Hip Hop Isn't Dead...it lives in Canada

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 14^th 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.

Watch the new video here :

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.

Watch the live performance here:

To be continued...