By Joshua Errett

“My album’s like walking a dog, because you should get fined if you don’t pick the shit up” – Juelz Santana
Whether he’s throwing down on the mixtape circuit, draping himself in an American flag, or just grinding with Lindsay Lohan on the Tonight Show, Juelz Santana has got to be one of rap’s most intriguing personas. Embrace his eccentricities or not (Pitchfork calls him “functionally retarded“), Mr Santana represents a new force in hip hop: His style can most accurately be described as coming directly from mixtapes. He does not subscribe to any of the conventional hip hop-areas of Derrty South crunk or syzzup-flavoured Houston-style, but more of a cross-section of what’s hot in rap today (soul samples, Lil’Jon-like club beats, whistling). Out of NYC, Mr Santana sounds like he comes from somewhere between Houston and New Orleans – which was probably a part of LiLo’s attraction in the above picture.
Tonight, he makes his first headlining appearance in Toronto, promoting his new album What the Game’s Been Missing! at the the Guvernment.
(Aside: Having never been to the Guvernment for a concert or otherwise, Torontoist is a bit put off by the “no hats, sneakers or team apparel” dress code.)