EARTHGANG

EARTHGANG rap from the heart every time their members step up to the mic. A duo of musical misfits, the group formed in 2008 when Olu “Johnny Venus” Fann and Eian “Doctur Dot” Parker met in school in Atlanta. Avid fans of diverse artists—the Ohio Players, Madonna and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few—Venus and Dot were influenced most of all by their local heroes, Outkast, drawing liberally from the innovators’ eclectic, resonant approach to hip-hop. EARTHGANG released their first mixtape, The Better Party, in 2010, a densely produced project that focused on the youthful, party-friendly side of the university experience. Shortly after, Venus and Dot co-founded a loose collective of Atlanta creatives called Spillage Village, which allowed them to drop a series of mixtapes and albums independently during the mid-2010s. EARTHGANG signed a deal with J. Cole’s Dreamville label in 2017 and released the thematically connected, regionally concentrated EPs Rags and Robots that year. In 2019, the group released their proper full-length debut, Mirrorland, an introspective rollercoaster in audio form, led by the Young Thug-assisted confidence builder “Proud of U”. EARTHGANG reconnected with the members of Spillage Village in 2020 for the release of Spilligion, a concept album based on contemporary musical worship from various, individualised perspectives. Through both collaborative and hyper-focused works, EARTHGANG continually showcase a dedication to the art of storytelling.