Underground hip hop has been around Vancouver since the early 90s and has launched a handful of artists. Better known of these are groups the Rascalz, Swollen Members and Sweatshop Union, all of whom have achieved significant recognition across Canada.
Those who seek out the Van scene will discover many events to check out in the city including regular freestyle jams and workshops, local performances and monthly Hip Hop Karaoke. At UBC, hip hop culture has been absent and is now seeing a surge with students producing their own tracks and getting together to jam. A centre for campus hip hop, AMS club-based Rappers Without Borders is currently growing as an international medical and humanitarian support-oriented platform for artists to collaborate on tracks, inspire and learn from each other.
Of local artists, these deserve a listen:
COGETA -- Swiss born, UK grown, Vancouver livin’; Cogeta’s edgy flow and sharp turns will take you in and then leave you stunned on the side of the road. He recently dropped a video for his song “Selfish.”
WALTER CANNON -- Witty wordplay and smooth flows to cruise to. Vancouver grown and Montreal educated, Cannon recently released music videos for his tracks “The Comeback” and “Mile A Minute.”
CLASS ACT -- True Van-City hip hop. Intricate, original, insightful and witty rhymes will have you never want to miss a line. Class Act brings live freestyle jams that are hard to match and they are awesome to catch in concert.
Negus$hawry -- From Nairobi bearing the Afrolution. His deep and languid flows are great to chill and roll a joint to, along with the dope beats $hawry drops on the regular.
ALLO -- Hard hitting and rapid raps that you have to go back for a second, and third listen to fully catch. Rap game Steph Curry.
TRAFFIK -- Solid style refined during a six year career of making hip hop music. Traffik has a wealth of material to enjoy with three mixtapes and over 50 songs.
Looking to vibe with local hip hop? Class Act and Walter Cannon are front and center at the Backstage Lounge on Friday June 19th. Door is $10 and these guys bring the heat.
Along with local talent, many names well-known in the game are coming to B.C. this summer. Hip Hop legends Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu and The Roots have concerts in Vancouver over the next month and a half. FVDED In The Park is rocking Surrey from Holland Park on July 3 and 4 with Tyler The Creator, Danny Brown, TY Dolla $ign and Vic Mensa. During July 16 to 19, Pemberton Festival is hooking up an unbelievable lineup loaded with rap artists including Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Missy Elliott, De La Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, Run The Jewels, Logic, Flatbush Zombies and A$AP Ferg. August 7 to 9, Squamish Music Festival will host performances by Drake, A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Chance The Rapper, K-OS, Vancouver-based SonReal and Toronto rapper P Reign. For hip hop heads in Vancouver, there’s a lot to check out this summer. More information and dates of events and concerts are posted at rapperswithoutborders.org and hiphopvancouver.com.
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