In the closing years of the 1990s, the Idaho-bred language-obsessed figure known as doseone helped spark a drifted, tense strain of avant-rap. He linked up with outfits such as the Anticon Collective, cLOUDDEAD, Themselves, Subtle, 13 & God, and the Nevermen, consistently steering away from conventional underground rap circles as his work progressed. Yet last year marked a bold reappearance: doseone joined forces with contemporary underground producer steel tipped dove for the Backwoodz Studioz record All Portrait, No Chorus, signaling that his voice hadn’t faded. Now, doseone seems fully reinserted into the scene.
Since All Portrait, No Chorus landed, doseone has been in a prolific groove. He aligned with Baltimore DIY icon Height Keech for the prior year’s Wood Teeth EP, and then returned with a follow-up earlier this year. Just last month, he issued sighting, a full-length collaboration with producers Wino Willy and Zetroc. Now, doseone and steel tipped dove have crafted another record together, and they’ve also brought fellow rap eccentric Fatboi Sharif into the mix.
You’re likely familiar with Fatboi Sharif, the prolific New Jersey-born iconoclast of rap and a former Stereogum Artist To Watch. Sharif keeps releasing music at a steady pace, including collaborative projects with Child Actor and ELUCID earlier this year. Sharif has collaborated with steel tipped dove many times across the years, and the pairing with doseone feels like a natural match, their respective abrasiveness complementing one another. The resulting LP Truth Ugly represents the kind of boundary-preaking oddness you’d expect. Give it a listen below.
