Samo's 2012 Toronto Hip-Hop Yearbook



Album: The Closers - Rich Kidd & Son Real

Mixtape: Cakey Pocket$ - Raz Fresco, hosted by DJ Holiday

Single: Syke - Rich Kidd

Anthem: Money Made Me Do It - A-Game x Luu Breeze

Video: Angels - P.Reign

Feature: Mr. Parker - Kardinal Offishall feat. Shi Wisdom

Performer: JellyTooFly

Producer: T-Minus

DJ: Lissa Monet

Host: Trixx

Manager: Addy Papa

Concert: Juicy J @ Opera House

Radio Show: Royalty Radio

Venue: Opera House

Breakout Emcee: C-Flowz

Breakout Producer: Wondagurl

 

Top 10 Memorable Moments in Toronto Hip-Hop This Year (Good, Bad & Ugly)

10. Reema Major signs to Brick Squad Monopoly

9. Lauryn Hill performs intimate concert for OnexOne charity

8. Back to back shootings at Young Jeezy concerts in Toronto/London leave many injured
7. Blake Carrington wears daughter Story around his neck during City on my Back Stylus Cypher
6. Lamar Taylor & Hyghly Alleyne win MMVA’s best hip-hop video for “The Motto”
5. Drake graduates high school and attends Jarvis Collegiate Institute graduation
4. DJ Lissa Monet becomes first female to win Stylus’ Toronto DJ of the Year

3. Raekwon and Ghostface close off NXNE by performing at Dundas Square in front of 25,000 people

2. P Reign releases “Angels” single/video in memory of Shyann Charles & Joshua Yasay killed in the Danzig shooting

1. 15 year old Wondagurl wins Battle of the Beatmakers

Year after year we hear it: "It's MY year!" Get familiar with some of the artists that really put on in 2012.

 Rich Kidd - The OG

Rich Kidd is a staple in the Toronto hip-hop community, a face recognizable to everyone in the city’s music scene, but this year, Rich has definitely outdone himself. Not only has he performed at the majority of Toronto’s 2012 hip-hop shows, festivals and events, but he dropped a mixtape, a beat tape and a collaborative album with Son Real. Don’t let his comedic personality fool you, he is a force that owns the Toronto market right now and is not showing any signs of letting up any time soon.

                                                                       JellyTooFly - The King

This year Toronto emcee JellyTooFly made them respect the female shit after dropping her well-received King mixtape. Jelly is in her own category and cannot be compared to any artist that has ever done it - 100% original and 100% entertaining. She most definitely holds the crown as King of performing in this city as stage after stage, she captivates her audience with an electrifying energy and a demand for the spotlight. She is an undeniable talent that Toronto is blessed to have.
                                                                      Bakers Club - The Crew

 7 artists and 22 projects deep, The Bakers Club have proved that they are impossible to ignore and that the young artists won`t stop until they`re paid their dues. Four of the members, Raz Fresco, The 6^th Letter, BriskInTheHouse and Brandon Chey all hail from the GTA and are putting on big for the city. Right now, there is no young crew that can touch the Club in terms of flow, style and originality and they are consistent with their quality and quantity, bringing the old school vibe to the new school era. Each member brings something unique and special to the mix and no matter what you`re into, they have something for everyone.
                                                                  JD Era - The Golden Child

JD Era, the Prince of Raekwon’s label IceH2O proved he deserved that spot when he released his banging mixtape “No Handouts” earlier this year. The Sauga spitter travelled and performed all over North America with the Wu Tang legend this year but was shown love every time he returned to the T.dot stage when peforming at events such as NXNE and 106 & York. It is undeniable that this was a great year for the young emcee but also obvious that there is more great things to come from him.

C - Flowz - The Grinder

C-Flowz wasn’t boosting when he named his latest mixtape, `Found My Lane`. The young emcee has done just that this past year as he opened up for artists such as Juicy J, Styles P, Jadakiss, Machine Gun Kelly and Smokers Club Tour. C-Flowz isn’t afraid to put in the promotional work himself as he and his Highway Gang make sure they are out at events personally handing out flyers and selling tickets to his shows. And the young emcee is quite the entertainer, who has his signature bounce and smirk while he performs, obviously happy to be in the moment. Him and his team know what they are doing and are making all the right moves.

                                                            Blake Carrington - The Personality

This was a great year for Blake Carrington and he hasn’t even released his Failure album yet. Carrington garnered attention from his `Colour Her 2` video and tour with Sneaker Pimps this year but it is the little details that make him forever relevant. In this year`s City on my Back Stylus Award cypher, he wore his young daughter Story to his chest while spitting his verse and received positive feedback for the bold move. When asked about it though, Carrington humbly stated that he did it for no other reason than the fact that he had his daughter that day. Also this summer, Rich Kidd`s NXNE was cancelled by the Toronto Police and Blake invited Rich to join him at this showcase. It is moves like this that make Carrington such a respected artist in the city.

