American rapper (born 1974)
Musical artist
Germaine Williams
(born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name
Canibus
, is a Jamaican-American rapper. He gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and released his debut album
Can-I-Bus
in 1998. Canibus has released 13 solo studio albums, as well as multiple collaboration albums and EPs with other rappers as a member of
the Four Horsemen
,
Refugee Camp All-Stars
, Sharpshooterz, Cloak N Dagga, the Undergods and one-half of T.H.E.M.
About.com
placed him at number 32 on their list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987?2007)",
[2]
while in 2012
The Source
placed him number 44 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
Williams was born on December 9, 1974, in
Kingston, Jamaica
. He is of Jamaican descent.
[4]
[5]
His father,
Basil Williams
, was a
Jamaican
and
West Indian
cricketer
.
[6]
The family moved frequently, living in
The Bronx
;
Newark, New Jersey
;
Washington, D.C.
;
Atlanta
;
Miami
;
Buffalo
; and
London
[7]
due to his mother's career requiring constant relocation.
[4]
Canibus stated that he was an
introverted
child growing up.
[8]
After completing high school in 1992, he spent a year working for
AT&T Corporation
and another year as a
data analyst
for the
U.S. Department of Justice
.
[8]
He studied
computer science
at
DeKalb College
in Atlanta.
[7]
[9]
Career
[
edit
]
Early career (1992?1996)
[
edit
]
He began rhyming in the early 1990s and by 1992 under the name
Canibus Sativa
, and formed a duo called T.H.E.M. (The Heralds of Extreme Metaphors) with Atlanta rapper Webb (now called C.I., also known as Central Intelligence). In 1996, T.H.E.M. split and Canibus teamed with businessman Charles Suitt. That same year Charles Suitt introduced Canibus to platinum producer
Frankie Cutlass
and the two collaborated on a song. Canibus also appeared on the
Music Makes Me High
remix by the
Lost Boyz
featuring
Tha Dogg Pound
making it Canibus' first official appearance on a record.
In December 1997, Canibus first publicly discussed a verbal confrontation with LL Cool J in an interview with Toure for
The Village Voice
. Also attending the interview was
John Forte
, DMX,
Big Pun
,
Mos Def
and Mic Geronimo. The roundtable discussion was recorded by Kurt Nice and featured in Shades of Hip Hop compilation
Hot 2 Def
in 1998 and re-released in 2004 on
Shades of Hip Hop: The Cypher
.
Debut album (1997?1998)
[
edit
]
Canibus' debut album
Can-I-Bus
was released on September 8, 1998. The song "
Second Round K.O.
", produced by
Wyclef Jean
, was a success, with the video featuring Wyclef and a
cameo appearance
by
boxer
Mike Tyson
.
The album contained a lot of socially-conscious material, such as corruption within the U.S. government,
AIDS
, and violence in modern America.
[10]
Canibus had a feud with
LL Cool J
over a verse that Canibus gave on LL's track "
4,3,2,1
" from his album
Phenomenon
. The track featured Canibus,
Method Man
,
Redman
, and
DMX
. Canibus's verse began with the line "Yo LL, is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that," referring to the microphone tattoo on LL Cool J's arm which LL Cool J interpreted as Canibus insulting him. When the final cut of the song came out it featured LL Cool J's verse after Canibus's, mocking an unspecified person believed to be Canibus.
[11]
[12]
Wyclef feud, second album (1999?2000)
[
edit
]
Because Wyclef produced the majority of the tracks on
Can-I-Bus
, Williams blamed him for the general dissatisfaction with
Can-I-Bus
and cut ties with him, going as far as to diss Wyclef on the title track of his second album
2000 B.C.
("You mad at the last album? I apologize for it / Yo, I can't call it, motherfucking Wyclef spoiled it!").
2000 B.C.
featured the first collaboration between Canibus and
Kurupt
,
Ras Kass
and
Killah Priest
, a rap
supergroup
collectively known as
The Hrsmn
(referring to the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
), on the track "Horsementality". Though following
2000 B.C.'
s release it had been announced that the group would be releasing an album, these plans never materialized, with only an
EP
of
outtakes
from 2001 entitled
The Horsemen Project
released by Killah Priest's management in 2003. Since 2000, however, the members of the group have worked together on various songs and rumors of a full-length HRSMN album have persisted and include speculation about collaborations with
Pharoahe Monch
,
Common
and
Rakim
, among others.
