Hailing from the southern suburbs of Montreal, Quebec, Dead Obies are an experimental hip-hop outfit that formed in 2011. The group's original lineup featured the Quebec-based producer VNCE CARTER as well as five rappers: Yes McCan, Jo RCA, Snail Kid, 20SOME, and O.G. Bear. Rapping in a mix of French and English, the group debuted with a mixtape, Collation Vol. 1, in 2012. One year later, Dead Obies participated in the local competition Francouvertes de Montréal and finished in third place, which helped the musicians earn a record contact from the Canadian label Bonsound. Montréal $ud, the group's debut album, was released later that year, along with singles like "Tony Hawk" and the album's title track. A second mixtape, Collation Vol. 2 – Limon Verde: La experiencia, followed in 2014, and a second full-length album, Gesamtkunstwerk, appeared in 2016. Starting with the 2017 EP Air Max, Dead Obies began adding elements of electro-pop to their music. Bandmate Yes McCan left the group's roster in 2018 in order to continue focusing on his solo project, whose material was similarly electro-influenced. Now featuring a slimmed-down roster of five musicians, Dead Obies contributed the film score to 2018's Family First, earning a Prix Iris nomination for "Best Original Music." A third album, DEAD., was released in 2019, and Dead Obies continued to enjoy popularity during the subsequent years in Canada, where Montréal $ud reached gold status in early 2023.
