sadistik - "Writes of Passage" from ''The Balancing Act'' (2008)
*DJ Bootsie - "Vast Hope" from ''Holidays in the Shade'' (2008)
* Atari Blitzkrieg - "The Cry from Within" from ''12.31.99'' (2009)
*Notes To Self - “Lifeline” emixfrom ''Warning Shots'' EP (2009)
*Stress 1 - "Bring It Back" from ''Eyerockmics Vol. 1'' (2010)
*Virtuoso - "Bay of Pigs" from ''The Final Conflict'' (2011)
* Lewis Parker - "Murder One" from ''Dangerous Adventures'' (2011)
*Chasm - "Intergalactic" from ''This Is How We Never Die'' (2012)
*True Believers - "Five Point Star" (2014)
*Auxiliary Phoenix - "Night Light" from ''Power Cosmic'' (2017)
*Al Babblez - "On Point" from "Aire Raid" (2018)

Compilation appearances

*"Adversity Strikes (One+One)" and "Not for Promotional Use" from ''The Persecution of Hip Hop'' (1998)
*"Resolution" and "Mommi's Relay Race" from ''Old Trolls New Bridge'' (1999)
*"Cholesterol" from ''Inside Out Vol. 1: A Fool Blown Compilation'' (2000)
*"Pen Relays" from ''B-Sides Volume One: Blatant Battle Raps'' (2001)
*"Tippin Domino's", "Tap Dancin for Scratch", and "Tippin Domino's ( RJD2 Remix)" from ''The Bedford Files'' (2002)
*"The Beam Up" from ''Eastern Conference All Stars IV'' (2004)
*"Super Friends (Edan Remix)" from ''Chocolate Swim'' (2006)
*"Blood of Bantu" from "Midlife Crisis" Obi Khan (2018)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vast Aire
1978 births
African-American male rappers
Five percenters
Living people
People from Jamaica, Queens
Rappers from New York City
Underground rappers
Washington Irving High School (New York City) alumni
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
People from Harlem
The Weathermen (hip hop group) members
Cannibal Ox members
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people