Smash Brovaz

It was another live year for Toronto's most esteemed hip-hop duo as the Smash Brovaz released their digital debut album, Think It's A Game? with singles such as "The Kitchen" and "Paper Planes". Junia-T and Crooklin are staples in the Toronto hip-hop community, bringing us refreshing smooth and lyrical hits. They didn't stop all year, with constant traveling, collaborating and video shoots, but always made time to come out and support their local peers, proving that they truly are the brothers of our hip-hop community.

Click Photo For Highlights

Thank you to everyone interested in pushing our culture forward. It was a proper 2012 and I'm anticipating what is to come for the Toronto hip-hop community.

The Return of The Known Unknown

In an oversaturated music market, the key to success is originality and finding your own lane. Toronto’s own multi-talented artist Tika Simone has done just that with the comeback of her “The Known Unknown” showcase series that returned Sunday night at the Crawford and featured two up and coming Toronto artists who will headline the event, Derek Wise and Jelly Too Fly.

Jelly has become a staple in the Toronto hip-hop scene and is continuing to create a buzz throughout the USA with her new project King and an unmistakable stage presence that is hard to forget. It is safe to say the Toronto femcee kills every stage she performs on, so to kick-off the new “The Known Unknown” series with Jelly is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Toronto artist Derek Wise is creating quite the buzz online as well with his latest project Vacay and was approached by Tika to be a part of the event. As his first ever performance as an artist, Derek says he is humbled by the opportunity.
“It means a lot to me, because it lets me know that I’m on the right road. It’s definitely a good look,” he says. “[The event] does what it says. I’m unknown. I’m a new voice so this event will let [Toronto] know who I am.”
Tika took time away from the event series to rebrand it as a spotlight for up and coming Toronto artists. The event, which began in 2010 as Intimate & Interactive grew into something that Tika never even, expected. She returned with a bigger and better series for the city.
“Our mission is to prove that in Toronto, we actually have support for our own and are capable of supporting our own and not just our own on a large scale but on a small scale where people are generating their own attraction in the city,” Tika says.
“It’s really turned into this magnificent thing and I needed to figure out a way to not only showcase artists, but to bring it to Toronto on a bigger scale. We decided we are going to show the actual process that we go through and we are doing that through a reality web series.”
Tika says this web series will air weekly and will feature viral auditions, showcasing artists vying for a slot on the bill of the next event.
The multi-talented Tika humbly states that she is proud of her work on the project, the fruition of the event and every artist that she has gotten a chance to work with during the process. She says she hopes the series will take place monthly, along with seasonal larger scale events.
“I’m more of an idea person, I’ve never been really successful at the cultivation, but this is one of the few things that I can say I really worked my behind off on it and it came to be something very lovely and very close to me,” she says.

Rich Kidd's City On My Back Mixtape Release Party

The Great Hall was packed with Toronto’s hip-hop elite last Thursday and the motive was clear – to celebrate the sixth installment of emcee/producer Rich Kidd’s We On Some Rich Kidd Shit series. Fans, artists and supporters most definitely were on some Rich Kidd shit.
Rich Kidd describes his mixtapes as his children and says that he has grown throughout the projects to be where he is today. “I’m ecstatic with what I have compiled and the artists that are on it. They are definitely some of my favourite artists to listen to today,” he says.
“It shows a lot of growth on my part with the production and the artists that I’m working with and how I can diversify from Van city to T.O., Montreal to the States, LA, Japan and the UK, so it feels good.”

The event, hosted by Sir Lancelot and Lowkey, featured DJs Wristpect, Nana, Mensa and Meka, who all took a turn to spin throughout the night. The inside of The Great Hall was almost as hot as the music itself, as the air conditioner broke down earlier in the day, but nothing stopped the crowd from celebrating. Giant freezies were provided to everyone who came out to cool off and enjoy the evening.
On top of celebrating the project, the list of performers was a menu of the hottest in Toronto hip-hop, with sets from JD Era, JellyTooFly, Adam Bomb, Tona, Maestro and Crooklin, who all had positive words for their friend and peer.
“I don’t think you can define Rich Kidd as an artist. He’s an all-around type of dude… I’m proud to say I got a beat from Rich,” JellyTooFly says, before jumping onstage to wow the crowd with a hype acapella verse.

Junia T, one half of the Smash Brovaz came out to bask in Rich Kidd’s success, calling him his younger brother. “He’s an extra-terrestrial; he’s not natural… He’s determined and he really believes in plan A. He made it all the way to Volume six,” Junia says.
Rich Kidd reached the stage to a loud applause and delivered a set with the stage presence that cannot be compared to any other artist out. He ended with an insanely hype performance of his single, “Syke”, which the audience moshed and danced to.

Toronto comedian, Big Norm, a close friend of Rich Kidd, who also came through to celebrate the milestone in his life, praises the artist for all he has accomplished. “As an emcee, there is nobody in the city better than him right now… As a producer, he is nonstop. He just keeps on going… This guy is a modern day Renaissance man,” he shares.
With the support of his peers and a growing fan base, it is safe to say that the young jack-of-all-trades most definitely has the city on his back.