Blade of the Ronin

Blade of the Ronin is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Cannibal Ox.[1] It was released via IGC Records and iHipHop Distribution on March 3, 2015.[2] It is a follow-up to the duo's 2001 album, The Cold Vein.[3]

Blade of the Ronin
Studio album by Cannibal Ox
Released	March 3, 2015
Genre	Hip hop
Length	62:12
Label	IGC Records, iHipHop Distribution
Producer	Bill Cosmiq, Black Milk
Cannibal Ox chronology
The Cold Vein (2001) Blade of the Ronin (2015)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	71/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Consequence of Sound	B−[6]
Exclaim!	8/10[7]
The Guardian	[8]
Pitchfork	6.7/10[9]
Spin	8/10[10]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Blade of the Ronin received an average score of 71% based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]

Spin placed it at number 31 on the "50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015" list.[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Cipher Unknown (Intro)"	Bill Cosmiq	1:59
2.	"Opposite of Desolate" (featuring Double A.B.)	Bill Cosmiq	3:32
3.	"Psalm 82"	Bill Cosmiq	3:24
4.	"The Power Cosmiq" (featuring Kenyattah Black)	Bill Cosmiq	4:54
5.	"Blade: The Art of Ox" (featuring Artifacts and U-God)	Black Milk	4:35
6.	"Pressure of Survival (Skit)"	Bill Cosmiq	0:23
7.	"Carnivorous" (featuring Bill Cosmiq and Elzhi)	Bill Cosmiq	4:30
8.	"Thunder in July" (featuring Elohem Star, Space, and Swave Sevah)	Bill Cosmiq	4:34
9.	"Water"	Bill Cosmiq	3:59
10.	"The Horizon (Interlude)"	Bill Cosmiq	1:43
11.	"Harlem Knights"	Bill Cosmiq	3:37
12.	"Sabertooth" (featuring Bill Cosmiq and Irealz)	Bill Cosmiq	4:49
13.	"Iron Rose" (featuring MF Doom)	Bill Cosmiq	4:02
14.	"Solar System (Cosmos) (Skit)"	Bill Cosmiq	0:47
15.	"The Fire Rises"	Bill Cosmiq	3:17
16.	"Gotham (Ox City)"	Bill Cosmiq	4:34
17.	"Unison (Skit)"	Bill Cosmiq	0:24
18.	"Vision" (featuring The Quantum)	Bill Cosmiq	3:43
19.	"Salvation"	Bill Cosmiq	3:18

Digital deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
20.	"Silver Hawks" (featuring Kenyattah Black)	5:01
21.	"Moksha"	2:16
22.	"The Eternal Path"	3:10
23.	"Iron Rose (Skylab 3 Remix)" (featuring MF Doom)	4:16

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

• Vast Aire – vocals, art direction
• Vordul Mega – vocals, art direction
• Bill Cosmiq – production (except 5), vocals (7, 12)
• Double A.B. – vocals (2)
• Kenyattah Black – vocals (4)
• Artifacts – vocals (5)
• U-God – vocals (5)
• Black Milk – production (5)
• Elzhi – vocals (7)
• Elohem Star – vocals (8)
• Space – vocals (8)
• Swave Sevah – vocals (8)
• Irealz – vocals (12)
• MF Doom – vocals (13)
• The Quantum – vocals (18)
• DJ Cip One – turntables
• Brad "Syntax" Theophila – mixing
• Matty Trump – mastering
• Djob Jonathan – artwork
• Salvador – additional art layout

Charts

Chart	Peak position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12]	12
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13]	45
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14]	45

References

1. Walsh, Peter (February 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox Featuring MF Doom "Iron Rose"". XXL. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
2. Adams, Gregory (January 20, 2015). "Cannibal Ox Unveil Long-Awaited 'Blade of the Ronin' LP". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
3. Coplan, Chris (February 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox teams with MF Doom for "Iron Rose" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
4. "Blade of the Ronin by Cannibal Ox". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
5. Jeffries, David (March 3, 2015). "Blade of the Ronin - Cannibal Ox". AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
6. Lenzon, Kristofer (March 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox – Blade of the Ronin". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
7. Mullin, Kyle (March 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
8. MacInnes, Paul (March 19, 2015). "Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin review – slighter return". The Guardian. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
9. Cook-Wilson, Winston (March 10, 2015). "Album Reviews – Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
10. Weiss, Dan (March 2, 2015). "SPIN Album of the Week: Cannibal Ox and the Return of Samurai Rap on 'Blade of the Ronin'". Spin. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
11. "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015 (1/2)". Spin. December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
12. "Cannibal Ox: Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
13. "Cannibal Ox: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
14. "Cannibal Ox: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

External links

• Blade of the Ronin at Discogs (list of releases)
• Blade of the Ronin at MusicBrainz (list of releases)