K'naan relayed his frustration with the national hip hop scene in an August 13 interview with the Canadian Press. The Somali-born, Toronto-based rapper was asked to reflect on his second Polaris Music Prize nomination, and in particular on the fact that he is one of only three rappers to ever make the prestigious shortlist. (The other two are Edmonton's poet laureate Cadence Weapon in 2006; and London’s hometown hero Shad in 2008.) Needless to say, K'naan seems to be trying to give his compatriots a not-so-subtle kick in the ass:So we have to be kind of honest ... I know that there's a k-os album out, I know that there's a Classified album out, you know what I mean, but all the other guys we're talking about that have got their little studios in Toronto - it's nice and all, but where's the music? (link)K'naan didn’t name any of "the other guys" specifically, but I'll speculate as to who they are at the end of this post. Setting aside the internal spats, the purpose of this blog is to tell stories. To that end, here is a brief history of Canadian hip hop, courtesy of yours truly. My sincere apologies to those who are omitted: it's not that no one remembers you, it's just that you slipped my mind at the moment.
Pre-1996: The Early Years
Maestro Fresh-Wes of Toronto was the first Canadian rapper of note, famous for his 1989 hit 'Let Your Backbone Slide'. At that time there was no urban radio in Canada, and a Toronto-based CRTC application in 1990 was denied in favour of a country station. Apparently our national culture experts thought that more people in Toronto listened to country than to urban music. You can be forgiven for calling them racist, but this won't be an isolated incident. For the next eight years the scene was kept alive by weekly one-hour shows on campus radio, as fans across the country waited for something awesome to rise from the ashes. For their part, the artists kept busy by making dope music...
In 1991, Main Source released Breaking Atoms. The 4-man crew consisted of two Canadian-born DJs backing two New York-based MCs. The album will go down in history for featuring a 17-year-old Nas in his first recorded track, "Live at the Barbecue.” However, much like Snow’s collaborations with MC Shan, the album is best understood as an extension of the NYC scene, rather than a pure Canadian production in itself.
As for the latter moniker, Vancouver-based Rascalz released Really Livin' in 1992—the title track is still on my playlist. Ghetto Concept also had their first Canadian hit around this time, winning two Juno's in 1995 and 1996. Meanwhile, the Dope Poet Society was making protest songs with Dead Prez, and Montreal’s Dubmatique was rockin’ the francophone scene—albeit in European French. It would only be fair to mention Tom Green at the point as well. You might know him for shock comedy, but in 1993 his crew basically founded the 613 scene with their MuchMusic hit, "Check the O.R." Tom still freestyles with the best of them on his online variety show.1996-2000: The Boom
I would argue that the seminal release for the Canadian hip hop scene was the 1996 compilation Rap Essentials Volume One. This introduced us to characters such as Choclair, Kardinal, Citizen Kane, and Dan-e-o, and formally moulded them into the scene that was established by Rascalz and Ghetto Concept. The music had a stronger West Indian flavour and a more optimistic—if abstract—message than its American counterpart. A distinct regional style was forming that the Canadian music establishment could no longer ignore. ...but it would still try.
Military historians say that the Battle of Vimy Ridge represented the founding of the Canadian national identity. The Vimy Ridge of Canadian hip hop was the 1998 Juno Controversy. Rascalz won the Rap category, but they arrived too late to receive the trophy as it was handed out before the televised gala. Misfit and Red1 refused the award in disgust, citing racism as the reason that their genre was snubbed.This demand for attention needed a soundtrack to back it up, and Rascalz obliged. They teamed up with Choclair, Checkmate, Kardinal and Thrust to create a masterpiece. (k-os and Jully Black were invited as well, but they couldn't make it.) “Northern Touch” became the Canadian hip hop anthem, and to this day represents the beginning of Canada’s own golden era. Needless to say, the 1999 Juno Awards featured a televised performance.
Post-2000: Diversification
Northern Touch featured acts from both Toronto and Vancouver, but this is a big country. Since that release, artists from other cities gained national prominence, and the unique underground scenes that had emerged over the previous decades suddenly became interconnected via the Internet. Canadian hip hop conquered its inferiority complex and, like the country as a whole, started to celebrate its diversity.
Rascalz and Checkmate were joined in Vancouver by Sweatshop Union and Swollen Members. Halifax produced the likes of Buck 65, Classified, Sixtoo, Josh Martinez, and Universal Soul. Ottawa/Gatineau became dominated by the Nine Planets Crew, which featured DL Incognito, D-Shade, and Mic Check. Also of note are Winnipeg’s Grand Analog, London’s Governor Bolts, and Regina’s Ira Lee. For the francophones, Sans Pression produced the first real album in Québec street-slang (joual), and Joe BG (a.k.a. Mista Snake) became the first martyr. (RIP)Post 2010: The Future
K’naan’s comments were probably directed towards Solitair, Saukrates, Thrust, and perhaps to D-Sisive—who recently emerged from the abyss. K’naan is right to ask where the genre is going, but he is being a little unfair. Due to his unique personal history, his folksy sound, and his freakish talent, he was fast-tracked by Canadian music elite in ways that his predecessors could have never dreamed. But at least he has the humility to cite his fellow artists and the predecessors who paved the way. Belly, on the other hand, baptised himself “the Godfather of Canadian Hip Hop” upon releasing his 2007 debut album. In light of the rich history described above, the appropriate (and hillarious) response to Belly's arrogance comes to us courtesy of Jane and Finch's Blacus Ninjah. Enjoy.
