Canadian hip-hop Archives - Page 2 of 34

[Interview] Quake talks new album Rap Music, getting shouted out by Drake, and things happening for a reason

I apologize if you were missed us last Wednesday when a new episode was supposed to be released but I experienced technical issues. So as a thank you, I’m releasing a double dose of The Come Up Show Podcast. This episode features Quake Matthews and make sure to check out our 2nd episode with Chicago emcee Saba. Quake Matthews flew down from Halifax to Toronto to support the King of The Dot Blackout 5 and his homie Pat Stay who was battling against Charrone. We talked about the shoutout Quake got from Drake, the fourth studio album Rap Music, the story of how his producer and drummer got signed to Waka Flocka, and so much more. Enjoy! Peep the full article to see the video of Drake shouting out Quake Matthews and to view the highlight points of the interview.

Interview Podcasts

[Video + Podcast] Classified and Shad talk each other’s music, their most embarrassing moments onstage, and the best year in hip-hop history

Martin Bauman

When it comes to Canadian hip-hop -- and hip-hop in general, for that matter -- few artists are better than Classified and Shad. Look at the numbers: the two have combined for a whopping 13 Juno nominations (with one win each -- during the Drake era, no less), three Polaris Music Prize nominations (all Shad's), and three Platinum records (all Classified's -- one of them quadruple-Platinum). For what it's worth, the two were also voted as two of the top six greatest Canadian rappers ever, in a list compiled by CBC Music. The truth is, the numbers only tell half of the story. Each artist has contributed his own unique perspective and flair to Canada's mosaic of music and related to hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of people through their lyrics. Songs like "All About U," "Brother (Watching)," "Things Are Looking Up," and "Keep Shining" have connected with people from all walks of life. "Oh...Canada" and "Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins)" tell equally patriotic tales of what it means to be Canadian. Beyond the accolades, and beyond the music itself, Classified and Shad are two down-to-earth emcees who -- plain and simple -- love hip-hop. We caught up with them to talk about how they discovered each other's music, their most embarrassing moments onstage, the best year in hip-hop history, and much more. Check out the video and podcast below.

Interviews Interview Podcasts TV

[Interview + Podcast] Saukrates talks “Amani,” overcoming obstacles, and the 20th anniversary of “Still Caught Up”

Martin Bauman

Interview by: Martin Bauman "Saukrates might be the best trifecta artist in North America. Beats. Singing. Rhymes. Name someone else that can do all three well." Adam Bomb's words are absolutely true. From his debut twenty years ago on "Still Caught Up" to today, few -- if any -- come close to touching Saukrates in all categories. It's a crime that for all of his ability, his name hasn't quite permeated the masses on the level of his peers. Blame it on a string of bad label situations. In two decades, only two solo albums and one group album have seen the light of day: The Underground Tapes in 1999, Big Black Lincoln's Heaven's Caught on Fire in 2006, and Season One in 2012. It's no wonder that Saukrates feels like there's so much more ground to cover, and with a self-titled solo EP set for release on September 23rd, there's no better time than the present. We caught up with Saukrates to talk about his Amani EP, overcoming obstacles, the 20th anniversary of "Still Caught Up," and much more. Listen to the podcast above and read the interview after the jump.

Interviews Interview Podcasts Journal

[Video] Miles Jones – “Satisfied” (Dir: Graham Beasley)

Martin Bauman

Late pass on this one, but I'm going to defend myself by saying it's timely given this past weekend's PGA Championship. Miles Jones dropped the goofy (or should I say golf-y) visuals to "Satisfied," a sneakily infectious track off The Jones Act (Part III) that's perfect for the summertime. Graham Beasley gets the directors credit for this DJ Serious-produced track. Check out the visuals to "Satisfied" below. For more on Miles Jones, make sure you check out our interview with him.

Videos

[Mixtape Premiere] M-Bomb – “A Story No One Told”

Staff

WORLD PREMIERE!!! We're very proud to present a project by one of our own today, as the good homie M-Bomb drops his latest mixtape, A Story No One Told. The Waterloo emcee calls this his "most personal release to date," and appropriately for such an introspective project, the mixtape is mostly feature-free, with the exception of a guest verse by emcee/producer A-Fos (who also mixed the project) on “Boom/Get Out The Way.” Production-wise, M-Bomb does double-duty on “How The Story Begins” and “While You Were Sleeping,” with the remainder of the mixtape sampling from a number of the "most influential producers and artists" in his lifetime: classics from DJ Premier, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Exile, and Nottz Raw are all there. Along with the release, M-Bomb has teamed up with a number of talented visual artist friends to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art for each song. The ten canvas pieces will be auctioned off next Saturday at his mixtape release party, with all proceeds going to UNITY Charity. Stream/download the mixtape below, and read what M-Bomb had to say about the project after the jump.

Audio Mixtapes