In My Opinion, the new album from producer-turned-MC Rich Kidd, is in many ways a quantum leap forward for the Toronto-based artist. Kidd has been experimenting with rhyming more and more over the last few years, mostly on his Rich Kidd Shiiiiit series of mixtapes. He also released a Juno-nominated collaboration with Vancouver-based MC SonReal under the group name The Closers. On In My Opinion, he takes things to a whole other level, attempting to carry an entire record. By and large, he does a pretty strong job of it.

As a technical rapper, Kidd isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind. That’s not to say he’s bad, but he’s not going to amaze you with intricate internal rhyme structures. That said, he has a strong talent for rap as storytelling, a great baritone rap voice, and a ton of clever one-liners.

In My Opinion is also proof positive that Rich is a much more diverse MC than people realize. Sure, there are songs about girls and making money, but there’s also a lot of deep, thought-provoking material. “The City” has the makings of an anti-gun-violence anthem, and ends with Kidd personally calling on Mayor Rob Ford to spend more money on arts programs. “I’d Be Lying” is filled with weirdly self-deprecating wisecracks, and “What the Fame” is raw, vulnerable, and emotional.

While he’s impressive as an MC, Kidd is still a producer first and foremost, and the beats on In My Opinion are second to none. “The Valley” sounds like it’s about to be big, over-the-top club rap, then swerves sharply to the left and becomes something much more layered and interesting, with hypnotic percussion and a haunting vocal sample. “What the Fame” takes an all-too-familiar Top-40 sample and manipulates it until it’s surprisingly hard to identify. (You can listen to “What the Fame” by clicking on the sample above.)

Transitioning from producer to MC isn’t easy. For every Kanye West–level superstar, there are a dozen Swizz Beats–type near misses (and even more outright failures). Rich Kidd has managed to make the transition seem remarkably easy. He’s already a charismatic, entertaining performer, and if In My Opinion is any indication, he’ll only get better from here.

The 2013 Juno nominations announcement, which took place earlier today at the Design Exchange, went largely according to plan.

Carly Rae Jepson, it was revealed, is nominated for five awards—Artist of the Year, Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year—while Justin Bieber was nominated for four, for all of the same categories save Single of the Year. CTV’s Tanya Kim tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to rouse enthusiasm from a crowd of media and industry people still wiping sleep from their eyes, and CTV President of Programming and Sports Phil King accidentally referred to this year’s awards as the 2011 Juno Awards. (He made up for it by announcing that this year’s host, Michael Bublé, will debut new material at the awards ceremony, and that Jepsen would also be gracing the stage.)

Torontonian artists did fairly well, dominating some categories. The city was decently represented in the big four: single, album, artist, and group of the year. Billy Talent was nominated for both Single of the Year (for “Viking Death March”) and Group of the Year. Also nominated in the group category were Rush and Metric. Serena Ryder also received a Single of the Year nod for “Stompa.” Deadmau5 was nominated for Artist of the Year, along with the arguably-Torontonian Johnny Reid. (He’s from Brampton.)

Local artists owned the reggae, R&B/soul and adult alternative categories, taking four of the five nominations in each bracket. In R&B/soul, former winner Jully Black and obvious favourite The Weeknd were joined by Melanie Fiona and Shawn Desman. Ammoye, Elaine “Lil’Bit” Shepherd, Exco Levi, and Melanie Durrant all received nominations for reggae, while Bahamas, Serena Ryder, Royal Wood, and Ottawa transplant Kathleen Edwards were all nominated for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.

Toronto did surprisingly well in the remarkably broad Rock Album of the Year category, with Billy Talent and the partially-Torontonian Big Wreck getting nominations. (Toronto native Ian Thornley founded Big Wreck while living in Boston.) Also nominated in the rock-album category was Rush, who released their 19th studio album in 2012. The city got a similar two-and-a-half nods for Rap Recording of the Year, with JD Era, Maestro Fresh Wes, and The Closers (consisting of Toronto’s Rich Kidd and Vancouver’s SonReal) all getting nominations.

Broken Social Scene associates Metric and Stars were both nominated for Alternative Album of the Year. The city’s thriving metal scene also received two nominations, courtesy of Woods of Ypres and Cancer Bats. TRST and Crystal Castles were both nominated for Electronic Album of the Year, while Dragonette and Tricky Moreira were both nominated for Dance Recording of the Year.

