Jun 10, 2019

With the Raptors' success in the NBA finals, Toronto is currently on a lot of people's minds. To celebrate, I want to give some shine to six Toronto rappers worth paying attention to right now.

1. Blockboi Twitch


Project to check out: Chances (2018)
Blockboi Twitch is a great rapper I discovered from OVO Sound Radio early last year, my favourite aspect of his music is his relentless, yet laid-back flow, paired with ruthless raps about street life. Honestly I have yet to see him release a bad song.

2. Jimmy Prime


Project to check out: Bleeding Bull (2017)
One of my favourite Toronto artists who's been a staple of the scene for years, also known for coining "The 6" as a name for the city. Jimmy has an incredible knack for autotune, as well as a talent for crooning & melodies. If you're into autotune-heavy artists, you should definitely listen to Bleeding Bull, one of my favourite releases from the past couple of years. He's also a member of Prime Boys, a rap group consisting of him, Donnie, and Jay Whiss. They are also worth your time.

3. Smoke Dawg


Project to check out: Struggle Before Glory (2018)
Smoke Dawg is another key figure of the modern Toronto rap scene who was tragically murdered last year. My favourite part of his music is his unique vocal delivery style and flow. Also worth noting that a lot of UK artists f----- with him, a good amount of his songs feature prominent UK artists, even the likes of Skepta and Giggs. He died before he could release a project so Struggle Before Glory is both a debut and a posthumous album.

4. Lil Berete


Project to check out: Icebreaker (2018)
Lil Berete is a newer artist on the scene who brings his own youthful energy to his songs. As far as I know he's still 17, and he shows a great handle on melodies and charisma for how young he is. All my brothers who were in the Akon thread, listen to him.

5. Smiley


Project to check out: A Tape to Remember (2018)
Man I'm not gonna lie Smiley makes me uneasy, but something about his voice and delivery is ridiculously hard. He's gotten some buzz after getting some shoutouts from Drake himself on his instagram and his feature on Quavo's Flip The Switch.

You may be turned off by him at first, but he'll likely grow on you.

6. Northsidebenji


Project to check out: Caviar Dreams (2019)
Another rising star, Northsidebenji offers solid emotional bars about street life that I would try to compare to Future's Beast Mode 2, Lil Tjay, or Roddy Ricch. If you like any of those examples you won't be disappointed.

 

Jun 10, 2019

@Sav Stanfield @YNW Squiddy @Charlie Work @Michael Myers @King V @Big Cuntry @Rick @WheresTheMeat
come read my post

 

Jun 10, 2019

ill be in toronto this wknd. maybe ill see if anyone of them are performing nearby

 

Jun 11, 2019

Bro listen to his first tape it's way better

 

Jun 10, 2019

ill keep recommending it until the day i die

 

Jun 10, 2019

Sorta on topic that night lovell album was disappointing as f---

 

Jun 10, 2019

a true loss

 

Jun 10, 2019

Smoke Dawg was that n-----. smh took n----- too early.

Didn't get the tag for some reason.