| Dead Obies | |
| Origin: | South Shore (Montreal), Quebec, Canada |
| Years Active: | 2011-present |
| Label: | Bonsound |
| Current Members: | Joe Rocca Snail Kid 20some O.G. Bear VNCE |
| Past Members: | Yes McCan |
Dead Obies is an experimental hip hop band originating from South Shore (suburbs south of Montreal), Quebec, Canada,[1] [2] that was formed in 2011 by a collective of five MCs: Jo RCA, Yes McCan, Snail Kid, 20Some and O.G. Bear, and Quebec producer Vince Carter.[3] The group identifies itself as post-rap. They are signed to the independent label Bonsound.
Dead Obies finished as Top 3 finalists at the Francouvertes de Montréal held in 2013 and designed for new music talents.[1] The group has also taken part in Francofolies de Montréal, "WordUP! Battles" and "Artbeat" artistic events in Quebec.[1] They use a mix of French, English, and French/English known as franglais[4] in their songs.[2] Their single "Do or Die + In America" was broadcast on French Canadian stations and the music video played on MusiquePlus .
They released their first mixtape in April 2012 titled Collation Vol. 1 followed by the album Montréal $ud (digital and vinyl format) in 2013.
In 2014, one year after the release of Montréal $ud, Dead Obies released the album in CD format and a book.[5] In 2018, they received a Prix Iris nomination for Best Original Music for their work in the film Family First (Chien de garde).[6]
In the spring of 2018, Yes McCan, one of the founding members of Dead Obies, left to pursue other projects.[7] [8] The third album was launched without his contribution.[9]
The musical style of Dead Obies is often considered to be a blend of Québécois hip-hop and "post-rap". The group raps in both French and English (often referred to as franglais, and often switches languages in the middle of a sentence. This code-switching between the two languages is representative of the Montreal culture more broadly.[10]