As college roommates, Quarterbar and Eric Steuer started making lo-fi rap songs on a barely-working 4-track, then recruited friends to create the Santa Barbara hip-hop ... (more) crew mic.edu. The duo formed Meanest Man Contest after a move upstate to Oakland, where they spent their free time digging through filthy stacks of flea market records looking for samples and inspiration. From this effort came a series of short tracks that would form MMC's collage-like first single, "Contaminated Dance Step."

Meanest Man Contest's music has evolved around a constantly expanding set of influences. MMC's first LP, "Merit," pushed their sound into

thoughtful, atmospheric places with jazz samples and live guitar. More recently, the duo has stretched the boundaries of its roots with

releases like the off-kilter pop EP "Some People," the electro-tinged single "Throwing Away Broken Electronics," and the hip-hop LP "Split."

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