There was a moment of clarity for Toronto hip-hop supporters recently at Wrongbar. Hip-hop heads came through to celebrate the releases of two Freedom Writers and Toronto hip-hop heavyweights, Clarity, the new solo album from Frankie Payne, and Airplane Over One Way Streets, Theology3’s first full-length album. It was a night filled with live performances and good vibes.
The city’s older heads such as Maestro Fresh Wes and the remaining members of the Freedom Writers, Adam Bomb, Progress and Tona, came through to support their peers. DJ NaNa welcomed and hyped fans with his comical and entertaining version of the host role, screaming and rapping along with each track the DJ spun before the show got underway.
Theo3, who performed tracks such as “Snakes” and “Time”, as well as joints off his Airplane Over One Way Streets album, treated the crowd to his trademarked off the top freestyling skill before passing the mic off to his Freedom Writers brother Frankie Payne whom he had nothing but positive words to speak of.
“He is definitely, to me, a street general in Toronto, who is bringing back storytelling and has a very epic album so I wanted people to get the full scope of both of our projects at one time,” Theo says. “… He’s a certified dude so it’s good to have someone that’s actually talking the real and someone who is expanding and progressing. He wants people to learn from his shit and grow.”
Frankie proved his capabilities as a veteran in the Toronto hip-hop scene with his immense stage presence that poured energy into the crowd as he introduced fans and supporters to his new work. Rocking a “Free People Association” hat and T, he spit tracks such as “Foolish Pride”, “Follow Your Heart” and “Clarity” for his fans that evidently hold the emcee in great respect.
“I just wanted people to understand that I have been through a lot,” Payne says about his new project. “I’ve experienced a lot and I have a story to tell. I feel like that was what I was able to do with this album. I was able to tell my story and reflect my perspective on things because really, the album is like a collective of stories that describe things that were revealed to me in a moment of clarity.”
And for those at Wrongbar, they were able to experience his story firsthand.
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