New York hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox have announced the release of their long-awaited sophomore effort Blade of the Ronin — that is the cover artwork up above. According to Hip-Hop DX, the album is set for release March 3 and was mostly produced by Bill Cosmiq. Among the album's featured artists include MF Doom, U-God of Wu-Tang Clan, Elzhi, The Artifacts, Double A.B., Kenyattah Black, Space, Swave Sevah, Elohem Star, Irealz and The Quantum.
Blade of the Ronin will be Cannibal Ox's first studio album since their acclaimed 2001 debut The Cold Vein, which was entirely produced by fellow New Yorker El-P. It will be their first full-length release since their 2005 live album Return of the Ox: Live at CMJ, which was recorded at New York's CMJ festival.
"We're not really concerned with what we did 10 years ago," Cannibal Ox member Vast Aire told Pigeons and Planes about the new album. "This project is very special and it's special to us and we're just going to put our all into it and it is what it is. Everybody knows we're just honest musicians and we leave it all in the studio, man, we just leave it all right there."
You can check out the tracklist for Blade of the Ronin here:
01. Cipher Unknown (Intro)
02. Opposite of Desolate [feat. Double A.B.]
03. Psalm 82
04. The Power Cosmiq [feat. Kenyattah Black]
05. Blade: The Art of Ox [feat. Artifacts & U-God]
06. Pressure of Survival (Skit)
07. Carnivorous [feat. Elzhi & Bill Cosmiq]
08. Thunder in July [feat. Space, Swave Sevah & Elohem Star]
09. Water
10. The Horizon (Interlude)
11. Harlem Knights
12. Sabertooth [feat. Irealz & Bill Cosmiq]
13. Iron Rose [feat. MF Doom]
14. Solar System (Cosmos) (Skit)
15. The Fire Rises
16. Gotham (Ox City)
17. Unison (Skit)
18. Vision [feat. The Quantum]
19. Salvation
You can check out Cannibal Ox's "Iron Galaxy" from The Cold Vein here:
