Micranots

Initially comprising two MCs plus a producer and DJ, the Micranots had already slimmed to rapper I Self Devine and DJ Kool Akiem when their cassette-only debut Return of the Travellahs surfaced in 1996. Kool Akiem placed a copy with Company Flow’s Bigg Jus, whose enthusiasm led him to sign the pair to 321 Records. That imprint shuttered before any Micranots material could appear, yet Jus soon launched Sub Verse Records and secured an official license for the duo’s 2000 album Obelisk Movements. Although relations with the new label remained cordial, the artists sought a fresh home at Rhymesayers, where prior ties existed: the Micranots had first assembled in Minneapolis before relocating to Atlanta, and I Self Devine had previously joined Musab, Slug, and Mr. Gene Poole in Dynospectrum. Rhymesayers reissued Return of the Travellahs in 2003. The following year the group issued its last project, The Emperor and the Assassin, in limited numbers before disbanding, as I Self Devine chose to focus on solo work. He delivered Self Destruction in 2005, while Kool Akiem later served as DJ for MF Doom and pursued additional projects.