The Cold Vein is the debut album of Harlem rap duo Cannibal Ox, released on May 15th 2001. It was the first project released on the Definitive Jux label, owned by El-P, who also produced the album in its entirety. It was supported by only one single, “Vein”, with “A B-Boy’s Alpha” as its b-side. In a 2003 interview with Stylus Magazine, Vast Aire explained the album’s title: The Cold Vein is a metaphor that we came up with for adversity. Whenever shit gets real dark… when Luke lost his arm and he was hanging on to that little thing… he was in the Cold Vein there. When the light bill is due and Christmas is due too, that’s the Cold Vein. Anything that’s an obstacle or a problem, especially survival, that’s the Cold Vein. Since its release, The Cold Vein has been considered one of the greatest independent hip hop albums of all time. HipHopDX gave it a 5/5 rating, while Pitchfork writer Christopher Dare rated it 8.3, comparing the work to the likes of the Wu-Tang Clan. While the album was bested by Madvillainy in a 2016 Ambrosia For Heads poll, a 2012 Billboard interview with Ox reinforced the album’s retrospective acclaim and its influence on contemporary artists.