Ubi

Ubi, also known as Ubiquitous, forms one half of Ces Cru, the Strange Music outfit that shifted from a larger collective into a duo while he continued issuing solo work at irregular intervals. Seven years after launching his recording career with the mixtape Matter Don't Money, the incisive MC issued the three-part EP series Under Bad Influence between 2018 and 2019; those installments were later assembled and augmented into his debut proper album.

Arvada, Colorado native Mike “Ubi” Viglione first linked with partner Godemis to establish Ces Cru, the Kansas City, Missouri act whose initial release, Capture Enemy Soldiers, appeared in 2004. Following additional group projects and a pair of 2012 solo mixtapes—the Ubi entry being Matter Don't Money—the pair joined the core roster of Tech N9ne’s Strange Music imprint and reached the Billboard 200 on four occasions through 2017. While touring in support of their fourth charting effort, Catastrophic Event Specialists, Godemis departed without warning, forcing Ubi to pivot immediately to solo performances. With Ces Cru on indefinite hold, he secured a solo contract with Strange Music and prepared the three-volume Under Bad Influence EP sequence. Its opening installment surfaced in 2018; after two further chapters, one containing a guest verse from Godemis, the full set was expanded into a complete album bearing the same name. That August the project debuted at number 32 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.