Wyclef Jean would respond to Canibus's earlier remark on the track "However You Want It" from his album,
The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book
.
Though much bitterness between Canibus and Wyclef Jean remained for a period of time, the two artists finally settled their differences at the end of 2004; they have since worked together on two
remixes
of the
Machel Montano
song "Carnival Survivors". In an interview with HipHopsite.com conducted in November 2005, Williams claimed that he had recorded five songs with Wyclef and
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis
at Platinum Studios in New York for an upcoming Fugees reunion album.
C True Hollywood Stories
(2001)
[
edit
]
In 2001, Canibus released his third album,
C True Hollywood Stories
. It was released on Archives Music, an
independent label
owned by Williams' future business partner, Louis Lombard III.
In an interview conducted in 2005, Williams' former promoter, Pak-Man, who worked on over half of the album with the rapper, spoke on the record, with his explanation leaning toward the album being intended as satire: "At that time Canibus was in the studio recording a lot of songs and [I] mean a lot, but he didn't want to make the fans wait no more so he did
C True Hollywood Stories
and he wanted to have fun wit, so thats what we did we had fun wit". In an interview on AllHipHop.com posted on April 8, 2005, Williams was asked what direction he was trying to take with that album; in his response, he stated "That album depicts the state of affairs in my life at the time ? nothing more, nothing less".
Mic Club: The Curriculum
and
Rip the Jacker
(2002?2003)
[
edit
]
His fourth full-length album
Mic Club: The Curriculum
was released in 2002. Although the production was handled almost entirely by little-known producers, some of them from
Europe
, the record proved to be a greater critical success than the previous year's release.
Mic Club
also saw Canibus return to a more complex rapping style, with a number of concept tracks and few songs with a
chorus
. The album was released on Mic Club Music, Canibus' own label, but failed to chart, selling relatively few copies.
Following the release of
Mic Club: The Curriculum
, it was announced that Williams decided to join the
United States Army
. Before commencing his work with the military, however, he recorded a number of tracks which he intended to be released on his next album, entitled
Rip the Jacker
.
Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind
was given the task of producing the entire record, equipped solely with Canibus' pre-recorded vocals. Due to his military obligations, Canibus himself only managed to review the album after having acquired a copy.
Upon release,
Rip the Jacker
received rave reviews from the majority of critics, who noted that Williams' largely scientific lyrics and distinctive, rough delivery was finally matched by equally fine production, as Canibus had a history of working with badly selected producers. Unlike
Mic Club
,
Rip the Jacker
charted on both
Billboard
'
s R&B/hip-hop charts and the
Billboard
200
, peaking at #34 and #197.
Critics highlighted various aspects of
Rip the Jacker'
s originality, both in terms of beats and lyrics; Stoupe had employed a large number of samples from often obscure compositions, while Canibus himself undertook a variety of topics from various perspectives. Of note was the inclusion of "Poet Laureate II", a song exceeding seven minutes in length and lacking a chorus, with several changes of beat throughout; the track was frequently singled out as one of the strongest in Canibus' career and the album as a whole convinced listeners and the industry alike that the rapper had not lost his potential.
Mind Control
, Cloak n Dagga and
Hip-Hop for Sale
(2005?2006)
[
edit
]
Following
Rip the Jacker
and Canibus' subsequent discharge from the army, an album entitled
Mind Control
(2005) was released to negative reviews. Canibus had never planned for it to be compiled as a separate record, but agreed to release it through the independent Gladiator Music label as part of a contractual agreement; most of the vocals for
Mind Control
had been recorded prior to the release of
C True Hollywood Stories
. A collection of previously recorded material (with only three of the songs being unreleased) produced entirely by Mark Sparks, the album failed to chart and is rarely considered an official Canibus release by the rapper's fans.
