It’s been ten years since Cannibal Ox’s stand-alone debut, which established Definitive Jux as a label and set the tone for much of the harsh, sci-fi-inspired hip hop that would be coming out of New York in the 2000s. There has been talk of a second album for years, but the half of the duo that is Vast Aire has been going strong as a solo artist. Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey is his third solo album and follows 2008’s Deuces Wild.

Vast Aire strikes an imposing figure, both physically and on record. He’s got a voice that booms with confidence, and has developed a flow that front loads his lines with a lot of words and syllables, pauses, and then lands the last word or phrase with extra weight. It’s extremely effective in delivering blows, and it’s no coincidence that Aire has made much of his mark with battle raps.

He’s got more beef on this record, most notably with his former labelmate Cage. I can get into these rhymes for a little while, as listening to someone being dismantled on record can be quite entertaining. Unfortunately, Aire can’t stay away from the trappings of using gender and sexuality as an insult. Not only is this unproductive and offensive, but it’s also lazy. It’s much more effective to attack someone with details particular to that person than to employ stereotypes. If Cage really did exploit the death of Camu Tao, that’s enough to go on right there. What makes it really frustrating is that Aire is obviously very intelligent, and a great lyricist when he pushes himself. His use of biblical imagery throughout is really fantastic, and explorations of religion and philosophy prove to be quite interesting.

Heavyweights J Zone, Harry Fraud, Kount Fif, and Thanos handled production. Nothing is out of Aire’s comfort zone, and by that I mean this record sounds like it could have been a Definitive Jux joint a few years back. It’s an aggressive and harsh sound, providing a nice foundation for Aire’s flow. I just wish that I could really champion this record instead of being frustrated by what this record failed to accomplish.