EarthGang

Earthgang
Earthgang on the These Days Tour in 2014
Background information
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres Hip hop, Neo soul, alternative hip hop
Years active 2009–present
Labels Empire, Spillage Village, Dreamville Records
Associated acts
Website earthgang.net
Members Johnny Venus
Doc

EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Atlanta-based rappers, known by their stage names, Johnny "Olu O. Fann" Venus and Doctur "Eian Undrai Parker" Dot.[1][2][3] Formed in 2008, EarthGang released its first EP, The Better Party, in 2010. This was followed by several singles and three albums, including Mad Men and Good News in 2011, and Shallow Graves For Toys in 2013. The latter peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart and was largely well-received, with Noisey calling it "one of the most well thought-out releases of the year" and praising the album's "playful delivery and biting lyricism."[4] They were given best new artist by black reel film awards

History

2007-09: Formation

The rap duo EarthGang was first formed around 2007 by Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot, then both high school students in Atlanta, Georgia.[5] According to Johnny Venus, they had first met on a field trip in 9th grade at Benjamin Elijah Mays High School, with Venus later approaching Doctur Dot to ask about forming a music group.[6] Avid fans of rap and hip hop, both members had grown up listening to artists as diverse as the Ohio Players, Dizzy Gillespie, Madonna, and Richard Pryor.[5] About their name EarthGang, Venus explained in 2011 that "The name came to me abruptly one day. It represents what we're made of and why we do what we do. It's for the people by the people. Our music is influenced by the conscious and subconscious, and we create it to influence the like."[6]

2010-13: Early releases

On January 26, 2010 the group released its first EP, the mixtape titled The Better Party. Their first full-length recording project, they recorded in a multitude of studio spaces, which, according to Venus, included "dorm rooms at Hampton University, closets in Atlanta, a house studio owned by 'Mr. Fish' (a fellow underground Atlanta musician), and finally in Hampton University's Music Recording Technology Jazz studio." The EP was mixed and mastered by EarthGang, with help from Jack Swain.[6]

"'UFOs' is a lithe, spacey meditation on love, lust, and trust that builds to a simmer and eventual boil, stacking two verses from emcees Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus, before diving into a tangle of guitars, vocals, and drums to end the track. It’s a formula indebted to past innovators [such as Dungeon Family], but never loses sight of the present."
— Pigeons and Planes in 2013[7]

Also in 2010, they began touring in the United States, performing at festivals such as the A3C Festival in Atlanta.[6] They released periodic singles as well, and in November 2010 they debuted the song "Miss the Show."[6] In early 2011 they taped and released a music video for "Kick'n It," a track first included on The Better Party.[6] Soon afterwards they released the single "Opium,"[6] which they would later film a music video for. The group self-released two albums in 2011: Mad Men in April, and Good News in December.

They released their track "The F Bomb" on June 4, 2012. The song would later be included on a 2014 album and was made into a music video. "Machete," a single produced by 808 Mafia, was self-released by EarthGang on February 10, 2013, shortly before the release of their music video for their 2012 single "Fire Kicking Tree Limbs." In March 2013 the group released "UFOs,"[7] a slow single over nine minutes long.[7] According to a review in Pigeons and Planes, "Sexual, contemplative, sprawling, and slow, EarthGang‘s 'UFOs' veers far left from the duo’s last music expedition 'Machete' and hews a bit closer to the earthy soul that typified so much mid-90s Dungeon Family output."[7]

They again performed at the A3C Festival in early 2013,[5] also opening for Black Fest at Stanford University.[5]

2013-14: Shallow Graves For Toys and music videos

"Shallow Graves was an unbelievably good mixtape. Skillfully bridging the soulful sound of old-school Southern rap with the weirder impulses of Internet-savvy contemporary hip-hop, it felt like a renewal for Atlanta, a departure from the city's familiar club sounds, an invocation of another local duo who were almost too inventive for their own good—Outkast. Every song arrived fully formed, hitting hard and landing jokes while also delving deep into political issues, especially topics of race. It was one of the most well thought-out releases of the year."
— Kramer Kyle of Noisey (Aug 5, 2014)[4]

On July 8, 2013, EarthGang released their album Shallow Graves For Toys on the imprint Spillage Village. The album includes several singles released earlier, such as "The F Bomb," "UFOs," and "Machete."[8] "The F Bomb" was produced by Hollywood JB of Spillage Village. The album was re-released on iTunes in the summer of 2014.[4] In response to Shallow Graves For Toys, in 2014, Noisey called EarthGang "an engaging, clever rap duo," praising the album's "playful delivery and biting lyricism" and calling it "one of the most well thought-out releases of the year."[4] Similarly, in September 2014 Creative Loafing (Atlanta) described Shallow Grave For Toys as "arguably one of the better local rap releases to come out of the indie hip-hop scene in the past two years."[9]

Since Shallow Graves For Toys, EarthGang has released several official music videos from the album.[8] In the summer of 2014, the video for "The F Bomb" was released.[4] The video was featured on Noisey, who described the song as "a giant 'fuck you' to all the hypebeasty trend hoppers of the music world."[4]

2014: Touring and Strays with Rabies

In 2014 the duo continued to tour across North America, performing several shows at SXSW among other festivals.[4] On September 20, 2014 EarthGang began headlining a 40 date tour with their collaborator Ab-Soul, a member of TDE. The tour's first show in Atlanta was followed by shows at venues such as The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina and performances throughout the East Coast, the Midwest, Ontario and the Pacific Northwest. After hitting states such as California and Texas, the tour is due to end in November. On November 6, 2015 they released a new album called Strays With Rabies. They are also one of the featuring artists on Mac Miller's GO:OD AM tour.[9] On June 3, 2016 the duo would join Dreamville Record's Bas on his nationwide Too High To Riot Tour. The tour would begin in Florida- from Miami to Orlando-selling out both respective venues, The Hangar and BackBooth Bar.[10] EarthGang's performance garnered a riveting comment from the Orlando, FL publication 8Pounds Music in their recap of the Too High To Riot Tour, "the spiritual activists performed the most down-to-earth set from their groundbreaking discography".[11] The tour would later be reprised in Europe on November 13.[12]

On November 6, 2015 EarthGang released their second album, entitled Strays with Rabies. The album includes features and cuts from J.I.D, DJ Khalil, DrewsThatDuDe, Ducko McFli, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Richie Quake, SykSense. EarthGang has Stated they as well contributed to the production of the album.

2017-present: Rags, Robots, Royalty, and Mirror Land

On August 31, 2017, rapper J. Cole's imprint Dreamville Records announced the signing of the duo and they released their Dreamville debut project the following day, a 5 track project titled Rags. The project features guest appearances from DC Young Fly, Childish Major, Mick Jenkins, and fellow Spilage Village member and Dreamville artist J.I.D.[13][14] Their second EP in the trilogy Robots was released on October 20.[15] The third was released on February 23, 2018, named Royalty.[16] On September 4, EarthGang premiered the song "Up" on the Berlin platform Colors Studio. In a Reddit post, the duo announced that their forthcoming third album Mirrorland would be released in February 2019.[17] On September 21, they released a single titled "Stuck" featuring Arin Ray.[18]

Musical style

External video
Music Video for "Fire Kicking Tree Limbs" - EarthGang (Feb 22, 2013)

Incorporating Southern hip hop and genres such as funk and soul music, EarthGang has drawn comparisons to groups such as Outkast, Dungeon Family and The Pharcyde, among other artists.[8] Stated the duo in early 2011, "When we create, our goal is to set the listener in a mood for each track... the style is all a part of the execution. You'll hear who we are, where we're from, and what sounds we like through our music. We pay attention to details."[6]

Members

  • Johnny Venus
  • Doctur Dot

Discography

Albums

Albums by EarthGang
Year Album title Release details Chart Peaks
Emerging
Artists
2013 Shallow Graves
For Toys
  • Released: Jul 8, 2013 / Jun 24, 2014
  • Label: Spillage Village
  • Format: Digital
 —
2015 Strays with Rabies
  • Released: November 6, 2015
  • Label: Spillage Village
  • Format: Digital
 —
2018 Mirrorland[19] —

Extended plays

EPs by EarthGang
Year Album title Release details
2010 The Better Party EP
  • Released: Jan 26, 2010
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital
2015 Torba
  • Released: February 26, 2015
  • Label: Spillage Village
  • Format: Digital
2017 Rags
Robots
  • Released: October 20, 2017
  • Label: Dreamville Records, Spillage Village
  • Format: Digital
2018 Royalty
  • Released: February 23, 2018
  • Label: Dreamville Records, Spillage Village
  • Format: Digital
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Mixtapes

Mixtapes by EarthGang
Year Album title Release details Chart Peaks
Emerging
Artists
2011 Mad Men
  • Released: Apr 30, 2011
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital
 —
Good News
  • Released: Dec 26, 2011
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: CD, digital
 —

