Theodore Arrington II (born February 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Vast Aire, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

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 Shamar Gardner (born March 24, 1979), better known by his stage name Vordul Mega (a.k.a. Vordul Megallah), is an American rapper from New York. He is formerly one half of underground hip hop duo Cannibal Ox and a member of the hip hop group Atom ...

. He is also a member of the rap group Atoms Family and Scienceninjateam. He was born in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

, then lived in

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It has a popular large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, St Albans, and Cambria Heights to the ea ...

, Vast also spent time in Poughkeepsie, NY having graduated from Poughkeepsie High School, before moving to

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, 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 Underground hip hop (also known as underground rap or simply underground) traditionally refers to hip hop music that is outside the general mainstream canon or counter-cultural in nature, usually with a heavy emphasis on emotion, lyricism, and/or ...

group The Weathermen.and then recorded with Al Babblez and Scienceninjateam records.

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 Jaime Stuart Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has ...

, 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 The High & Mighty is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rapper Mr. Eon ("The High", b. Erik Meltzer in February 16, 1972) and producer DJ Mighty Mi ("The Mighty", b. Milo Berger in September 1, 1972). Career Their comme ...

in 2005. These solo projects did not break Vast Aire from his obligations at

Definitive Jux Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name ...

with Cannibal Ox. Vast has since gone on to work with members from the Megahertz crew, and was a member of The Weathermen and Scienceninjateam alongside Copywrite,

Yak Ballz Yak Ballz, born Yashar Zadeh, is an American independent hip hop artist who was brought up in Flushing, Queens, New York. He is one of the original members of The Weathermen. He is also a member of Cardboard City. Since 2019 he has worked for ...

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 displayi ...

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 emerg ...

, the late

Camu Tao Tero Smith (June 26, 1977 – May 25, 2008), better known by his stage name Camu Tao, was an American rapper, singer, and producer. Early life Tao was born Tero Smith in Columbus, Ohio, on June 26, 1977. Career Tao was signed to Definitive Jux ...

, 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) 777 vol. 1 Vast Aire X Pruven (2018) 777 vol. 2 Vast Aire x Pruven (2018) 777 vol. 3 Vast Aire x Pruven (2019)

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

- "Attention Span" from '' Float'' (2000) *Ace Lover - "Lucky 7" from Area Code 12" (2000) *

Techno Animal Techno Animal was an electronic duo formed in 1990 in London, England by British musicians Justin Broadrick (of the band Godflesh) and Kevin Martin (aka the Bug, of the band God). The duo released six LPs beginning with their 1991 debut ''Gho ...

- "We Can Build You" from '' The Brotherhood of the Bomb'' (2001) *Atoms Family - "Sinister"; "Time to Unravel" and "His Majesty's Laughter" from ''Euphony'' (2001) *Greenhouse Effect - "Friction" from ''Life Sentences'' (2001) *Aesop Rock - "Nickel Plated Pockets" from ''

Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...

'' (2002) *

- "Dr. Hell No and the Praying Mantis" from '' Def Jux II'' / ''

Fantastic Damage ''Fantastic Damage'' is the first solo studio album by American hip hop artist El-P. It was released through Definitive Jux on May 14, 2002. It peaked at number 198 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Music videos were created for "Stepfather Factor ...

'' (2002) * Oddjobs - "Dry Bones Remix" from Dry Bones 12" (2002) *The Presence - "Razor Fund" from Woke 12" (2002) *Masai Bey - "The Beginning" from Paper Maiche 12" (2002) *

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician and record producer based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as S ...

- "Final Frontier" emixfrom '' The Horror'' (2003) * Diverse - "Big Game" from '' One A.M.'' (2003) *

C-Rayz Walz Waleed Shabazz (born August 3, 1975), better known by his stage name C-Rayz Walz, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York. He has been a member of the collective Stronghold. Early life Waleed Shabazz was born and raised in the Bronx, Ne ...

- "The Lineup" from '' Ravipops (The Substance)'' (2003) *High & Mighty - "Take It Off" + "High Heat" from ''The Highlight Zone'' (2003) * Push Button Objects - "Fly" from '' Ghetto Blaster'' (2003) *Aesop Rock - "N.Y. Electric" from '' Bazooka Tooth'' (2003) *

Jean Grae Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae, is a multidisciplinary artist and writer. She emerged in New York City's underground hip-hop scene and developed an international following. Throughout her music career, ...

- "Swing Blades" from '' The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP'' (2003) *

S.A. Smash S.A. Smash was an American hip hop duo from Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

- "Slide on 'Em (Escapade)" from ''

Smashy Trashy ''Smashy Trashy'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo S.A. Smash. It was released by Definitive Jux on June 3, 2003. It peaked at number 14 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart. Critical reception John Bush of AllMusic wrote, "The duo doesn't eve ...

'' (2003) *

Illogic Jawhar Glass (born January 18, 1980), better known by his stage name Illogic, is an American indie hip hop artist from Columbus, Ohio.Mills, BradIllogic Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-06-05 He has collaborated with many artists—particular ...

- "Time Capsule" from '' Celestial Clockwork'' (2004) *

Blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

- "Small World, Big Plans" from ''Chamber Music'' (2004) *

- "Handle That" from '' The Revolution of Yung Havoks'' (2004) * Billy Woods - "Drinks" from ''The Chalice'' (2004) *Zion I - "Dumb Down" from ''Family Business'' (2004) *Mr. Complex - "Calm Down" from ''Twisted Mister'' (2004) *DutchMassive - "It Gets Worse" from ''Junk Planet (''2004) *Timbo King, Prodigal Sunn - "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) *Zimbabwe Legit - "Wake 'EM Up" from ''House of Stone'' (2007) *Toteking - "Jugar Duro" from ''Un Tipo Cualquiera'' (2007) *Principles of Geometry - "Napoleon" from ''Lazare'' (2007) *Vordul Mega - "AK-47" + "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 Cody Foster, better known by his stage name Sadistik, is an American alternative hip hop artist from Seattle, Washington. He is not currently signed to a label. Musical career In 2008, he released his debut album ''The Balancing Act'' independ ...

- "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) *Elevated Ruffians - "Nothing Can Stop Me" from ''The Magnificent Soul LP'' *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)

Compilation pop-ups

*"Adversity Strikes (One+One)" & "Not for Promotional Use" from ''The Persecution of Hip Hop'' (1998) *"Resolution" & "Mommi's Relay Race" from ''Old Trolls New Bridge'' (1999) *"Cholesterol"; "Atom All Stars"; "Rhyming for Dummies" from ''The Prequel (''Atoms Family'')'' (2000) *"Tippin Domino's", "Tap Dancin for Scratch", & "Tippin Domino's (

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

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vast Aire 1978 births African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Five percenters Living people Musicians from Queens, New York 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 Musicians from Manhattan People from Harlem The Weathermen (hip-hop group) members Cannibal Ox members 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians