The Canadian rap scene has been dominated by Drake for the past few years, something that some Canadian rap fans bemoan. Whatever your opinion on Drake, he and his camp loom large over Canada, yet don't represent the only hip-hop talent coming from up north. Cities like Toronto been producing rappers for a number of years, something that fans isolated in the hip-hop meccas of the United States often forget about. Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles have more than enough to offer, but we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn't turn our ears northward for some rap we can really vibe with.
Jazz Cartier
Jazz Cartier is relatively new to the scene but has been making music for years. His debut full-length release, "Marauding in Paradise," is an impressive showing. It was shortlisted for the prestigious 2015 Polaris Music Award. It's dark, heavy, loud, vibrant. Jacuzzi (a pseudonym) goes in over heavy-hitting trap-esque production with aggressive bars, but lightens up with tracks like "Rose Quartz/Like Crazy," which samples heavily (and well) from Toro y Moi. His most recent release, Tales, uploaded this past week, is a notable follow-up to his last mixtape. Listen below.
Shad
Shad has been impressing in the Canadian rap scene for over ten years. His four studio albums have all garnered critical acclaim, and he has become a stalwart in the Canadian music scene overall. Since I started this piece by mentioning Drake, it should be noted that Shad's 2011 release "TSOL" claimed the award for the Best Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards, beating out Drake's "Thank Me Later". Shad has been relatively quite since releasing "Flying Colours" in 2013, but this year he was named as the new host of CBC Radio One's show.
k-os
k-os (stylized as all lower-case) has been rapping around Canada and the United States for over 20 years. You may recognize him from the 2010 Winter Olympics. k-os possesses incredible skill and has won an impressive number of music awards in Canada. His style defies definition, expanding beyond hip-hop and into rock, reggae, and R&B. His latest release, this year's "Can't Fly Without Gravity," exemplifies that style, bending genre and doing it well. "WiLD4TheNight (EgoLand)" is a must-play.
These three artists represent a collection of the diversity that Canadian hip-hop has to offer, but certainly aren't the only Drizzy alternatives. Canada's influence has long been felt, and is growing. Keep your ears open for Canadian MCs if you get tired of what the U.S. has to offer.
