Camu Tao
Encyclopedia
Camu Tao was an American
rapper
and producer
who was signed to the Definitive Jux
label
. He was a member of several groups: S.A. Smash (with fellow rapper Metro), the underground hiphop supergroup Weathermen
, Central Services (with fellow producer El-P), and the music collective Cardboard City.
He was also part of Columbus, Ohio
's MHz crew with Copywrite
, RJD2
, Jakki Tha MotaMouth & Tage Proto. Partnering with Cage
to form The Nighthawks, the two crafted an album during a single-three day creative session.
Smith died on May 25, 2008, after a two-year battle with lung cancer
. At the time of his death, he was producing a song for Cage's
I Never Knew You EP and working on his first solo for Definitive Jux
. On July 9, 2009, El-P announced via Twitter that the album, King of Hearts, was finished, and would be released on October 20, 2009. King of Hearts was released on August 17, 2010 by Definitive Jux in collaboration with Fat Possum Records
along with a free download EP from Central Services. About the album, El-P said:
Aesop Rock
, also on Definitive Jux
, stated in a 2008 interview with The A.V. Club
that his next album may contain "a couple of songs about my friend Camu."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and producer
Hip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
who was signed to the Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. He was a member of several groups: S.A. Smash (with fellow rapper Metro), the underground hiphop supergroup Weathermen
The Weathermen (hip hop group)
The Weathermen, is a New York City-based, underground hip-hop supergroup consisting of Aesop Rock, Tame One, Cage, Yak Ballz, El-P, and Breeze Brewin. The group took its name from the revolutionary organization Weatherman, and sometimes refers to itself as the "New Left"...
, Central Services (with fellow producer El-P), and the music collective Cardboard City.
He was also part of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
's MHz crew with Copywrite
Copywrite (hip-hop)
Peter William Nelson is an underground hip hop artist from Columbus, Ohio. His ancestry consists of mixed Irish and Italian...
, RJD2
RJD2
RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
, Jakki Tha MotaMouth & Tage Proto. Partnering with Cage
Cage Kennylz
Chris Palko, better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from New York City. He has released three studio albums and two extended plays. Cage is also the founder of the underground hip-hop supergroup called the Weathermen.-Early life:...
to form The Nighthawks, the two crafted an album during a single-three day creative session.
Smith died on May 25, 2008, after a two-year battle with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. At the time of his death, he was producing a song for Cage's
Cage Kennylz
Chris Palko, better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from New York City. He has released three studio albums and two extended plays. Cage is also the founder of the underground hip-hop supergroup called the Weathermen.-Early life:...
I Never Knew You EP and working on his first solo for Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
. On July 9, 2009, El-P announced via Twitter that the album, King of Hearts, was finished, and would be released on October 20, 2009. King of Hearts was released on August 17, 2010 by Definitive Jux in collaboration with Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording hitherto unknown Mississippi blues artists . Recently, Fat Possum has signed younger rock acts to its roster...
along with a free download EP from Central Services. About the album, El-P said:
We all expected to get Camu in the studio and go as far as he wanted to go with the record. The songs are bare, but then again a lot of them are just what he wanted. A lot of them wouldn’t have changed much. Knowing Camu, he had a lot of talented musician friends he would have liked to have collaborated and have involved. I do think the album would have been different had he lived to complete it.
Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock
Ian Matthias Bavitz , better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it...
, also on Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
, stated in a 2008 interview with The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
that his next album may contain "a couple of songs about my friend Camu."
Discography
- Presents Blair Cosby's Cape Cod (Going For De Gold) (Smash Bros., 2004)
- Presents Blair Cosby's Cereal Carpens '97 Season
- Presents "Blair Cosby II: The Wali Era"
- King of Hearts (Definitive JuxDefinitive JuxDefinitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
, 2010)
Compilations
- Definitive Swim (Definitive JuxDefinitive JuxDefinitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
/ Williams StreetWilliams StreetWilliams Street Productions, LLC, operating under the name Williams Street, is a division of Cartoon Network, which is owned by Turner Broadcasting, an operational unit of Time Warner...
, 2007) ("Plot for a Little")
Singles
- "Hear Me Talking to You" (B.U.K.A. Entertainment, 2001)
- "Hold the Floor"/"Wireless" (Definitive Jux, 2001)
- "WMR" (Camu Tao & El-PEl-ProductoEl-P is an American hip hop artist and entrepreneur from Brooklyn, New York City. Originally a member of Company Flow, El-P has been a major driving force in alternative hip hop for over a decade. He is the co-founder, owner and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label...
)/"Homesickness"/"Life with Snarky Parker" (Despot) (Definitive Jux, 2004)