The one surprise of the morning was the absence of A Tribe Called Red. The Ottawa-based trio have received international critical acclaim for their self-described “powwow-step” sound, a fusion of dubstep, hip-hop and traditional First Nations music. The band’s debut album, released in March of last year, was missing from both the Electronic Album of the Year and Aboriginal Album of the Year categories.

Overall, though, the press conference went as expected, with the country’s largest music scene receiving a proportional number of nominations. This year’s Juno Award ceremony will take place on April 21 in Regina. For the complete list of nominees, check out the Juno website.

k-os performing at Manifesto in 2008. Photo by {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/qinn/2881360248/"}Qinn{/a} from the {a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist"}Torontoist Flickr Pool{/a}.

Manifesto Festival
Various locations
September 21–23
Most events FREE, some require registration

If this year’s edition of the Manifesto festival feels oddly familiar, it’s because the festival is going back to its roots. Faced with a shrunken budget due to a fall-off in corporate sponsorship, and spurred by a desire to emphasize the other initiatives they run throughout the year, Manifesto’s organizing committee opted to make this edition of the festival a smaller affair, cutting it back to its original three-day length from last year’s high of 11 days.

Manifesto started in 2006 as a celebration of urban arts and youth culture, and especially to provide performing opportunities for musicians that fell outside the rock-oriented scope of many other local music festivals. As in previous years, the highlight of the festival is the closing concert, which will take place on Sunday at Yonge-Dundas Square.

Programming director Jesse Ohtake is quick to point out that Manifesto is about more than just music though. The festival includes visual arts; dance performances; entertainment industry seminars and panels; and Freshest Goods, a fashion marketplace featuring local streetwear designers.

“Fashion is just another outlet for young people to be creative,” says Freshest Goods coordinator Taurean Scotland. “We’re working with people like 1Love TO, as well as a bunch of smaller brands. Sometimes you just have a great idea for a T-shirt, you make it happen and then it takes off.”

Manifesto also runs a number of youth-oriented programs during the rest of the year. Ohtake says that this year’s festival is smaller in part because the minds behind Manifesto have opted to devote more resources to working on the group’s five-year strategic plan, which will see a new emphasis on Manifesto’s community work.

“I think a lot of people only know Manifesto as a festival, which makes sense, but we do a lot of other things in the community,” he says. “We do a lot of consulting, work with youth in community centres… We work with Luminato and Hot Docs and a number of other festivals in terms of engaging youth and multicultural audiences, and that’s the stuff we’d like to bring out more… I think people will see Manifesto as more than just a festival in the next five years.”

Graffiti writers at the 2009 festival. Photo by {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrix_feet/3947584638/"}Metrix X{/a} from the {a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist"}Torontoist Flickr Pool{/a}.

That’s not to say the festival isn’t worth catching—there are still a lot of interesting things happening.

The opening party is also the first public event being held at the brand new Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre. “That’s a pretty amazing thing,” says Ohtake. “That’s a multi-million dollar project that’s a key to the revitalization of Regent Park, and that’s going to be a really great centre for people not just in that centre, but also in Toronto as a whole. That’s going to be a real stand out.”

Also worth noting: this year’s musical line-up is heavily Canadian—more so than usual. Ohtake says that in the last couple of years the roster has been roughly 75 per cent Canadians and 25 per cent international artists, mostly Americans. This year, the roster is “95 per cent Canadian,” a move fuelled in part by the explosion in Canadian hip-hop and R&B talent.

“Shi Wisdom and her band are playing, we have The Closers, which is the collaboration between Rich Kidd and SonReal—we’re going to have the debut set of that record,” he says. “It’s great to be focusing on these Canadians who are starting to get a little bit of attention.”

Local MC Tre Mission will also be on the bill, making his Manifesto debut. Mission has had commercial success overseas in the U.K., but is only starting to become a known quantity in his hometown. He hopes playing Manifesto will help raise his profile locally.

“I’ve been going [to Manifesto] since the beginning, when I was a teenager,” he told us. “When people see me at Manifesto, they can look me up and check out my resume. The way our music scene works, if you’re not big somewhere else, it’s hard to get big here. If people see you succeed elsewhere and rep Toronto, then they’ll rate you and you’ll get that love at home. Now, someone will see me at Manifesto, look up this unknown kid and realize I’m not so unknown after all.”

