Dragon Fli Empire
Encyclopedia
Dragon Fli Empire is a hip hop
duo from Calgary
, Canada
, comprising Tarik Robinson, also known as Teekay (MC
/producer
), and Adam Hicks, also known as DJ Cosm (DJ/producer
).
DFE's first album, Conquest
, was released in August 2004. It was followed by Invasion
in 2005, Intermission EP
in 2008 and Redefine
in 2009. Their music is inspired by classic hip hop beats like those of Pete Rock
, Large Professor
and Prince Paul
. They are known for their down-to-earth perspective, with insightful and comedic lyrics.
The song "Mount Pleasant", an upbeat track about observations while riding Calgary Transit
quickly developed a cult following, receiving significant airplay on CJSW-FM
, CKUA
and CBC Radio 3
. An official version of Conquest was pressed and independently released in August 2004. The album was re-mastered and three tracks from the CD-R version were replaced with newer ones, including the DFE theme song "D-E-F".
Their second album, Invasion, was independently released in May 2005. Reaching number five on the !earshot Canadian campus radio charts, it showcased a progression in the group's sound, and featured the popular tracks "Headphones", "Our Way", "Invasion" and "Tight Spot". The group collaborated with several other notable Canadian indie hip hop artists on the album, including Ndidi Cascade, More or Les, Epic, Mindbender and Touch and Nato
plus live musicians like Kirby Small and Tariq
.
In 2007, an album featuring tracks from Invasion and Conquest (Inquest) was released in Japan through P-Vine Records
. The same year, a 12" vinyl release of the Invasion song "Roc the Crowd" featuring Ohmega Watts
was released worldwide on Calgary-based label Bigfoot Records.
DFE released an EP entitled Intermission in May 2008 to help create a buzz in anticipation of their third full-length album Redefine. The EP proved to very popular on Canadian campus radio, reaching number three on the !earshot and Chart Attack
hip hop charts. Intermission also reached number three on The R3-30
on CBC Radio 3
, who took a liking to the Calgary-anthem track "CGY". Two tracks from Intermission were nominated for Radio 3's 2008 Bucky Awards.
The group's third full-length album, Redefine
released in Japan on P-Vine Records
in October 2008 and in North America on Makebelieve Records in January 2009. Redefine featured collaborations with a number of high-profile artists including Cadence Weapon
, Masta Ace
, Ohmega Watts
, Josh Martinez
, Moka Only
and Raashan Ahmad
. It managed to reach number one for two weeks on the !earshot and Chart Attack
hip hop charts, plus number three for several weeks on the CMJ hip hop charts. The video for "Outside Inn" was the group's first to receive rotation on MuchMusic
and MuchVibe. Redefine was also nominated for Best Rap / Hip Hop Recording at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards
.
The Ride On EP vinyl was released via Finnish label Traveller Records in September 2009, featuring four songs from Redefine.
Dragon Fli Empire have slowly been gaining national recognition, and were the first hip hop group featured on the annual MUCH does Calgary talent showcase on MuchMusic in 2005. They have also appeared on CBC-TV's ZeD
and The National. The group has toured across Canada, Europe and parts of the U.S., and played prestigious festivals like Shambhala
, Montreal's Under Pressure, Ottawa's Alberta Scene and Yellowknife's Folk on the Rocks
. DFE has also played select dates of Warped Tour
and Rock the Bells
as well as showcasing locally at JunoFest
, Sled Island
, the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival
and the Calgary Folk Music Festival
.
Their music has been featured on the MTV Canada
series Peak Season
as well as the OLN/National Geographic Adventure travel show Word Travels
.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo from Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, comprising Tarik Robinson, also known as Teekay (MC
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
/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...
), and Adam Hicks, also known as DJ Cosm (DJ/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...
).
DFE's first album, Conquest
Conquest (Dragon Fli Empire album)
Conquest is the first album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2004 on Makebelieve Records. Although the 2004 release is officially considered DFE's first album, there was a locally circulated CD-R version released in June 2002. The 2004 version replaced three tracks from the...
