Def Jux recording artist Tero "Camu Tao" Smith lost his two year battle with lung cancer this past Sunday at the age of 30. From labelmate and collaborator El-P’s blog:

TODAY, around 2pm, our dear friend, family member and musical collaborator Tero "CAMU TAO" Smith passed away in his home town of Columbus, Ohio. Tero had been quietly fighting for his life for the last year and a half after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

To those who knew Tero, he was an almost uncategorizable force of nature. Wild, hilarious, proud, loving, tough, outspoken, spontaneous and brilliant. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he dripped creativity, leaving inspiration and awe in the hearts and minds of anyone who was fortunate enough to see him work.

We, his friends and family, have truly had our collective hearts broken by his passing. Not only because of the loss of our friend, but because of the loss of his contribution to those who never knew what we knew about his talent and his potential. He was the secret that no one wanted to keep and we always knew that one day his vision and his heart could change music forever the way he changed all of our lives.

His departure from us all 1 month away from his 31st birthday is nothing less than a tragedy… nothing less than a crime. he was a gift to us all and he is irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Mu. We will love you forever. May god bless you and your family.

R.I.P.
Tero "CAMU TAO" Smith
born 6/26/77, passed 5/25/08
wm/cc

sincerely,
jaime "el-p" meline (on behalf of many, many wonderful and broken hearted friends)

Fresh from tearing it up at SXSW, Dizzee Rascal will head on the road with El-P for a string of major city dates in the US (and one stop in Canada). Dizzee Rascal’s new album, Maths + English is due out April 24th on Def Jux.

May 8 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
May 9 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
May 10 New York, NY - Webster Hall
May 11 Boston, MA - Middle East
May 12 Ottawa, Ontario - New Capital Music Hall

May 14 Detroit, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
May 15 Chicago, IL - The Abbey
May 16 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Club
May 19 Seattle, WA - Neumos
May 20 Portland, OR - Berbati’s Pan

May 21 San Francisco, CA - 1015
May 22 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey

1. Outdated Memes

2. Shameless Linkz

3. YouTube

4. Late Breaking News

Oh Damn. Get your tivo/dvr/betamax: El-P and Aesop Rock (click here to check out “None Shall Pass” )will team up for a live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday, August 10th [ABC weeknights, 12:05 AM / 11:05 PM CST].

And since Aesop is dropping his new record on 8/28 he’s hitting the road - here are the date:
Aesop Rock Tour Dates

07-28 Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
09-06 Portland, OR - MusicFest NW

W/ Cage, Rob Sonic, Blockhead, DJ Big Wiz, DJ Signify:
09-08 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
09-09 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
09-10 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-11 Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theatre

W/ the Octopus Project, Rob Sonic, Blockhead, DJ Big Wiz, DJ Signify:
09-13 Chicago, IL - Metro
09-14 Madison, WI - Barrymore
09-15 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
09-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09-18 Detroit, MI - TBA
09-19 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
09-21 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
09-22 Providence, RI - Living Room
09-23 Boston, MA - Middle East
09-25 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
09-26 Burlington, MA - Higher Ground

W/ Rob Sonic, Blockhead, DJ Big Wiz, DJ Signify, Black Moth Super Rainbow:
10-10 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
10-12 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
10-13 Phoenix, AZ - Clubhouse
10-15 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
10-16 Durango, CO - Abbey Theatre
10-18 Denver, CO - Cervantes
10-19 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
10-20 Ft. Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre
10-22 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
10-25 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
10-26 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
10-27 Bellingham, WA - Nightlight
10-28 Seattle, WA - Showbox
10-30 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
11-07 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
11-09 Orlando, FL - Club Firestone
11-10 Miami, FL - Studio A
11-12 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
11-13 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
11-15 Dallas, TX - The Loft
11-16 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
11-17 Austin, TX - Emo’s
11-19 Nashville, TN - Exit In
11-20 Atlanta, GA - TBA

The video for El-P’s second single “Flyentology” off his soon to be released I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is everything you would expect from the collision of his chaotic paranoid sound with the animated genius that is William Streets studio (creators of pretty much everything good on Adult Swim). It’s funny how a video that connects the music and visuals is a seemingly rare treat, but both parties have succeeded with this one. Artistically every angle is covered with innovative illustration and design, and you know how El does it with the music so you know it’s nothing cute or sweet. And if you didn’t think it could get any better “Flyentology” is also a collaboration with El and Trent Reznor.

Watch the video here.Â

And be sure to check out the two part interview with El-P about the remixes he’s done over the years including NIN, The Mars Volta, Beck and more at SynthesisRadio.net