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 Idah ...

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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, 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 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 ar ...

History

Ethic & Sapient both grew up in the city of

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...

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 Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

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. Though ...

& recording their debut album ''Crown Control'', which featured Opio (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 ...

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),

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 Wes ...

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 lyri ...

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 a ...

, Slug of

Atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. ...

, 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 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 display ...

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 Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental ...

. 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 Bliss n Eso (formerly known as Bliss n' Esoterikizm) are an Australian hip hop trio based in Sydney. They are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are managed and booked by label co-founders Adam Jankie and Matt Gudi ...

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 (Australia), Victoria. He was the CEO of Obese Records—the record label responsible for artists such as Hillt ...

(2005) *'' Interview with a Madman'' - Chopper Read (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'' -

(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