, was released in August 2004. It was followed by Invasion
Invasion (Dragon Fli Empire album)
Invasion is the second album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2005 on Makebelieve Records. It was viewed as a progression in the duo's sound and features guest artists from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Tacoma and Portland. Several tracks were included in different CD...
in 2005, Intermission EP
Intermission EP
Intermission EP is a "between albums" disc by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2008 on Makebelieve Records. As the first offering of new music from the group since 2005, the EP was designed to renew interest in the group before the release of their third full-length album Redefine...
in 2008 and Redefine
Redefine (Dragon Fli Empire album)
Redefine is the third full-length album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in North America on Makebelieve Records in early 2009...
in 2009. Their music is inspired by classic hip hop beats like those of Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
, Large Professor
Large Professor
Large Professor , also known as Large Pro and Xtra P, is a New York City-based hip hop record producer and emcee. He is also best known as a founding member of the influential underground hip hop group Main Source, and as a frequent collaborator with Nas...
and Prince Paul
Prince Paul
Paul Huston, better known by the stage name Prince Paul, is an American disc jockey and hip-hop record producer. He was also a founding member of the Gravediggaz where he used the name The Undertaker.- Biography :...
. They are known for their down-to-earth perspective, with insightful and comedic lyrics.
History
Dragon Fli Empire formed in May 2002 after Teekay and DJ Cosm found a good working chemistry while collaborating on a few tracks. They decided to become a group, and released the original version of their debut album Conquest locally in the summer of 2002 as a limited edition CD-R.The song "Mount Pleasant", an upbeat track about observations while riding Calgary Transit
Calgary Transit
Calgary Transit is the public transit service which is owned and operated by the city of Calgary, Alberta. In 2008, an estimated 95.3 million passengers boarded approximately 960 Calgary Transit vehicles , which thus provided 2.31 million hours of service .-History:What would eventually become...
quickly developed a cult following, receiving significant airplay on CJSW-FM
CJSW-FM
CJSW-FM is a campus radio station, broadcasting at 90.9 MHz FM, from the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. CJSW is a member of the National Campus and Community Radio Association and the University of Calgary Tri-Media Alliance in partnership with NUTV and The Gauntlet .The...
, CKUA
CKUA
CKUA is a Canadian radio station. Originally located at the University of Alberta in Edmonton , it now broadcasts from studios in downtown Edmonton and south Calgary. CKUA was created in 1927 through a provincial grant which allowed the University of Alberta's Extension Department to purchase the...
and CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
. An official version of Conquest was pressed and independently released in August 2004. The album was re-mastered and three tracks from the CD-R version were replaced with newer ones, including the DFE theme song "D-E-F".
Their second album, Invasion, was independently released in May 2005. Reaching number five on the !earshot Canadian campus radio charts, it showcased a progression in the group's sound, and featured the popular tracks "Headphones", "Our Way", "Invasion" and "Tight Spot". The group collaborated with several other notable Canadian indie hip hop artists on the album, including Ndidi Cascade, More or Les, Epic, Mindbender and Touch and Nato
Touch and Nato
Touch and Nato are a hip hop duo from Edmonton, Canada. The members are Touch , and Nato .The group's debut album, ...Are The Representatives in Intelligent Design, was released in June 2007 to rave reviews from outlets like CD Baby, HeroHill.com, Now Magazine and HipHopCanada.com...
plus live musicians like Kirby Small and Tariq
Tariq Hussain (musician)
Tariq Hussain , is a Canadian singer-songwriter and radio personality. Usually credited as Tariq he has released four albums in his musical career, is currently a host for CBC Radio 3, and a member of the eclectic musical ensemble Brasstronaut.Tariq was born in Cowansville, Quebec...
.
In 2007, an album featuring tracks from Invasion and Conquest (Inquest) was released in Japan through P-Vine Records
P-Vine Records
P-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
. The same year, a 12" vinyl release of the Invasion song "Roc the Crowd" featuring Ohmega Watts
Ohmega Watts
Ohmega Watts, real name Milton Campbell, is a hip hop producer and vocalist from Brooklyn, New York. He releases music under the name Ohmega Watts and as a part of the Lightheaded crew.-Biography:...
was released worldwide on Calgary-based label Bigfoot Records.
