I'll be honest...I have heard of SonReal on different occasions, but for whatever unfortunate reason he has gone under my radar. From the looks and sounds of things, this Vancouver native has been working hard over the past couple of years and it just keeps getting better. SonReal has released his new project One Long Day. A free mixtape, yes that's right, you don't have to illegally download it. Tracks feature the likes of Shad and Kardinall Offishall, as well as productions from Arthur McArthur and Rich Kidd to name a few. I didn't even finish the first track before deciding that the mixtape is worth the time and praise. There is no doubt it will be a success. All of this and the fact it sounds like an album is why you should appreciate it even more. Respect to those who support hip hop, Canadian hip hop and independent record labels. Check out and download SonReal - One Long Day(Mixtape) For more artist info and music downloads visit here Side Note: I'm hoping to make the Buffalo, NY show. Anyone else planning on going to a show?
I first heard local rapper Marcel “Moofeek” Dudi back in
2006. I was immediately impressed with the speed and creativity of his rhymes
and was even happier to find out he was from St. Catharines. He has since created a name for himself as a valued artist in the city with many
supporters. Now, with many years of experience and several mixtapes under his
belt, Moofeek is at it again.
Psy Fly Records presents Moofeek “Max Out” EP
available for download November 26. The new EP features original music from Psy Fly producers Deek, Blue Ribbon, BWAER (pairOnormals), and Mr. Cook. Max Out is a fresh take on hip-hop that
incorporates modern sounds and techniques. The beats, giving off a
sci-fi/futuresque vibe, work together to produce an out of this world sound
(literally and metaphorically). No two beats are the same and there is this
anticipation to hear how each track changes. Moofeek delivers clever
lines with his own distinctive flow. Check out 'Nasty' off the upcoming EP 'Max Out.'
Just this summer Moofeek released “Big Fish” which was a big
success. The mixtape featured local artists, including Sese and many tracks produced
by Deek. The mixtape was featured on HipHopCanada.com and can be streamed here.
Moofeek doesn’t
waste time when it comes to working hard in the studio and creating buzz worthy
music. I think someone with so much dedication and passion deserves to be
recognized. If you like what you hear come out to the release party on November
26 in downtown St. Catharines or download the new EP. Keep your ears open...
This year, one of the biggest and most important music festivals, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, is held in Indio, California at the Empire Polo Club. Acts include popular artists, as well as up-and-coming ones and attracts about 75, 000 concert goers. The festival ended its first weekend last night (April 13-15) and still has another set list of performers for next weekend (April 20-22).
Sunday nights line up included performances and collaborations from some of the greatest rappers in the hip hop scene right now (Snoop, Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz, Kendrick Lamar)...and even in the past. Let me start by saying that I watched the video of the set list and every minute was amazing and had me wishing that I was there. I have decided that 'attend Coachella next year' or as soon as possible, is officially on my bucket list and it should be on yours. Dr. Dre, looking better than ever and Snoop D-O-Double G owned the show playing all of their classics. They even took the audience all the way back to when they first started together 20 years ago with 'Deep Cover.'
The biggest highlight of the night is the hologram technology that allowed the rappers to perform with resurrected West Coast homie Tupac Shakur for 'Hail Mary' and '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.' I have to admit seeing him rise onto the stage in the video gave me the chills and hearing him speak to the crowd and rap just like he was there is unbelievable. It must have been a weird, but awesome feeling for Snoop and Dre to perform in front of thousands with their boy again. There is now a twitter dedicated to the hologram, @HologramTupac if you want to follow. Honestly, if that could be done at concerts, to experience artists that you would never have a chance to see live, I would enjoy it. Maybe digital superstars will be the new thing? Music festivals and tours are what keeps the industry alive and Coachella is going strong.
I apologize for not posting in the past couple of weeks. My school year came to an end on Thursday, so I was focused on that and now I will do my best to keep up with the weekly posts. So continuing on...
Similar to the scene in
Canada, hip hop in Australia began in the early 1980s and has only really began
to build in the past couple of years. Other than listening to it on the
internet, Australian hip hop is not something you hear on our local radio
stations. So why not give you a chance to hear some hip hop from somewhere
other than North America.
The first hip hop group
I’ve ever heard from Australia was Hilltop Hoods. I also realized the other day
that I just missed their show in Toronto Mar. 22, boo. They are from Adelaide, South Australia
and formed in 1991. Their latest
album, Drinking from the Sun, was
released on March 9.
Listen to Hilltop Hoods - I love it feat. Sia off Drinking from the Sun album.
I found a great article
highlighting another one of Australia’s top hip hop groups right now and the difference
between their style and North American hip hop - Bliss and Eso. They're also the first Australian hip hop act to tour the U.S. Read the article about Bliss and Eso here. Bliss and Eso stated, "We've found real
differences when we have toured in North America." "We've
found that turntableism and beat boxing is very rare over here, so the crowds
always seem to love it when we pull it out in the shows," said Bliss and Eso. (Music video included
in article.) Bliss n Eso played on Wed. March 28 alongside Big
B in Whistler.
Listen to Bliss and Eso - Coastal Kids from Running on Air album.
I enjoy listening to both groups and find some similarities in the music to North American hip hop. However, they bring their own sound and lyrics that are different and I appreciate that. Also, it seems like seeing/hearing one of their live shows would be a great experience.
At the top of my
list of Canadian Hip Hop artists is Shad. Shad is a little different from some
of the other artists I have posted and I think that everyone can appreciate his
music. I hope there are some of you who have heard of him and take pleasure in
such a great artist. If this is your first time you have even heard his name or
music, I believe you will enjoy it and may even find yourself continuing to
listen to him.
Shad or Shad K,
born Shadrach Kabang,
is a Canadian hip hop artist. He was born in Kenya and was raised in London,
Ontario. Shad’s music has been described as an ‘old soul.’ His sound resembles
that of some of the old school hip hop artists. He has stated that he grew up
listening to artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and Maestro and are influences on his style of music. He is a
lyrical genius. It is true that his music is thoughtful and reflective. Real
meaning and soul are put into all of his lyrics and sound. Interesting facts: he never uses the F-word in any of his songs and has a Master's degree in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University.
To learn a little bit more
about Shad watch here. This is a great interview of him at the CBC Hip Hop Summit in 2011.
Shad’s last album, TSOL, was released in 2010. You can find more of his music on his Myspace. The latest music from Shad can be heard on his Mixtape released in December 2011. Listen to it here.
He is on tour right now in Canada and will be coming to Toronto on March 22.
One of my favourite Shad song's 'Keep Shining.'
The day I
discovered he collaborated with another one of my favourite Canadian artists,
City and Colour (Dalls Green) was a great day. 'Live Forever' is always on repeat. The mixture between the two genres creates a perfect song. Listen to 'Live Forever' below. I'm hoping there is more of this to come.
A group that has
toured with Shad and other groups such as Bedouin Soundclash is Grand Analog.
They perform all of their instruments live, even the kazoo!
All of their songs are great…they even have one featuring Shad. Listen to 'Electric City' below.
In this post you will notice that I am sticking to my roots.
I want to strictly focus on some of the top Canadian emcees, in my opinion,
that are out there today. Note:
this is just the beginning and not an exhaustive list, I will post more.
Being
Canadian, I believe there are so many hip-hop artists that are under-rated. It
is only in the past decade or so that Canadian hip-hop has entered mainstream
culture and artists are creating a name for themselves. Like most Canadian
entertainment, we have the talent, but it takes time for it to be recognized or
only fellow Canadians really appreciate it. Canadian hip-hop began in the 1980s and didn’t really take
off until the 90s with this hit:
Northern Touch - Racalz feat. Kardinal Offishal, Choclair, CheckMate and Thrust
This song is a pure classic Canadian hip-hop hit and if you grew up
in the 90s you will most likely remember it and agree.
Hip hop in Canada has continued to grow and leave an imprint
like the ‘Northern Touch.’ I thought it was best to fill you readers in on some
exciting things that are happening with Canadian hip hop recently.
Classified
Classified (Luke Boyd), from Novia Scotia, first began
getting notice in the North, but now has a strong presence all over Canada and
the States. Also, he has started his own record label Half Life Records. On Feb. 26
Classified went to twitter and announced a video release for “The Hangover”
featuring Kayo and Jim Cuddy (from Canadian band Blue Rodeo). The song is from
his 14th album Handshakes and Middle Fingers, but is his second
major studio album. I’m sure after all of his success in 2011 and after is
tour, Class will be in the works of more great music.
Also, check out “Maybe it’s just me” featuring Brother Ali
for a song/video with a real Canadian sound and scene.
Classified is on a Canadian tour right now and will be in
Toronto on March 13 at the Air Canada Centre. I have seen him perform live and
every song has great energy and he really knows how to get the crowd going. If
you have a chance, don’t miss out!
K'naan
K’naan was born in Somalia and moved to Toronto when he was 13. He is recognized for his global anthem 'Waving Flag' that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. K’naan’s music has deep cultural meaning that reflects many of his experiences and he has been compared to artists such as Bob Marley.
K’naan and Nelly Furtado have teamed up together to give us
“Is there anybody out there?”
They performed on David Letterman on Feb. 23. K’naan released an EP (Extended Play) featuring this song on January 31.
For this weeks blog post I
would like to focus on a different element of hip hop culture most people know
as breakdancing, but is referred to as b-boying and the dancers are b-boys and
b-girls. There are a lot of comments on the use of the word breakdancing in the
hip-hop community. Many b-boys/b-girls reject the term ‘breakdancing’ as a term
made up by the media that symbolizes the 'co-optation of the art form.' In other
words, a word used to incorporate breakers and the culture into mainstream
culture. This type of dance originated in New York City in the 1970s by street
dancers. It wasn’t until the late 1990s b-boying and the culture around it
became popular. Today, b-boying has a come a long way and there are b-boys
and girls, as well as crews from all over the world. B-boying has made its way into mainstream culture, while also still maintaining a sense of underground credibility.
The one thing I love about watching b-boys/b-girls and
battles is everyone has their own individual style and it varies depending
on where the dancer is from and their influences. B-boying is easy to
recognize, since there are four primary elements (toprock, downrock, power
moves, freezes), but dancers combine the moves in different ways and add their
own style to them. Most of the dance and battles are freestyled and change with the music/beat. Click here to learn more about b-boying.
B-boying has become a popular street dance style and part of hip-hop culture in many countries. Several international b-boy competitions are held each year and I would like to highlight a few of them. There are so many I cannot go into detail and I don’t expect you to read about each one, but I just want to give you an idea of the culture.
Battle of the Year Battle of the Year is an annual international b-boying non-profit event that began 20 years ago in Germany, but is now focused in France. It is a platform for B-Boys and Hip Hop culture in general and an opportunity for all participants to express themselves in a peaceful and non-racist environment. Crews (as opposed to individuals) compete from all over the world.
The Notorious IBE 2011 Every year the IBE is held in the Netherlands and invites worldwide renowneddancers(bboys & bgirls, lockers, poppers, house dancers),DJ's,photographers,video editorsandspecial guests. Theprogram includes battles, workshops, talkshows, danceshows, exhibitions and music performances.
South Korea is home to the international breaking competition R16 which is sponsored by the government and began in 2007. The main event features sixteen B-Boy crews representing fifteen countries competing in a two day tournament for world championship titles in two categories: best crew performance and best crew battle. The festival features graffiti artists, street wear designers, musical performers and dancers who specialize in hip-hop, popping, locking and other urban arts subcultures from South Korea and other countries.
Red Bull BC One Sixteen of the world's best B-Boys meet to compete and to determine in a 1-on-1 knock-out-battle who is “The One.”
"Our aim is to inspire both newbies and professionals of the break dance scene, and to provide a forum for networking and exchanging of ideas and experiences."
As you can see by the number of
competitions, b-boying has become a popular way to unite different countries
and share a common form of expression. After searching all of these
international b-boy competitions, I am now making it one of my goals in the
near future to travel to one of these countries and witness a battle in person
with a live crowd. Watching a video is just not as good. However, all of the
links will bring you to more information on each one and more b-boying videos. Sick bboy photos. Enjoy!
In June 2007 I had the opportunity to travel to New York City, one of my
top picks for places to see. I was dancing at Fascination Dance Studio in
Thorold, ON at the time and my competitive ballet team had qualified to compete
at the World Dance Championships. Before leaving for my trip I thought, 'Hey,
NYC is home to hip hop.' It was after googling something along the lines of
'graffiti places in NYC' I came across a legal outdoor gallery called 5 Pointz.
I somehow convinced my friends and my mom to take the NYC subway and travel to
the Queens neighbourhood of Long Island City (not having any real clue of how
to get there), but as you can see by the pictures we made it.
5 Pointz - NYC
5 Pointz is a full city block, 200, 000 square foot
factory building that is 5 stories high and is covered in graffiti. The name
signifies the five boroughs (townships) of New York City coming together as
one. The place is legal and artists who are interested in having their work on
the building have to be reviewed and granted permission by the gallery curator
Meres One. Jonathan Cohen, "Meres One," is a graffiti veteran and the
founder of 5 Pointz. His main goal is to convert the building into a graffiti
art museum as long as redevelopment does not happen. Artists from all over
the world (well known and novice) have traveled to paint at 5 Pointz and add to
the colourful walls. The building is free to the public and anyone can go walk
around it. It has become a hangout for local residents and has become a place
of hip hop. Graffiti artists, rappers, DJs and B-Boys often gather on site.
Several known graffiti writers such as Stay High 149 and Tats Cru, as well as Hip Hop stars Kurtis Blow and Mobb Deephave visited the warehouse.
