ArtistInfo

Molemen

Band, *1997 US
Hip-Hop/Rap

Molemen is a trio of Hip Hop producers from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of Panik (also known as His-Panik), Memo (short for Memoriza) and PNS. The trio runs Molemen Records, which features a stable of affiliated artists. Well-respected in Chicago's Hip Hop scene, the Molemen have collaborated with numerous Chicago rappers, as well as artists from the East and West Coast. The Molemen debuted in 1997 with an EP titled Below the Ground, which featured the underground hit "Freestyle or Written" by Juice, as well as early appearances by Vakill and All Natural. They returned in 1998 with another EP, titled Buried Alive. The EP featured one of the earliest appearances from future Chicago favorite Rhymefest, along with another underground hit, "Vocabulary Spill", by Mass Hysteria. Both EP's were later re-released together on a compilation titled BelowtheGround.BuriedAlive. In 2001, the Molemen released a pair of compilations, Chicago City Limits, Vol. 1 and Ritual of the Molemen. The former exclusively featured Chicago artists, while the latter featured a diverse roster of guest emcees, including C-Rayz Walz, Slug (of Atmosphere), Rasco (of Cali Agents), Aesop Rock and MF DOOM . The Ritual went on to sell 15,000 + units. The popular “Put Your Quarter Up” 12”single from The Ritual sold 8,000 + units. The album was remastered for a re-released version in 2004, titled Ritual of the Molemen: Revisited and Remastered. The Molemen released Vakills long-awaited debut album, The Darkest Cloud, in 2003. The album was produced by Molemen members Panik and Memo, DJ Contakt and Mixx Massacre, and featured the single "End of Days". The album's sharp lyrics and dark production made it a hit and gave the rapper the most exposure of his career. The rapper returned three years later with his sophomore album, Worst Fears Confirmed, released in early 2006. The album featured production from the Molemen, as well as appearances from acclaimed lyricists Ras Kass and Royce Da 5'9". Reception for the album was overwhelmingly positive, with All Music Guide and Prefix Magazine both giving the album a 4 1/2 star rating. The album gave the rapper wider media exposure, leading to features in Source Mag., XXL Magazine and on AllHipHop.com. Vakill was also featured in the Fat Tape section of the November 2006 issue of The Source Magazine, and in its Off The Radar section in the July issue. Vakill is currently recording material for his third studio album, tentatively titled The Armor of God. In 2005, the group released another compilation album titled Lost Sessions, which featured a variety of tracks by outside artists produced by the group. 2006 saw three more Molemen releases, with Vakill - Worst Fears Confirmed released in January. Chicago City Limits, Vol. 2 coming in May. A full-length album titled The Killing Fields was released on November 14, 2006. The album featured appearances from Chicago locals including Vakill, Mass Hysteria, Rhymefest, Mike Treese, and Juice, as well as Cormega, Brother Ali, Kool G Rap, Grafh, Felt, Saigon, Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien, Virtuoso and Mikah 9. The Molemen received album reviews in every major magazine last year for Vakill - "Worst Fears Confirmed" & "Killing Fields" without the help of major backing or support. The future has gone from looking bright to even brighter as they have added new MCs to the roster. These 3 MCs have already collaborated on a mixtape, "The Biz" to give the streets a taste, before they drop their solos. Scheme has been in the Molemen training camp for the past few years, and recently released his underground album, "For My People." 2007 brought in 2 more MCs discovered by the Molemen through crew affiliations. Decay (Green Llamas) follows the path of traditional boom bap to help lead his own version of straight up hip hop. Astonish (RNA) has a very distinct, energetic flow that will gain him noteriety pretty fast. All of them will have their albums tailor made by Molemen production to fit their styles.

Members

	PNS
	Verbal Kent voc US
	Longshot voc
	Rhyme Scheme
	Edward Zamudio
	Marcellous Lovelace voc
	Korey Mitchell
	A. Espinosa
	J. Cervantes
	Andre Vasquez
	Daryl James Stewart