Even Pharoahe Monch, the lone American on this year’s Yonge-Dundas bill, is being served with a side of CanCon. He’ll be performing with critically lauded jazz-rap fusionists BadBadNotGood.

The Manifesto Festival’s opening party is Friday, September 21 (9 p.m.–1:30 a.m.) at the Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre. The closing concert begins at 12 p.m. on Sunday, at Yonge-Dundas Square, and runs throughout the afternoon and evening. Headliner Pharoahe Monch is expected to perform at about 9:00 p.m.

After spending about two decades being referred to as either just Maestro or Wes Maestro Williams, Canada’s first rap superstar has opted to return to his original moniker. His new EP, Black Tuxedo, is the first Maestro Fresh Wes record in 18 years.

The five-song EP is meant as a warm-up for his upcoming full-length release, Orchestrated Noise, which is due out early next year. That will be his first full-length album, under any name, in 12 years. Given that he’s dedicated much of the last 10 years to acting, you might expect Maestro to have lost a step or two as an MC. You’d be wrong. When it comes to wordplay, he’s still pretty spectacular. “Reach for the Sky” and the title track both combine complex internal rhyme schemes with strong storytelling, while Maestro’s distinctive push-the-words-out, almost over-pronounced flow still hits its mark.

Production-wise, Black Tuxedo is a bit of a mixed bag. The Classified-produced, funk-influenced, Blue Rodeo-sampling “Reach for the Sky” is singalong catchy, and does a great job of re-purposing a familiar song. “I Wanna Know,” which was produced by Rich Kidd and features a guest appearance by The Trews, is similarly anthemic. (You can listen to “I Wanna Know” by clicking on the sample above.) Unfortunately, the title track—produced by local production duo The Rezza Brothers—falls somewhat short of the mark. Too fast to be a traditional boom-bap hip-hop song, yet not catchy enough to be an uptempo club banger, it comes off as messy and fast-for-fast’s sake. Even Maestro’s nimble flows can’t quite save it.

That one small flaw aside, Black Tuxedo is proof positive that the Godfather of Canadian Hip Hop has no problem keeping up with the young kids.

The release of producer and MC Rich Kidd’s annual-ish We On Some Rich Kidd Shiiiiiit mixtape is a cause for celebration in Toronto’s hip-hop community. Not only is every edition chock full of top quality verses from local MCs and beats from Kidd—who is one of the best producers in this country, and may be one of the best producers in hip hop, period—it also gives us a chance to check in on his evolution as an artist.

On the sixth and most recent release in the series, City on My Back, Kidd brings a little bit of southern California to southern Ontario. He has taken a couple trips to Los Angeles over the past year, and it shows in both his sound and his choice of guests.

City on My Back still features a ton of local luminaries (including D-Sisive, JD Era, and The Antiheroes), but it also has a fair number of appearances from California-based underground MCs. Former Aftermath signee Bishop Lamont drops an aggressive verse on “Black Kings,” and blog favourite Thurz manages to create dense, wordy bars while making it seem effortless on “Keep the Faith” (which you can listen to by clicking the sample above). Many of Kidd’s beats on City also have a distinctly Californian feel, slow and laid-back with melodic samples, tinkling keys, and big, soulful choruses.

That said, City isn’t all mellow vibes. Kidd is a diverse producer, and is able to pull off everything from high-energy party jams like “The Rebels” to gritty, East Coast-style battle rap beats on songs like “NevR Left.” As an MC, Kidd isn’t the most technical, wordplay-heavy rapper, but he makes up for it with a great rapping voice, a skill for storytelling, and a likeable, charismatic personality.

Unfortunately for us, most Torontonian artists can only get so big before they have to decamp for the U.S. or Europe. It looks as if Kidd’s time to fly the nest on a semi-permanent basis may almost be upon us, but City on My Back is proof that no matter where he winds up, he will always do us proud.

Watching “The Rebels (Listen Up),” the new video by local rap duo The Antiheroes, it’s hard to imagine that the group would ever have had a concert of theirs cancelled due to security concerns. They just look too damn nice.

The Antiheroes and Rich Kidd, who produced the beat for “The Rebels,” were both scheduled to perform during SmashMouth Entertainment’s June 13 showcase, as part of the North by Northeast music festival. The Rivoli cancelled the show at the last minute, after members of the Toronto Police Service’s Guns and Gangs Unit approached management at the venue with security concerns. According to the Antiheroes’ MC Flex, the exact reasons for the cancellation are still a mystery.