Compilation albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
 US
R&B/HH
 US
Rap
Bears Like This
(with Spillage Village)
  • Released: February 2, 2014
  • Label: Spillage Village
  • Format: CD, digital download
 — — —
Bears Like This Too
(with Spillage Village)
  • Released: July 6, 2015
  • Label: Spillage Village
  • Format: CD, digital download
 — — —
Bears Like This Too Much
(with Spillage Village)
  • Released: December 2, 2016
  • Label: Spillage Village
  • Format: CD, digital download
 — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Selected songs by EarthGang
Year Title Album Release details
2010 "Kick'n It" (ft. J.I.D.) The Better PartySelf-released (Jan 26, 2010); Music video (2011)
"Ms. Evette" Self-released (Jan 26, 2010)
"Miss the Show" Single onlySelf-released (Nov 2010)
2011 "Opium" Single onlySelf-released (early 2011); music video
"Big Wiggs" (ft. Jid) Promo single/Good NewsSelf-released (Oct 1, 2011)
2012 "Bill Cambell's Soup" Promo single/
Shallow Graves For Toys		 Self-released (April 12, 2012)
"The F Bomb (IDGAF)" Self-released (June 4, 2012)
"UFOs" (ft. Marian Mereba) Promo single/Shallow GravesSelf-released[7]
"Fire Kicking Tree Limbs"
(ft. Nique)		 Single only
2013 "Machete" (prod. 808 Mafia) Single onlySelf-released (Feb 10, 2013)
2014 "Terminus" (ft. Trinidad Jame$) Promo single/Shallow GravesSpillage Village (Feb 12, 2014)

Guest appearances

Selected songs featuring EarthGang
Year Single name Primary artist(s) Album
2012 "Purple Paradise" (ft. EarthGang and Stillz) J.I.DRoute of Evil Album
2015 "LeHooligans" (ft. EarthGang and OG Maco) J.I.DDiCaprio
2017 "D/Vision" (ft. EarthGang) J.I.DThe Never Story
"Premonition" (ft. EarthGang & Cam O'bi) LuteWest1996 pt. 2

Further reading

Interviews and reviews
  • "Atlanta natives EarthGang sound nothing like stereotypical Atlanta (c)rap". Creative Loafing (Atlanta). January 31, 2011.
  • "EarthGang - "UFOS"". Pigeons and Planes. March 11, 2013.
  • "Meet EarthGang, An Atlanta Duo Who We've Been Sleeping On For Far Too Long". 2DopeBoyz.com. January 20, 2014.
  • "The Break Presents: EarthGang". XXL Magazine. February 3, 2014.
  • "EarthGang's "The F Bomb" Video Is About to F Your Whole Day Up". Noisey. August 5, 2014.
  • "5 Play: EarthGang hits the road, Key! gives 'em 'Hell'". Creative Loafing (Atlanta). September 19, 2014.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EarthGang: Out of This World » Brooklyn Bodega".
  2. ↑ "Writer profile - olu O. Fann - Musixmatch".
  3. ↑ "Writer profile - Eian Undrai Parker - Musixmatch".
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kramer, Kyle (August 5, 2014). "EarthGang's "The F Bomb" Video Is About to F Your Whole Day Up". Noisey. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Diep, Eric (February 3, 2014). "The Break Presents: EarthGang". XXL Magazine. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Johnson, Myles E. (January 31, 2011). "Atlanta natives EarthGang sound nothing like stereotypical Atlanta (c)rap". Creative Loafing (Atlanta). Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Tanners, Jon (March 11, 2013). "EarthGang - "UFOS"". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  8. 1 2 3 "Meet EarthGang, An Atlanta Duo Who We've Been Sleeping On For Far Too Long". 2DopeBoyz.com. January 20, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  9. 1 2 Godrey, Gavin (September 19, 2014). "5 Play: EarthGang hits the road, Key! gives 'em 'Hell'". Creative Loafing (Atlanta). Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  10. ↑ "too high to riot tour 2016 dates". dreamville.
  11. ↑ "too high to riot orlando, fl tour stop recap". 8Pounds Music. June 19, 2016.
  12. ↑ "too high to riot europe 2016 tour dates". fiends.
  13. ↑ Findlay, Mitch (August 31, 2017). "J. Cole Signs EarthGang To Dreamville Records". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  14. ↑ Goddard, Kevin (September 1, 2017). "Stream Earthgang's "Rags" EP". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  15. ↑ Ivey, Justin (September 26, 2017). "EarthGang Explain How They Got Signed By J. Cole, "Rags" EP & Upcoming Projects". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  16. ↑ Ivey, Justin. "EarthGang Completes Trilogy With "Royalty" EP". HipHopDX. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  17. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/hiphopheads/comments/9cvf8j/fresh_single_earthgang_up_a_colors_show/e5dyzcq/?st=jlo45c51&sh=83803cd3
  18. ↑ https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/09/21/dreamville-duo-earthgang-team-arin-ray-stuck-070073dcee
  19. ↑ "EarthGang See an Ally in J. Cole - XXL". XXL Mag.
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