Also in 2005, a collaboration between Williams and
underground rapper
Phoenix Orion, who had also been known for scientific lyrics, yielded the album
Def Con Zero
, released on the independent Head Trauma Records label, owned by
K-1
kickboxer
Dewey Cooper
. The record featured guest appearances from
Kool G Rap
,
K-Solo
, and former
106 & Park
host
Free
, among others. As Cloak N Dagga, the duo briefly toured the United States promoting the release.
The following month, after numerous delays, Canibus' seventh solo album,
Hip-Hop for Sale
, was released, but was panned by critics, who dismissed it as yet another failed attempt to gain mainstream recognition. Additionally, due to the earlier release of
Mind Control
and the leaking of most of the material in the form of a
mixtape
entitled
The Vitruvian Man
, the release date had been pushed back to November, the original date having been May. The production on
Hip-Hop for Sale
was handled in part by
Virginia
-based producer
Nottz
, with several relatively unknown producers handling the remaining tracks after Nottz had cut ties with Canibus due to the appearance of
The Vitruvian Man
. The day of
Hip-Hop for Sale'
s release,
Mic Club Master Volume One
, a separate mixtape, appeared in stores, many of the songs receiving more praise than those present on the full-length album.
For Whom the Beat Tolls
(2007)
[
edit
]
Canibus performing in 2007
In January 2007, it was announced that Canibus would release new material in 2007 exclusively on his own imprint, Mic Club Music, in a joint venture with Legion Entertainment and distributed via his former major label,
Universal Music Group
. A pair of mixtapes, titled
Nothing to Prove
and
Nothing to Lose
, were slated for release in March 2007, but were eventually scrapped; instead, Canibus decided to use the best material from each mixtape to create a new full-length album entitled
For Whom the Beat Tolls
.
When the record was originally announced in March, there was only one confirmed track ? the third installment in Canibus' "
Poet Laureate
" series, "Poet Laureate Infinity". The track has 1,000 bars, in the form of five 200 bar verses, and is layered in such a way that "when you mix it and spread it throughout five channels, [you have the ability] to mix the track differently every time".
[13]
"For Whom the Beat Tolls" was originally set for release in May 2007, but was pushed back one month, and a released on June 12, 2007 (though it was not distributed by Universal as previously reported). The album has 16 tracks and includes contributions from
Killah Priest
and
Vinnie Paz
, among others, and featured two personally made mixes of the "Poet Laureate Infinity" track ("Poet Laureate Infinity v003" and "Poet Laureate Infinity v004").
Following the release of "For Whom the Beat Tolls", Canibus went on a sporadic tour in the U.S. to promote the record. In August 2007, Canibus made an announcement on his Myspace page that he had cut ties with his business partner Louis Lombard: "
To my friends, family and fans, Just wanted everybody to know I no longer do business with Louis Lombard, III & Mic Club Music
.
Melatonin Magik
(2010)
[
edit
]
In December 2009, it was announced that Canibus was in the process of releasing his 9th studio album
Melatonin Magik
.
[14]
Melatonin Magik
was released on February 9, 2010, to relatively positive reviews, being regarded as one of his most focused efforts yet. The album included several guest appearances (DZK~PR~ & Warbux), a marked contrast to many of his previous albums in which he kept features at a minimum.
C of Tranquility
(2010)
[
edit
]
C of Tranquility
was released on October 5, 2010. Producers include
DJ Premier
,
Jake One
,
Scram Jones
,
Tha Bizness
and
J-Zone
.
[15]
Originally recorded in 2008, it was sent to
Interdependent Media
for track mastery and release. Many of the beats were changed, and a few of the tracks were shortened.
Lyrical Law
(2011)
[
edit
]
Originally intended to be a Melatonin Magik remix album, as more and more guests were invited to feature, Canibus decided to also record new material for the album, and it quickly evolved into an official solo album. In April 2011, it was announced that he would be selling the album through his new website, canibuscatalogue.com in order to have more control over promotion and sale.
A track entitled "Spring Training" was released by Joe Budden two days after "Lyrical Law VS Joey Cupcakes" containing lines directed towards Canibus. To many, the track appears to be a response. This is untrue however, as the track was recorded prior to having a conflict with Canibus. As of June 2011, an official response from either Royce or Budden (aside from brief messages on Twitter) has yet to surface.