“The Rebels,” which features a guest verse from local rap veteran D-Sisive, is a sort of response to the misconceptions about hip-hop culture that the group believes led to that incident. From the start, Flex and his partner-in-rhyme, Sha Prince, aimed to make a video that stood out.

“The concept was thrown around by the directors, Briin Bernstien and Daniel ‘AM’ Rosenberg,” Flex said. “They had a couple ideas they threw at us. They said, ‘We can either make the typical rap video, or you can go all out and try something different.’ We opted to go the different route…We owe a lot to them and the editor, Micah Rix-Hayes.”

According to Flex, going the different route wasn’t easy. The filming was done in one 15-hour day, and many of the moves that look so fluid in the video were the result of a lot of tedious work.

“The scenes you see with the zipping from front to back, that was actually just us shuffling our feet going from front to back and front to back,” he said. “You see the video, it looks pretty fluid. It wasn’t.”

Flex is still mystified by the North-by-Northeast cancellation. “That whole thing was unfortunate, not only for us as the artists, but for anyone who was planning to come out to the show,” he said. “We never really got any answers. There wasn’t any direct contact. The only word we got was that The Rivoli was responsible in the end for shutting it down, but I can say that the police put enough pressure on them to make that happen.”

He thinks there is a common misconception that hip-hop culture in Toronto is inherently negative.

“There’s no research done when it comes to these things,” he said. “Media likes to dwell on negative things, but they don’t look at artists like Rich Kidd who…are doing all these youth projects and things. People just want to say ‘Let’s lump all [the rappers] together and call it a day.’”

With a great video under their belt and the unpleasantness at The Rivoli behind them, The Antiheroes are taking the momentum from “The Rebels” and moving on to their next project.

“We have a new project coming out in late August or early September, called Modern Day Riot,” he said. “We’re working with Rich Kidd again, Junia-T from the Smash Brovaz and our own in-house producer M-Mac… We’re just trying to keep it moving.”

CORRECTION: July 19, 4:15PM Previously, Micah Rix-Hayes’ name was written as “Micah Rix-Rayes.” The correction has been made above.

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 11 to 17, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Teenanger bassist Melissa Ball.

The first night of NXNE may have got off to a bumpy start, with the sudden cancellation of the hip-hop showcase at The Rivoli, but thankfully a night full of strong performances helped make up for it.

Petty Victories
FROM: Toronto, Ontario
PERFORMED: June 13, 8 p.m. at The Monarch Tavern

Pre-Show Hype: Minimal. Minutes before the show began there were only a few people in the pub.

Performance: Engaging, if not for slightly uneven sound quality.

Best Moment: “Come closer.” The gig became much stronger and intimate once the crowd was invited to come a few steps nearer to the band.

Miscellaneous: The Tavern’s grand piano sounded great—a very nice touch for this set.

Verdict: Very easy-going music and a nice way to enter NXNE—check them out if you’re looking for something calming or an album to listen to on a long car ride home.

Gus + Scout
FROM: New York, New York
PERFORMED: June 13, 10 p.m. at El Mocambo (Downstairs)

Pre-Show Hype: Growing by the minute as show-time approached. The word appeared to be out on this one, as an empty room became a bustling hotspot in an instant. There were likely more than a few rubberneckers in attendance curious to see if Scout WIllis (yes, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis) was capable of carrying a tune.

Performance: The duo, backed by a bassist and drummer who apparently don’t warrant additional ampersands in the band’s name, ambled through ragged blues-tinged numbers that straddled a pleasing line between rock and country. While the temptation for most may be to dismiss the group as the mere dalliance of a spoiled celebrity daughter, Scout’s voice carried a soulful tone that lent itself perfectly to the genre. She still has a reluctant stage presence (perhaps owing to her age), with a tendency to pick her fingernails or hook her thumbs into her Daisy Dukes when not singing. And there’s something about her relationship with baby-faced Gus that seems tailor-made for an upcoming reality television show. At face value, though, a solid festival appearance.

Best Moment: It was poised to be the tender kiss that Scout planted on Gus’S cheek after one of his barn-burning solos, until she later finished the set by rewarding him with a full-on lip-lock. Possibly a great conclusion to an episode of the aforementioned hypothetical reality show?

