Mount Real’s L.E.S. (not to be confused with the producer) gets featured on “Step Your Bar Game Up” – a series produced by Labnoise Films.

Also peep www.morburn-music.com for more of that MTL perspective.

(Shouts to Nitai!)

SIDEBAR I

Seeing a bunch of Montreal cats fully immersed in the hip-hop politics of their own city (see last segment of the video) reminds me of something I’ve always wanted to touch on but never had a post that’s inspired me to do it so this one will have to do.

We all know Toronto’s got a mystique about it when it comes to its place in Canadian hip-hop history. But as Torontonians, I don’t think it’s cool for us, when we’ve embraced artists that’ve transplanted themselves from their hometown to our city, to act like those hometowns aren’t worth recognizing. F*ck that. Props to Mount Real for giving us the hustle Famous has brought to our local scene; shouts to Sarnia for the talent that is Slakah The Beatchild. Big up to London for being the hometown of one of the premier artists in the game right now – Shad. I could go on.

My primary point isn’t to say Toronto should disassociate itself from out-of-town transplants who weren’t born and raised in Toronto (of course not); it’s that we should ALWAYS RECOGNIZE the cities these artists came from and the critical role those cities played in shaping their identities; regardless of how we perceive these places to be within the narcissistic context of our own love for our city.

Could you imagine how far down the hip-hop ladder of relevance Toronto would be right now if all the sick talent that came out of here was simply embraced as American or if our artists had tried to downplay the fact that they were from Toronto? Point is, every city has to start getting its respect somewhere with someone.

And it goes both ways, so artists from out-of-town that try to play up their Toronto-ness at the expense of  downplaying their hometown – stop that shit. Snubbing your hometown for the sake of being down with another city is just weak man. Be proud of YOUR story and the hometown that played a part in making you who you are.

rant done.