Canibus vs Dizaster (2012)
[
edit
]
Canibus completed his first rap battle for
King of the Dot
on June 9, 2012. Canibus participated in the first two rounds before pulling out a notepad to read his bars during the third round, after admitting defeat and wishing to recite what he said were "30 pages of rhymes" that he had failed to memorize.
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
The battle was part of King of the Dot's Fresh Coast division in L.A.
[19]
[22]
[23]
A fake open letter, attributed to Canibus appeared on
Tumblr
,
[24]
[25]
[26]
though it was later debunked by his manager.
[27]
Canibus later released an official statement on his
Facebook
page. About the battle itself, Canibus commented that "Sometimes people need laughter and entertainment at the expense of others embarrassment but hip hop means so much to me I don't care."
[28]
[29]
Army service
[
edit
]
In 2002, Canibus signed up for the
United States Army
. In a 2005 interview, Canibus stated "I enlisted because I wanted to get away from the music... I wanted to do something that gave me a separate definition from what I had done all through my teens and twenties. I was 28 when I enlisted." In 2004, he was caught
smoking cannabis
and was subsequently discharged.
[30]
Discography
[
edit
]
Albums
[
edit
]
Solo
Collaborations
- The Horsemen Project
(2003)
(with
Killah Priest
,
Kurupt
&
Ras Kass
, as
The Four Horsemen
)
- Def Con Zero
(2005)
(with Phoenix Orion, as Cloak N Dagga)
- In Gods We Trust ? Crush Microphones to Dust
(2011)
(with
Keith Murray
, as The Undergods)
- Scars n Stripes
(2010)
(with Matt Maddox;)
- Lyrical Warfare
(2011)
(with Webb, as T.H.E.M.; recorded from 1993 to 1995)
- The 2nd Coming
(2013)
(with Bronze Nazareth,
Cappadonna
, M-Eighty, Nino Grave &
Planet Asia
, as Almighty)
- The Last Ride
(2021)
(with Killah Priest, Kurupt & Ras Kass, as
HRSMN
)
- Microphone Land
(2021)
(with Jaximus)
- Self Licking Ice Cream Cone
(2023)
(with Johnny Slash)
- Canibus & Keith Murray Are The Undergods
(2009)
(with Keith Murray, as The Undergods)
- Historic EP
(2014)
(with Killah Priest, Kurupt & Ras Kass, as HRSMN)
- Full Spectrum Dominance
(2018)
- Full Spectrum Dominance 2
(2018)
- Matrix Theory I
(2018)
(with Marty McKay)
- Full Spectrum Dominance 3
(2019)
- Matrix Theory II
(2019)
(with Marty McKay)
- Full Spectrum Dominance: Repolarization
(2019)
- Matrix Theory III
(2019)
(with Marty McKay)
- Matrix Theory IV
(2020)
(with Marty McKay)
- Matrix Theory V
(2021)
(with Marty McKay)
- C
(2022)
(with
Pete Rock
)
[31]
Filmography
[
edit
]
- Eyes on Hip Hop
(1995) ? self
- Bamboozled
(2000) ? Mo Blak
- Beef II
(2004) ? self
- The MC: Why We Do It
(2005) ? self
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Lost Boyz, Tha Dogg Pound & Canibus Had Heads High On The Music (Video)"
. Ambrosia For Heads. September 1, 2016
. Retrieved
September 26,
2019
.
- ^
"Top 50 MCs of Our Time: 1987?2007 ? 50 Greatest Emcees of Our Time"
. Rap.about.com. September 7, 2012. Archived from
the original
on November 23, 2016
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"The Source's Top 50 Lyricists Of All Time"
. thisis50.com. July 7, 2012. Archived from
the original
on May 4, 2014
. Retrieved
March 5,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
allmusic ((( Canibus > Biography )))
. Allmusic. Accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^
Parker, Lyndsey (August 7, 2000).
Exclusive LAUNCH Artist Chat
. Yahoo! Music. Accessed February 22, 2008.
