Ant

In nature, a Slug would not choose to have a relationship with an Ant. Rap music, however, is not nature; its creators are largely governed by different principles than crawling insects, especially in Minneapolis. In the musically vibrant Twin Cities is where one indeed finds a long-running collaboration between two performers who have chosen buggy stage names as previously described. Ant is Anthony Davis, born on an Oklahoma army base and not to be confused with the modern jazz recording artist of the same name. Slug, his partner in ventures such as the superb Atmosphere recordings, is Sean Daley.

The partners started up the Rhymesayers label in 1996, gaining immediate ground thanks to Ant's lavish record collection, out of which all sorts of beats could be fashioned. Working from a dingy, frosty basement, Ant brought forth snippets of vintage Motown rhythm tracks, for example, as if lugging home a bread crumb for the queen. It was Slug who hit the road with live performances, enjoying a reception far better than his namesake gets when discovered atop a strawberry patch. In 2003 Ant produced Shadows on the Sun by Brother Ali, surprising listeners by blending street poetry with violin and brass arrangements. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi