Rap Group: CES CRU of STRANGE MUSIC INC

Known as Godemis and Ubiquitous to the scene, Donnie King and Mike Viglione, 30, have molded CES CRU into the fire-breathing creature acclaimed by hip-hop audiences throughout the Midwest. Their explosive live performances and lyrical deftness have earned them numerous MC battle victories, a spot on the annual Warped Tour and three Pitch Music Award nominations.

Introduced in 2000 by Vertigone, formerly of The Guild, Godemis and Ubi released their first album as CES CRU in 2004. “Capture Enemy Soldiers” featured several local producers and rappers from previous incarnations of CES. Their debut was a synchronous assault on the status quo, carving out a style for themselves that has been compared to the precision of “a rivet machine in a car factory.” Their live shows brought in swarms of fans all anxious to see what the two MCs would do next. Chris Milbourn, music critic for The Pitch, has called
them, “a rare local hip-hop act that can not only draw fans but also have them chanting the choruses.”

CES went on to release “The Block/Spellbound” LP single in 2007, a mixtape titled, “Codename: Iron Giant” in 2008 and are heavily featured on the Innate Sounds sampler, “Alpha” released in 2009. Their collaborations with other local artists, including Mac Lethal and Human Cropcircles, have earned them national attention that keeps them touring across the U.S.

“We’re rap nerds,” says Godemis. “We’re always dissecting, flipping and tweaking what we do to find a new way.”

In their latest effort towards reinvention, CES CRU is set to release their first full-length album in five years, entitled “The Playground.” And this time the C.E.S. stands for “Children Everywhere Smiling,” a sharp departure from their first album’s imagery, in which the two MCs sit atop a pile of lifeless bodies. Ubi and Godemis have spent the last year and a half perfecting 18 tracks of all original material, produced by Leonard DSTROY of the Deep Thinkers.

“This is a more cohesive album,” says Ubiquitous. “There are more tracks where it’s just the two of us, there are totally new kinds of songs…We wanted a consistent, focused sound so we chose to work with only one producer this time around.”

The much-anticipated release of The Playground will bring with it a new, grown-up selection of songs for CES CRU fans, but the rhymes remain universal, covering everyday experiences and observations. As a group so widely known for their collaborations, the members of CES are looking to establish a stronger identity for themselves with this release.

“The thing that makes them unique is their lyrical ingenuity,” says Phil Shafer, aka DJ Sike Steez. “They take ideas, chop them up and serve them gourmet. But now, with the new album, they’re writing songs, instead of just verses.”

In addition to Ubi and Godemis, a handful of guest MCs make appearances on the album. The InnateSounds Crew is well-represented by Kutty Slitz, Stik Figa, Brother of Moses, Smoov Confusion and Reggie B. Also popping up on The Playground are Lucid, Vertigone and Mac Lethal.

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