[
dead link
]
- ^
Canibus : Rap, Hip-Hop Interview
Archived
May 26, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
. Riot Sound. Accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^
a
b
Millner, Denene (September 18, 1998).
The Canndy Canibus Rapper's No Dope, As Rep Goes From Bad To Verser With Release of his First Solo Album
Archived
April 10, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
. The
Daily News
. Accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^
a
b
Johnson Jr, Billy (February 16, 1999).
A World Wide Phenomenon
[
permanent dead link
]
. Yahoo! Music. Accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^
Strauss, Neil (May 10, 1998).
POP/JAZZ; A Rising Rap Star Puts Content Ahead of Style
.
The New York Times
. Accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^
"Canibus : Rap, Hip-Hop Interview"
. Riotsound.com. Archived from
the original
on May 26, 2012
. Retrieved
May 5,
2012
.
- ^
"Canibus Clarifies Questionable Lyric in LL Cool J Diss Record, "2nd Round KO"
"
. February 21, 2023.
- ^
"LL Cool J Takes Blame for Canibus Beef: "I Wasn't There Yet Mentally"
"
. May 11, 2023.
- ^
Heinzelman, Bill (March 19, 2007).
Canibus My Life
Archived
March 28, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine
.
XXL
magazine. Accessed March 24, 2008.
- ^
"Canibus Set To Return With New Album, Melatonin Magik"
. BallerStatus.com. January 5, 2010
. Retrieved
May 5,
2012
.
- ^
McDevitt, Michelle (August 25, 2008).
"Canibus To Release "C Of Tranquility" LP On October 5th ≫ Canibus, Tranquility, Billboard, Can-I-Bus, Lauryn, Blak"
. HipHopSite.Com. Archived from
the original
on April 15, 2012
. Retrieved
May 5,
2012
.
- ^
"Canibus Uses A Notepad During Rap Battle"
. Rapfix.mtv.com. June 12, 2012. Archived from
the original
on October 5, 2013
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"CANNIBUS' Line Of Twitter Disses"
. Archived from
the original
on June 19, 2012
. Retrieved
June 13,
2012
.
- ^
"Cannibus' Line Of Twitter Disses From SAIGON, ALCHEMIST, FREDDIE GIBBS, & More"
. Musikreform.com. June 11, 2012. Archived from
the original
on June 19, 2012
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Horowitz, Steven J. (June 10, 2012).
"Canibus Forfeits In Pay-Per-View Rap Battle | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales"
. HipHop DX
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
Starbury, Allen (June 11, 2012).
"Canibus Forfeits In PPV Rap Battle, Pulls Out Notebook In Final Round"
. BallerStatus.com
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
[1]
Archived
August 1, 2015, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Starbury, Allen (May 10, 2012).
"Canibus To Headline Upcoming Los Angeles Rap Battle, 'Vendetta: Battle Royale'
"
. BallerStatus.com
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
Sydney Lace (May 10, 2012).
"Hip-Hop Rumors: Canibus Is Coming to Pay-Per-View"
. AllHipHop.com
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"Canibus Issues Apology After Notebook Freestyle"
. Rapfix.mtv.com. June 13, 2012
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
Sydney Lace (June 13, 2012).
"Hip-Hop Rumors: Canibus Apologizes For Rap Battle "Dizaster"
"
. AllHipHop.com
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"Ripper Apology : Canibus' Apology … from The Ripper"
. Ripperapology.tumblr.com. June 12, 2012
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
Horowitz, Steven J. (June 13, 2012).
"Canibus' Manager Debunks His Tumblr Apology For Notepad Freestyle | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales"
. HipHop DX
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"Canibus Music"
. Facebook
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"Canibus Issues An Apology For Battle With Dizaster"
. Xclusives Zone. June 14, 2012
. Retrieved
February 14,
2013
.
- ^
"Canibus Biography"
. Rapartists.com. September 11, 2001. Archived from
the original
on January 25, 2012
. Retrieved
May 5,
2012
.
- ^
"Canibus & Pete Rock ? C"
.
Apple Music
. Retrieved
April 29,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Canibus
.
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