DFE released an EP entitled Intermission in May 2008 to help create a buzz in anticipation of their third full-length album Redefine. The EP proved to very popular on Canadian campus radio, reaching number three on the !earshot and Chart Attack
Chart (magazine)
ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
hip hop charts. Intermission also reached number three on The R3-30
The R3-30
The R3-30 is a weekly record chart show on CBC Radio 3, which counts down the week's top indie rock singles as determined by airplay , listener feedback , and other criteria . The show, hosted by Craig Norris and produced by Pedro Mendes, airs at 11 a.m Eastern time The R3-30 is a weekly record...
on CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
, who took a liking to the Calgary-anthem track "CGY". Two tracks from Intermission were nominated for Radio 3's 2008 Bucky Awards.
The group's third full-length album, Redefine
Redefine (Dragon Fli Empire album)
Redefine is the third full-length album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in North America on Makebelieve Records in early 2009...
released in Japan on P-Vine Records
P-Vine Records
P-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
in October 2008 and in North America on Makebelieve Records in January 2009. Redefine featured collaborations with a number of high-profile artists including Cadence Weapon
Cadence Weapon
Cadence Weapon is the stage name of Rollie Pemberton, a Canadian rapper.-Biography:Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, his father was Teddy Pemberton, a pioneering hip hop DJ on CJSR-FM, and his grandfather was Rollie Miles, a football player for the Edmonton Eskimos...
, Masta Ace
Masta Ace
Duval Clear , known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is a rapper from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony"...
, Ohmega Watts
Ohmega Watts
Ohmega Watts, real name Milton Campbell, is a hip hop producer and vocalist from Brooklyn, New York. He releases music under the name Ohmega Watts and as a part of the Lightheaded crew.-Biography:...
, Josh Martinez
Josh Martinez
Josh Martinez , is a Canadian rapper, record producer and record label executive. In the early 2000s, Martinez started his own label, Camobear Records, to which fellow rap artist Moka Only is signed...
, Moka Only
Moka Only
Daniel Denton , known professionally as Moka Only, is a Canadian hip hop artist. Originally from Langford, British Columbia, near Victoria, he is now based in Vancouver. He was previously part of the hip hop group Swollen Members, and briefly a part of Len. His albums are released by Legendary...
and Raashan Ahmad
Crown City Rockers
Crown City Rockers are a five-member hip hop band from Oakland, California, by way of Boston, Massachusetts and Pasadena. Formerly known as Mission:, they play old school inflected hip hop music with live instrumentation , citing influences such as: A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, KRS-One and De...
. It managed to reach number one for two weeks on the !earshot and Chart Attack
Chart (magazine)
ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
hip hop charts, plus number three for several weeks on the CMJ hip hop charts. The video for "Outside Inn" was the group's first to receive rotation on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
and MuchVibe. Redefine was also nominated for Best Rap / Hip Hop Recording at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards
Western Canadian Music Awards
The Western Canadian Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony for music in the western portion of Canada, that originated in its current form in 2003...
.
The Ride On EP vinyl was released via Finnish label Traveller Records in September 2009, featuring four songs from Redefine.
Dragon Fli Empire have slowly been gaining national recognition, and were the first hip hop group featured on the annual MUCH does Calgary talent showcase on MuchMusic in 2005. They have also appeared on CBC-TV's ZeD
ZeD
ZeD is a Canadian variety television program and website. The series premiered on CBC Television in March 2002 and ran to 2006. Hosted primarily by Sharon Lewis and Ziya Tong, ZeD publicized creative works from Canada and other countries, including a substantial portion of material created by...
and The National. The group has toured across Canada, Europe and parts of the U.S., and played prestigious festivals like Shambhala
Shambhala (music festival)
Shambhala is an annual electronic music festival held during the first week of August at the Salmo River Ranch in the West Kootenay mountains of British Columbia...
, Montreal's Under Pressure, Ottawa's Alberta Scene and Yellowknife's Folk on the Rocks
Folk on the Rocks
Folk on the Rocks is an outdoor music festival held on the third weekend in July every year on the shores of Long Lake in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada every summer. The non-profit festival was founded in 1980....
. DFE has also played select dates of Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
and Rock the Bells
Rock the Bells
Rock the Bells is an annual hip hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert features a lineup of high-profile alternative hip hop artists, often headlined by a more mainstream artist...
as well as showcasing locally at JunoFest
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
, Sled Island
Sled Island
Founded by Zak Pashak in 2007, The Sled Island Music and Arts Festival is an annual independent festival held in over thirty venues in downtown Calgary, Alberta. Sled Island allows many generations of festival goers to gather for four days each year to celebrate the wealth of creative talent that...
