Meanest Man Contest
Rap / Hip Hop
Quarterbar and Eriksolo are the fake names used by the two members of Meanest Man Contest. The duo began collaborating in 1996, as members of the Santa Barbara based hip-hop group mic.edu, releasing songs on numerous compilations and starting the popular rap record label Rocketship Records.
In 1999, both members of MMC found themselves living in Oakland, one of the focal points of California's underground hip-hop scene. Rocketship Records had dissolved, and a new label focused on releasing progressive hip-hop-influenced music emerged. The new endeavor, Weapon-Shaped Records, had early success with singles by the Shapeshifters, Substance Abuse, Anticon, and Emanon. Quar' and Er' were sitting on loads of demos and unfinished songs and decided to compile some of their most interesting short pieces for a 7inch release on Weapon-Shaped.
In 2001, MMC released "Contaminated Dance Step" b/w "Feeling Pretty Psyched (About Love)" to much acclaim. This 7inch paved the way for several compliation appearances for MMC, one of which caught the ear of the nice people at a record label in sunny Los Angeles. One thing led to another, and Meanest Man Contest's debut LP, entitled "Merit," is now set for a February 2003 release on Plug Research. Oh yeah, MMC's stuff is damn brilliant and sounds like this: Combine reworkings of 1970s rock and jazz recordings with tactful lyricism and the occasional ambient sample, and there you got it.
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