Toronto hip-hop has come a long way, with little to no help from the Canadian record industry, says the man who brought you the term T-Dot.
K4ce, the Canadian rap guru born and raised Shawn Morrison in Weston and based in New York since late 1990, will bring the message to the Toronto Free Gallery (1277 Bloor St. W.) tonight. He’ll be the keynote speaker for the launch of http://www.northsidehiphop.ca — a website that will document more than 30 years of Canadian hip hop history — going from 4 p.m. to midnight.
He’s just the man for it too: A veteran of more than 30 years in hip-hop, K4ce has worked behind the scenes with some of the genre’s pioneers in its fledgling days, including Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee and Ghetto Concept. He notes that the Toronto hip-hop scene has always been a healthy one and unlike American markets, it has stayed relatively free of big-label and monetary corruption.
“I’ll be coming home to speak on the past,” says K4ce. “It all started in the streets with crews like Sunshine Sound that would rap at a party and it grew from there. Now look at it. Homies like Drake don’t just take hip-hop, they take music, to another level. And I’m just happy that homey’s from Toronto.”
Help from Canadian labels is and has been scarce at best, he says, putting it down to timid record execs who opt to stay in their safe little sphere of folk and rock instead of hitting the streets to see what’s going on. Time and again, K4ce notes Canadian hip hop and R&B acts (citing Drake and Deborah Cox as two big examples) have had to head south of the border to friendlier and larger scenes, get signed by an American label, and then break in Canada.
“You needed the right representation and that’s something we’ve always had a problem with,” he said. “The cat behind the desk needs to be able to deal with these kids on the streets. If they don’t go into those neighbourhoods, who are they putting out there? They’re just putting out who they’re comfortable with. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best. If you’re scared of the culture, don’t get a job in the culture.”
