by Harrison Samphir
Dear hip hop, I’ll love you ‘til I die
To taste the grace of your embrace, I will try
My mission is to utilize my skills on the mic
To rid you of the losers, abusers and stereotypes
– Dan-e-o, “Dear Hip Hop” (1996)
For many reading this, it might be difficult to imagine what Canadian hip hop looked and felt like in the mid- to late-1990s. Younger folks, for example, might remember Kardinal Offishall’s fourth record, or recognize Drake in a Sprite commercial – but could they identify the underground raps of Da Grassroots out of Jane & Finch in North Toronto? We’re not pointing fingers here, instead we are directing your attention toward Canada’s bygone “golden age” of hip hop music: that lost era of dub-influenced boom-bap drums and lyrics that combined East New York scheming with Caribbean flavour. Indeed, this nation’s pioneering rap stars are also a symbol of Canada’s multiculturalism. Our mosaic of ethnic groups and their associated cultures have largely determined the subculture. In this first installment of Stylus Magazine’s Hip Hop Retrospective, we feature some icons of this movement and the under appreciated records they importantly released.
Continue reading “Hip Hop Retrospective :: Pt 1 The Northern Touch”