Cannibal Ox Go Uptown in “Harlem Knights” Video

The last four years have been a victory lap of sorts for El-P. Though revered as a producer and rapper, his independent label, Def Jux, outpaced his own work in terms of reach and cultural impact, helping to shape hip-hop's development as it slid into the 21st century. Now, with El dominating the press and the festival circuit (alongside Killer Mike as Run the Jewels), another of Def Jux's flagship acts has quietly slid back into the conversation. Earlier this year, Cannibal Ox--the duo comprised of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega--dropped Blade of the Ronin, their first album since 2001's seminal The Cold Vein. Now, Vast and Vordul liberate the video for "Harlem Knights," the lead single from that record. With decades of baggage and those hats you get when you subscribe to The New Yorker, they trek through Uptown, past the Apollo, through holes in rusty fences, past storefronts that should be vibrant, but aren't.