Miscellaneous: Even drummer Noah seemed surprised when he was introduced by Scout as “the baddest motherfucker you’ll ever meet.”

Verdict: The girl can sing. Though there are rough edges to be polished, this remains a combination to keep an eye on.

Sexy Mathematics
FROM: Toronto, Ontario
PERFORMED: June 13, 10 p.m. at The Detour Bar

Pre-Show Hype: Strong—the venue had a healthy number of people before the show started (and the excitement was definitely showing).

Performance: Solid, boosted by the choice of a small venue. These guys could definitely benefit from including an instrumental or two in their set though.

Best Moment: Announcing “we’re going to slow it down a bit” and then launching into what was essentially a dance-inducing jam.

Miscellaneous: The disco lights added nicely to the atmosphere.

Verdict: The venue was a perfect choice for this set—intimate and small enough to fill up with their sound easily. The instrument transition in the last two songs made the set worth seeing, though it would have been even better if they had boosted the sound of the mics.

Tess
FROM: New York, New York
PERFORMED: June 13, 11 p.m. at The Crawford

Pre-Show Hype: Pretty much nil. We were actually there to see The Lytics, but there was a schedule change.

Performance: If there’s one problem with NXNE-type festivals, it’s that the acts don’t always blend together very well. For example, it would be hard to imagine a worse lead-in for Tess’ dance-pop flavoured R&B than the testosterone-laden aggro-rap of Tomasi. That said, the New York–based songstress did a great job of playing the hand she was dealt: stretching her voice to the limit, coming into the shy Toronto crowd, dancing until she was dripping in sweat, and breaking into tears on one of the slower, more emotional numbers.

Best Moment: Undoubtedly when she covered The Police’s “Roxanne,” then passed the mic to the audience during the chorus.

Miscellaneous: Her back-up singer, Jack Fuller, has a powerful enough voice that he could easily be a leading act in his own right.

Verdict: The next time Tess plays Toronto, it will be on a much, much larger stage.

Amos The Transparent
FROM: Ottawa, Ontario
PERFORMED: June 13, 11 p.m. at El Mocambo (Downstairs)

Amos the Transparent, far more visible than their name would suggest.

Pre-Show Hype: Fairly palpable. One of those Canadian bands deserving of a wider audience, they released their second album, Goodnight My Dear… I’m Falling Apart to strong reviews earlier this year. As singer Jonathan Chandler remarked at one point, the venue appeared to be filled with the familiar faces of loyal fans, but also some new converts.

Performance: The strength was all in the delivery, as the sextet provided the kind of loose and fun set that can only develop with hard work and time. With offerings that ranged from jangly, earnest anthems like “Slow as the Weather” to melancholy-laced slow burners, they nearly all succeeded in hitting their desired mark. Each band member brought his or her own invaluable contribution to the mix.

Best Moment: It’s hard to pull off an effective background vocal sing-along with any audience, let alone one in Toronto, but this improbable feat was achieved to satisfying results.

Miscellaneous: The band has generously made the new album available as a free download on their website.

Verdict: A great way to get the festival started and another reminder of the level of talent flying under the radar in Canada.

Teenanger
FROM: Toronto, Ontario
PERFORMED: June 13, 12 a.m. at The Garrison

Teenanger vocalist Christopher Swimmings at The Garrison.

Pre-Show Hype: Fairly high—both NOW and the AV Club tapped Teenager as one of the acts to watch at this year’s NXNE, and they were the subject of a write-up in the Globe and Mail back in February.

Performance: It’s hard for a band to live up to that kind of expectation, but Teenanger managed to pull it off. Their jam-packed half-hour set was fast and tight, and lead vocalist Chris Swimmings’ nasal vocals were loud enough to rattle your chest. They didn’t talk between songs, but they did drink, spit, sneer, and generally kick ass.

Best Moment: Any time Swimmings spat into the crowd.

Miscellaneous: When they finished their set, they pretty much just dropped their gear and walked off stage.

Verdict: Teenanger is loud, snotty, obnoxious, and pretty much everything you’d ever want from a punk band.

Teen Violence
FROM: Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
PERFORMED: Jun 13, 12 a.m. at The Detour Bar

Geoff Albrecht (left) and Marcus Wanka of Teen Violence. Detail of a photo from their Bandcamp page.

