Artfull Dodgers

Flint, Michigan-based indie rappers B-Gozza (Brady Gasser) and Jackpot (Rex Demski) established the Artfull Dodgers in 1996, drawing the group name from an Oliver Twist character, after their earlier collective Juggernaut disbanded and they sought to keep creating music. Their initial release, the Dusted World EP, appeared the next year on Midwestern Union Records, followed by the full-length debut Lazy Eyes in 1999. Local press acclaim and the underground single “One Mic Then Pass” supplied touring momentum across the Midwest for the duo—Gozza also handling production duties—where they shared bills with the Wu-Tang Clan, Too Short, and Eminem. In 2001 the lineup expanded to a trio when DJ Sir Real (Jake Greba), formerly associated with Detroit’s Howling Diablos, joined as the third official member. The group issued Second Wind the following year, featuring beats from His-Panik of Chicago’s Molemen and the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Lab Teknicians along with guest spots from J.U.I.C.E. and Killah Priest; the project drew expanded media attention, additional honors, and the Album of the Year award at Detroitrap.com’s Hip-Hop Awards. After exposing punk audiences on the 2004 Vans Warped Tour to their subsonic boom-bap sound, DJ Sir Real left in 2006 to pursue solo work and was succeeded by DJ Zack Daniels. The Artfull Dodgers delivered their third album, Off the Credenza, in 2007.