Ces Cru

Ces Cru (often stylized as CES Cru) was an American hip-hop group from Kansas City, Missouri, signed to independent record label Strange Music. The duo composed of members Donnie "Godemis" King and Mike "Ubiquitous" Viglione, but has had numerous members throughout the years. Ces Cru released their debut album Capture Enemy Soldiers in 2004. They went on to release Cesphiles, Vol. 1 Codename:irongiant (2008) and The Playground (2009). In 2010, the duo signed to Tech N9ne's record label Strange Music and have released the EP 13 (2012) and Recession Proof (2015). Their first two studio albums on the label are Constant Energy Struggles (2013), and Codename: Ego Stripper (2014). The final release from Ces Cru is their sixth and final studio album Catastrophic Event Specialists, released in February 2017. In 2021, both artists have since departed from the label.

Ces Cru originated in Kansas City with four members: Godemis, General Ali, Perseph One, and Sorceress. "Ces" originated as an acronym for "Conglomerate Elements of Self-consciousness", but the group came to use "Ces" as a backronym for a variety of other phrases throughout its existence. Around 2000, Godemis and Ubiquitous were introduced to each other, and Ubiquitous was brought into Ces Cru at Godemis' recommendation. In 2004, the group released its debut album, Capture Enemy Soldiers. Ces Cru's membership continued to fluctuate over the coming years; after Perseph One and Sorceress moved to Houston and General Ali was incarcerated, Godemis and Ubiquitous were its only remaining members, and they continued the group as a duo. The first Ces Cru release as a duo was the 2009 album The Playground.

Tech N9ne discovered Ces Cru when they were opening for Devin the Dude at a Kansas City show. Tech signed them to Strange Music in January 2012, and eight months later they released their Strange Music debut, the 13 EP on August 28, 2012. On March 26, 2013, the duo released their fourth album Constant Energy Struggles. The album debuted at number 98 on the Billboard 200. On August 5, 2014, they released their fifth album Codename: Ego Stripper, which debuted at number 40 on the Billboard 200.