Pictures I took at 5 Pointz (2007):
If you ever plan on traveling to New York City I highly recommend visiting 5 Pointz. Even if you are not an artist or have no interest in graffiti, you will be amazed by the building and the work that exists on these walls.
For
this blog post I want to continue with my focus on the local hip hop scene in Niagara,
specifically graffiti. First, I am going to make it clear what I mean by
graffiti, since it is a term that gets tossed around a lot.
While searching for definitions I
found these from the Oxford Dictionary:
Art: the use of the imagination to express ideas or feelings,
particularly in paint and drawing
Graffiti: drawings or writing on
a wall etc., in a public space
Vandalism: the crime of destroying or damaging something, especially public property, deliberately and for no good reason
I realize that people have their own opinions on art
and whether they consider graffiti to be an art form. I believe that there is
bad graffiti, which is vandalism, when people purposely destroy or tag
property. But I am talking about the artistic side of graffiti, artists with a
real talent and who give meaning to their work. One of the main reasons is the prospect of fame and recognition of one's artistic talent.Artists also use the walls as a form of self-expression. Vandalism is illegal, but street art should not be.
I have lived in St. Catharines my entire life (that
would be 22 years) and it wasn’t that long ago I realized the art that
exists on the street walls, under bridges and highways in the city. There is a legal wall in downtown St. Catharines,
located in the alley way beside L3 Nightclub on James St. Artists have
permission at certain times of the year to paint on these walls.
2010 Live Aids Niagara Graf Jam (Legal Wall, St. Catharines)
Graffiti can be in the form of murals or productions, when many artists come together to paint a similar theme. It’s
unfortunate that there are not very many legal walls in the area for artists to
express themselves and showcase their work. Instead, if you want to see real
artwork it is at places like the thoth and trussle, located under highways and
bridges, not visible or known to most city residents.
In my PR program, whenever we talk about the media and what they are
doing to satisfy their audiences, local content is always one of the main
points. So, for my first post I thought it would be best to start off with hip
hop from the place I have grown up. The Niagara region, specifically St.
Catharines, has its own hip hop movement that many might not be aware of. The
thing I love most about the hip hop here is there are so many different styles
and not everyone is the same. I want to give you readers a taste of some of the
talent that exists in my city. I can’t post everyone, but I want to give a
shout out to all 905 artists and thank them for keeping hip hop alive in our
city.
Hip Hop/R&B artist Zay:
Zay has already put so much work into where he
is today and this is just the beginning of what is to come. He has the
confidence, determination and sound that will make him successful. The 4D Music
group, includes Junior Endless and Zay, and has worked with Canadian artists
including Rich Kidd, JRDN, Arthur McArthur and Belly. Zay has performed at many venues in Niagara and Toronto, as well as opened for artists, such as Redman.
Endless Records artist Zay, also known as Zak Ali, recently released his
first music video shot in Toronto. It is a story about an artist who is building his career and a strong relationship deteriorating as a result. The song was produced by Arthur McArthur (Toronto's rising production star) and the video was directed by Chris Strikes. Watch the video for 'Don't Say It's Over' here:
You will hear this on the radio soon, just wait! and it's available on iTunes.
"I feel the viewer might appreciate it more because it has a story line and a decent amount of dialogue to draw them in emotionally." - Zay
Video release party Wed. Feb 8th at Sutra on St. Paul St., St.
Catharines 10:00 p.m.
Hey everyone and welcome to my blog. Hip Hop, as most of you know, is very popular in Canada and the United States. Everyone at some point has been a part of its culture, whether you have heard a song, seen someone dancing or emceeing and have walked by a piece of art.
It was in high school I began having a real appreciation for music and discovering
my taste, especially hip hop and its culture. Since I started university it has
been my goal to work in the entertainment industry. I have decided to focus on
this goal and combine it with my love for hip-hop, but all things hip-hop
(music, break-dancing, graffiti, emcee’s) both underground and mainstream.
I want to open your eyes to something you may not have much care for or
reintroduce you to something you may have forgotten about and better yet help
expand a love you may already have. There are several blogs out there strictly
about hip-hop, but I hope mine brings you recent news and info about today’s
hip hop, while never forgetting the influences of old school hip hop. I will be
posting videos, photos, music and information related to hip hop not only from
North America, but also other countries. I am not an expert, I don’t make beats
and I can’t bust a good rhyme, but I have a passion for real music and lyrics,
art and dancing that I want to share. So don’t be afraid to leave your
comments, ask me questions or add to my discussion. Peace, love and hip hop.
"I start thinking, how many souls hip-hop has affected
How many dead folks this art resurrected
How many nations this culture connected." - Common, The 6th Sense