, the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival
Calgary International Spoken Word Festival
The Calgary Spoken Word Festival is a Canadian festival which promotes spoken word. Spoken word draws heavily on the oral tradition and encompasses such genres as jazz, dub, hip-hop, folk, slam and storytelling poets or poetry...
and the Calgary Folk Music Festival
Calgary Folk Music Festival
The Calgary Folk Music Festival is held in late July each year at Prince's Island Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. While known for attracting both established and up-and-coming folk music, the festival features a wide variety of artists including hip-hop, alternative, blues, and world acts...
.
Their music has been featured on the MTV Canada
MTV Canada
MTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to talk, lifestyle and documentary programming.MTV is owned by Bell Media, with its name licensed from the American channel of the same name, which is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom.The channel launched as talktv...
series Peak Season
Peak Season
Peak Season is an MTV Canada reality TV show set in Whistler, British Columbia. The premier was on October 19, 2009, and delivered the highest ratings for a series on MTV Canada. The show follows the lives of several young adult characters in the reality television style. The show concluded its...
as well as the OLN/National Geographic Adventure travel show Word Travels
Word Travels
Word Travels is an adventure travel television documentary series. An original Canadian production, the show debuted on OLN on January 30, 2008 and airs in Canada on OLN and CityTV, and worldwide on Nat Geo Adventure...
.
Discography
- ConquestConquest (Dragon Fli Empire album)Conquest is the first album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2004 on Makebelieve Records. Although the 2004 release is officially considered DFE's first album, there was a locally circulated CD-R version released in June 2002. The 2004 version replaced three tracks from the...
- 2004 - Makebelieve Records - InvasionInvasion (Dragon Fli Empire album)Invasion is the second album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2005 on Makebelieve Records. It was viewed as a progression in the duo's sound and features guest artists from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Tacoma and Portland. Several tracks were included in different CD...
- 2005 - Makebelieve Records - Intermission EPIntermission EPIntermission EP is a "between albums" disc by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2008 on Makebelieve Records. As the first offering of new music from the group since 2005, the EP was designed to renew interest in the group before the release of their third full-length album Redefine...
- 2008 - Makebelieve Records - RedefineRedefine (Dragon Fli Empire album)Redefine is the third full-length album by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in North America on Makebelieve Records in early 2009...
- 2009 - Makebelieve Records
Japanese Discography
- Inquest - 2007 - P-Vine RecordsP-Vine RecordsP-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
- Redefine - 2008 - P-Vine RecordsP-Vine RecordsP-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
Vinyl discography
- Abstrakt Vinyl Compilation - 2005 - Makebelieve Records (features "Headphones")
- Roc the Crowd EP feat. Ohmega WattsOhmega WattsOhmega Watts, real name Milton Campbell, is a hip hop producer and vocalist from Brooklyn, New York. He releases music under the name Ohmega Watts and as a part of the Lightheaded crew.-Biography:...
- 2007 - Bigfoot Records - Ride On EP - 2009 - Traveller Records
Compilation appearances
- New Music Canada, Vol. 1 (2004, CBC RecordsCBC RecordsCBC Records is a Canadian record label, owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which distributes CBC programming, including live concert performances in album and digital format....
) - "Mount Pleasant" - Up North Trip Vol. 4 (2006, Audio Research Records) - "Invasion"
- Underground Hip Hop Vol. 4 (2006, URBNET RecordsURBNET RecordsURBNET Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. URBNET was formed by Darryl Rodway and Janusz Jarosinski in 1999 to provide distribution, marketing and promotional services to Hip Hop artists throughout Canada...
) - "Tight Spot" - Mellow Beats, Rhymes and Vibes (2007, P-Vine RecordsP-Vine RecordsP-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
) - "Beauty Full" - Beat Studies: Lesson Two (2008, P-Vine RecordsP-Vine RecordsP-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
) - "Headphones" - Mellow Beats, Sunshine and Twilight (2009, P-Vine RecordsP-Vine RecordsP-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi...
) - "Paradise", "Speak to Me" - Underground Hip Hop Vol. 5 (2010, URBNET RecordsURBNET RecordsURBNET Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. URBNET was formed by Darryl Rodway and Janusz Jarosinski in 1999 to provide distribution, marketing and promotional services to Hip Hop artists throughout Canada...
) - "Rise"