In April 2004, Wiley released his debut album Treddin’ on Thin Ice. The MC’s first full-length project after years of releasing tracks and performing at raves and on pirate radio, Treddin’ on Thin Ice is undoubtedly a foundational part of grime’s history. The album not only delineates and establishes grime’s distinctive sound at the turn of the century, it also represents a key work through and against which subsequent grime artists have continued to define and develop the genre. For British author Jeffrey Boakye, the album represents “a moment of self-promotion and self-realization for Wiley ..read more

Michael Cheng, dean of hospitality management at Florida International University looks at a unique course known as The David Grutman Experience. “The David Grutman Experience” What prompted the idea for the course? The first time David Grutman, a Miami businessman who runs a growing hospitality empire, told me he wanted to teach a class, I thought he meant he wanted to do a single guest lecture. He had already been guest-speaking in the nightclub management class for several semesters, so turning one session over to David didn’t seem like such a huge leap. When David clarified that he wanted ..read more

In a recent interview with HipHopCanada, acclaimed Canadian rapper Sayzee opened up about his latest collaborative EP with JUNO Award-winning Toronto artist Tona, titled Sun Is Out. Discussing the inception of Sun Is Out and his relationship with Tona, Sayzee shared, “To be honest I don’t remember how we met, but I just remember the energy always being dope. We had features on a few joints together in the past, and we figured we might as well do a record together, cross-pollinate the fan bases and all that.” This organic approach laid the groundwork for a project that didn’t take a long to com ..read more

On April 12, West Coast rap star Merkules dropped his third official solo single of the year with the touching C-Lance-produced banger, “Give Me A Sign.” Following “No Favours” and the more recent “Lights, Camera, Action,” the “Give Me A Sign” single was released with video support shot and edited by DTG. So far, the video has racked up more than 160K views in less than a week while Merk’s previous video, “No Favours,” has been viewed over 286K times since premiering on January 19, 2024. “Give Me A Sign” features additional vocals by Jinting Zhao, and musical contributions from Aaron Hiltz (gu ..read more

A few days ago, Alabama rap star Yelawolf returned with his latest single, “New Me,” along with an accompanying music video. Directed by Patrick Tohill, the video for the WLPWR-produced “New Me” comes in support of Yelawolf’s War Story album, and follows the video for “Make You Love Me,” which was also powered by Tohill. That video has pulled in over 3.5 million views on YouTube since premiering on March 15, and “New Me” is already sitting at 1.1 million. As annotations on Genius explain, War Story will be “a dynamic double album that unfolds in two distinct chapters: “Michael Wayne” and “Trun ..read more

On the fast track towards a major breakthrough, genre-bending hip-hop phenomenon TiaCorine unleashes the slick and scorching new music video for “Shamone.” A two-minute burst of braggadocios bravado, “Shamone” spotlights TiaCorine’s bulletproof bars and fiery flow front-and-centre. 808s rattle through shaky synths, and she warns, “I’m still never gonna pick up.” In the accompanying Moshpxt-directed visual, she descends upon the desert. Letters spell out “The End of the World” in the sand, and this hip-hop femme fatale proceeds to body the beat with ..read more

What’s that sound you hear – a combination of down-tempo hip-hop, menacing bass, distorted drums and plucky synths? It’s phonk! Still have no idea what we’re talking about? You’ve probably heard it if you’re on TikTok, awkwardly played over a Peaky Blinders or Jordan Peterson clip that has snuck into your algorithm. TikTok user Shortbadger certainly cuts to the chase explaining the genre in one of their videos: “creators wanted people to not just hear their words, but feel their words”. Shortbadger also uses comedy to hint at phonk’s subversive (and sometimes troubling) nature. Actually, Phonk ..read more

In a blaze of anticipation, the documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told stormed into SXSW, submerging viewers in the vibrant history of Atlanta’s iconic street revelry. Guided by entertainment industry giants such as Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Jermaine Dupri, 21 Savage, Terry “TR” Ross, Melissa Cooper, Alex Avant, Tresa Sanders, Geraldine L. Porras, Jay Allen, the film, meticulously fashioned by Mass Appeal and Swirl Films, unraveled the intricate layers of Freaknik’s cultural impact. This celebratory tribute to Atlanta’s spirited past, unveiled during the March 12th screening at ..read more

In case you missed it, Drake’s new diss “Push Ups” was leaked and it takes aim at Kendrick Lamar, Future, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, and Rick Ross, among others. Like pretty much every new release these days, YouTube is flooded with “Push Ups” reaction videos from channels of all sizes. Rick Ross responded to Drake several hours later with “Champagne Moments.” There’s now talk that Kendrick is gearing up to release a reply (possibly called “On The Dot,” but that remains to be seen). 5 Ways to Support HipHopCanada: Submit Your Music Follow Canadian Fresh (HipHopCanada’s Spotify Playl ..read more

The hip-hop community is experiencing a surge of intensity after Drake finally pushed the red button… or at least has his finger on the proverbial trigger. This could still just be a warning shot. Either way, the gloves are finally off and the leaked diss song “Push Ups” has given fans exactly what they’ve been waiting for. After Kendrick Lamar kicked things off with his verse on “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin’s album, We Don’t Trust You, the world has been paitiently waiting for Drizzy to respond. Well, a response was unexpectedly leaked on Saturday, causing an immediate seismic shi ..read more