The Chicharones

Comprising the rap duo Chicharones are Halifax-born Vancouver-based rapper Josh Martinez alongside Seattleite Sleep—originally from New Mexico and affiliated with the collective Oldominion. The pair first crossed paths during a single year at SXSW in Austin, TX, prompting them to form the group and draw its name from the popular Mexican fried pork skin snack. Their initial EP, Boss Hogs, appeared in 2003 via Martinez's Camo Bear Records; the release highlighted their fusion of sung harmonies with rapid, melodic rapping and drew notice across North America and Great Britain, securing the duo a distribution arrangement through Bella Union/V2. In 2005 the Chicharones issued their follow-up EP, Pork Rind Music, and later that same year delivered their first full-length album, When Pigs Fly.