Over the last few years, Earthgang (Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot)have become media darlings, drawing the support of major music outlets including Noisey, Complex and Revolt and even a coveted “Unsigned Hype” nod in The Source; while remaining true to the anti-conformist attitude they cemented with their 2013 single “The F Bomb.” Their forthcoming album Strays With Rabiesis a natural progression of their sound that simultaneously invites new listeners while assuring their existing fans that they have no intention on changing who they are.
The two formed Earthgang while still students at Benjamin E. Mays High School, the same school that produced all four members of Goodie Mob decades before them. United by their varied musical influences, ranging from the Ohio Players to Madonna to Madlib, the two continued to hone their skills as students at Hampton University. It was while enrolled at Hampton that they would craf...
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Over the last few years, Earthgang (Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot)have become media darlings, drawing the support of major music outlets including Noisey, Complex and Revolt and even a coveted “Unsigned Hype” nod in The Source; while remaining true to the anti-conformist attitude they cemented with their 2013 single “The F Bomb.” Their forthcoming album Strays With Rabiesis a natural progression of their sound that simultaneously invites new listeners while assuring their existing fans that they have no intention on changing who they are.
The two formed Earthgang while still students at Benjamin E. Mays High School, the same school that produced all four members of Goodie Mob decades before them. United by their varied musical influences, ranging from the Ohio Players to Madonna to Madlib, the two continued to hone their skills as students at Hampton University. It was while enrolled at Hampton that they would craft their debut EP The Better Party.The following year, they
r e t u r n e d w i t h M a d M e n an d i m m e d i a t e l y b e g a n p e r f o r m i n g a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y , l a n d i n g o n stages from the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival to Stanford University’s Blackfest to the A3C Festival and Conference in their hometown of Atlanta.
Their ambitious 2013 debut album Shallow Grave For Toyscaptured nationwide attention, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart. With SGFT,Earthgang proved that they are here, that they are bigger than their Dungeon Family comparisons, more than Atlanta’s saving grace. They proved that they are a movement, with a strong enough following to warrant runs on three nationwide tours to date - providing support for Ab-Soul’s “These Days” Tour in 2014, Fashawn’s “The Ecology” Tour in Spring 2015 and Mac Miller’s “GO:OD AM” Tour in Fall 2015. While touring and prepping a second full length album, Earthgangkept their fans satiated with the mixtape Torbaand, most recently, with the release of Bears Like This Too,the second collaborative project from their Spillage Village collective. Each project has allowed the duo to continue to grow, which is not at all an accident. “Our projects are more conceptual than just making songs,” insists Doc.“We are making ourselves vulnerable to the world through our music. Most people don’t allow themselves to do that.”
S t r a y s W i t h R a b i e s pr o v e s t o b e t h e i r m o s t v u l n e r a b l e t o d a t e . G o n e i s t h e f r e n e t i c e n e r g y of previous releases, but not the essence from which that energy came. On Strays,Docand Johnnyare at ease: they’ve proven they belong in today’s Hip-Hop landscape. The growth is evident not only in their delivery, but also in the production, courtesy of new and old collaborators alike, including Ducko McFli, Richie Quake and Black Top Hero. The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League-produced “AWOL”stands out as a summary of their recent adventures and the casual way in which the group has grown. The other-worldly production on “Missed Call,” courtesy of DJ Khalil, provides the perfect contrast to their unique
interpolation of the Atlanta sound as Doc and Johnny deliver honest touring-artist confessions.
Throughout the project, Earthgangonce again makes it very clear that they are not to be pigeon-holed, with songs like “Lady Nectarine,”featuring Marian Mereba, leaning toward the soulful end of their musical range, while the drum-n-bass thump of “Liquor Store”
o n c e a g a i n s h o w c a s e s t h e i r f l u i d i t y . St r a y s W i t h R a b i e s is a c o h e s i v e c o l l e c t i o n o f m u s i c that speaks to the breadth of their fan base. Despite their success, the duo says this project was crafted with the “regular people” in mind. “Throughout our career, we’ve always gotten more love from the fans, the people we grew up with, the regular folks, than anyone in the industry,” explains Johnny Venus.“That’s who we made this album for: the people who continue to grow with us.”
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