Mood Ruff

Mood Ruff was a conscious hip-hop group hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The group consisted of Odario, Spitz, Breakz, and ICQRI. Their final album I Do My Own Stunts, was released in 2005, contained their first hit, "Rocketship". Odario and Spitz, met at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg. In the early 1990s the two members started recording their first demos on a karaoke machine in Spitz’s basement. They first started playing their music live in 1994, in small clubs around Toronto. “We were playing at this club called the 360 in Toronto and there were all of nine people there, five of which were from Winnipeg" says Odario about one of their very first live shows. They also toured with punk and funk bands. Their first hit was a single called "No Hooks" which received heavy rotation on Canada's Much Music video station and gained them national awareness. Their first album, Night.Live.Types, was released in 1999. The album was followed closely by their sophomore release, Politic Different. Both albums received positive reviews and did reasonably well in regards to album sales. Their third album, Antarctica (Cold, Cold World), was released in 2002. This album featured ICQRI, the group's first DJ and the newest member of Mood Ruff. The album again received positive reviews, but was unable to achieve any large commercial success. Their fourth and latest album, I Do My Own Stunts, was released in 2005. For this album, Mood Ruff introduced yet another new member, Breakz. I Do My Own Stunts continued the streak of critically acclaimed albums, and it also contained their first commercially successful single, "Rocketship". The group broke up following I Do My Own Stunts, while Odario is currently recording with Grand Analog.