Elzhi For at least the second year in a row, JD Era is back bringing a special Hip-Hop showcase to The Rivoli on Easter Sunday. Last Easter he brought us the Brooklyn duo Smif-N-Wessun celebrating their 30th anniversary in the music industry, and now for 2024 he’d be presenting a night of Detroit Hip-Hop excellence, with former Slum Village member Elzhi joined by frequent J Dilla collaborator, Phat Kat. It would be the first time in a long time Toronto fans would get to see either of these Detroit legends perform live on stage, in what was sure to be an epic night. If there was a Mount Rushmor ..read more

M.O.P. (Billy Danze & Lil’ Fame) Supreme Genes Records has been building up a reputation in Toronto’s Hip-Hop concert scene. The Toronto-based indie label has put on several showcases to promote their roster of local artists while also bringing in some all-time Hip-Hop legends to headline their shows. Last year they went from hosting concerts by underground vets Killah Priest and Group Home at BSMT 254, to doing a series of larger shows at The Opera House, with headliners including Ghostface Killah, Styles P, and Conway The Machine. Now kicking off 2024 with their first showcase of the yea ..read more

k-os One of Canada’s all-time greats when it comes to Hip-Hop music, Toronto legend k-os has embarked on a nation-wide tour as he gets set to celebrate some milestones in 2024. Dubbed The MeMyselfAndEye Tour, k-os is out celebrating his multi-decade legacy with a truly solo stage show, with his only backing on stage being a DJ as opposed to the full band we’re used to seeing him perform with. Having not really toured much in recent years, this would be a rare opportunity for him to connect with both day-one fans and new fans across the country, as he gets back into performing live music in cit ..read more

Swifty McVay, Obie Trice & Kuniva The year 2024 marks 20 years since D12 released their final album as a fully unified group, D12 World. To many fans, the album represents the end of an era, as Hip-Hop icon Eminem would close the D12 chapter of his career in the years following this album, and it would be his last time riding with them for a full length project. While D12 as a group definitely made an impact worth celebrating, with 2004’s D12 World and their 2001 debut, Devils Night, both going platinum, the group has gone through its ups and downs over the years, and we may never get to s ..read more

R.A. The Rugged Man For the first time in almost six years, R.A. The Rugged Man has returned to Toronto, bringing his unique brand of rowdy, hardcore Hip-Hop to Hard Luck Bar. Having the reputation of one of Hip-Hop’s most lyrically twisted, grimy, and technically skilled emcees in the underground, R.A. The Rugged Man’s return to Toronto marks the first opportunity fans would have to see him perform new songs off of his latest album, 2020’s All My Heroes Are Dead. Dubbed the Every Night Is A Movie Tour, R.A. The Rugged Man has not only been celebrating his multi-decade musical legacy with fans ..read more

It feels great being back to having a full calendar year of reviewing concerts! As we bring the year to a close, we’re taking a look back at some of the best concerts I got to attend this year. As always, I tried to catch as many Hip-Hop concerts to hit Toronto, Canada throughout the year, with a few road trips mixed in, and reviewed as many as I could on this blog. While 2023 was the first full year we had of live music returning without any COVID restrictions, the big theme around the concerts that took place this year was the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. There were of course plenty of activ ..read more

ILL Bill, DJ Eclipse and Chubs Just before COVID happened, Reel Wolf Productions celebrated their 10th anniversary with a special concert that highlighted their legacy and the impact they’ve had on underground Hip-Hop. The video production company has been behind some of the grimiest, most hardcore music videos in the underground, collaborating over the years with artists including R.A. The Rugged Man, Jedi Mind Tricks/Vinnie Paz, D12, Tech N9ne and Kool G Rap, to name a few. For this event, they would be celebrating the 10-year milestone of their first compilation album, The Underworld, which ..read more

Conway The Machine While we’ve spent most of 2023 celebrating Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary and the legacies of some of its most impactful artists over the decades, it’s about time we get back to an artist who’s still in the middle of their recording prime today, Conway The Machine. This most recent decade in Hip-Hop has seen Conway along with his Griselda family put Buffalo, New York on the map. Taking the Wu-Tang approach and conquering both as a group and as individual solo artists, Griselda and Conway have gone from building up a buzz in the underground by flooding the market with several mix ..read more

Blaxxx Bossalini & Gov’Nah MIXED BREEDS is a monthly competitive concert series put on by Raw Dog Entertainment and Raw Dog Apparel that features local Toronto/GTA-based artists performing songs in head-to-head matchups. Similar to a Verzuz matchup, the artists take turns performing their songs live in front of a crowd at Toronto’s premier 420-friendly vape lounge, Planet Paradise, and a panel of judges selects a winner based on their live performance. Artists can win a wide range of prizes as they progress through the monthly tournament, from promo and merch down to cannabis goo ..read more

Styles P & Technician The DJ The LOX have been showing a lot of love to Toronto in 2023, making multiple trips to perform live in the city this year. The trio consisting of Sheek Louch, Jadakiss and Styles P kicked off the summer with a headlining show at Canadian Music Week back in June, and individually returned to perform at other concerts throughout the year, including Jadakiss joining LL Cool J & The Roots on The F.O.R.C.E. Tour in August, and Sheek making a surprise appearance at Ghostface Killah’s concert right here at The Opera House in May. Now it would be Styles P’s turn to m ..read more