Pre-Show Hype: Not much. No Twitter handle or hashtag (a couple of pre-show fan tweets), no mentions in any online publication’s NXNE previews or picks, one June interview in Fuss Magazine.

Performance: The Detour had a healthy (though not capacity) crowd when we arrived at midnight, and Teen Violence was already into their set. Frontman Marcus Wanka and lead guitarist Geoff Albrecht were joined by a bassist and very capable drummer for a four piece set-up, and the crowd seemed appreciative, though not initially pressing the stage. The first full song we heard was “The Only Way (We’ll Stay Together),” which had some unison vocals from the two regular members, and a decent surf-pop vibe. Our initial impression: punkier Monkees.

Best Moment: After several invites to dance or come closer, Wanka got the crowd to close the gap for their final three songs, all new (“These are fresh! Fresh as hell!”), two minute miracles.

Miscellaneous: “I like the Everly Brothers” announced Wanka mid-way through the set, and sure enough, their ’50s/’60s sound was worn heart-on-sleeve. Also, their horizontally striped attire made an impact.

Verdict: A strong first impression. While their 7-inch wasn’t on hand as they’d planned, that recording and a second EP are in the pipeline, as well as two videos. We’ll be keeping tabs on them.

Blake Carrington
FROM: Toronto, Ontario/Buffalo, New York
PERFORMED: June 13, 12:50 a.m. at The Crawford

Pre-Show Hype: Minimal.

Performance: Blake Carrington is a machine. His stage presence borders on epic. He jumps around like an over-sugared toddler, but doesn’t let it affect his smooth, measured delivery in the slightest. He managed to occupy every inch of The Crawford’s tiny stage (seemingly at once), did a masterful job of engaging the crowd, and did it all without ever seeming to tire.

Best Moment: When Carrington invited MC/producer Rich Kidd on stage with him. Kidd was supposed to headline the cancelled SmashMouth showcase at The Rivoli, so it was good to get to see him get a little stage time.

Miscellaneous: Carrington was actually supposed to go on stage at midnight. Remember what I said about hip-hop standard time?

Verdict: Young rappers should watch Carrington and take notes. He may be one of the best live performers in hip-hop right now.

We Were Lovers
FROM: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
PERFORMED: June 13, 1 a.m. at The Boat

We Were Lovers vocalist Elsa Gebremichael.

Pre-Show Hype: Minimal.

Performance: Things got off to a rough start when technical difficulties forced the band to stop twice during their opening song. Thankfully, their performance was worthy of the crowd’s patience. Elsa Gebremichael’s smooth vocals combined nicely with electro dance beats and guitarist Ash Lamothe’s rock infusion.

Best Moment: “Islands,” off their upcoming album, Pyramids

Miscellaneous: Gebremichael used to be in a band called From Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z.

Verdict: This young prairie duo has a lot going for them.

CLARIFICATION: June 17, 2012, 10:10 PM This post originally referred to the back-up singer for Tess by a nickname; his full name, Jack Fuller, has been added above.

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 11 to 17, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Image courtesy of the artists.

Notes to Self
The Rivoli (334 Queen Street West)
June 13, 10:50 p.m.
Click here for NXNE wristband pricing options.

East End rap crew Notes to Self have been local scene stalwarts for the better part of a decade. This year, they’ll be returning to North by Northeast as part of the massive SmashMouth Entertainment showcase at the Rivoli, where they’ll be sharing the stage with nine other acts from across North America. One quarter of the crew, Roshin, talked to Torontoist about the maturation of the city’s hip-hop scene, and what that means for the genre at North by Northeast. Our edited, condensed interview is after the jump.

Torontoist: How did you wind up at NXNE this year?

Roshin: We were contacted directly by Brendan Hewko from SmashMouth, who’s a guy we talk to a lot—a really, really great up-and-coming promoter in this city. He brought up the first Smoker’s Club tour and the Stalley dates that just happened, and we were talking to him about doing some other stuff in the future, and he said, “I’d really like to get you guys on the showcase.” So we said, “Dope, let’s do it.”

It feels like there’s more hip-hop as a whole this year. Do you think NXNE is finally starting to get on to things other than indie rock?

I know, I can’t wait to see Killer Mike. That’ll be dope…. I think it’s hard sleeping on music once it gets to a certain place. Music grows up, promoters grow up, and venues grow up.

Places like the Crawford, Wrongbar, and the Rivoli are becoming staple spots for hip-hop in the way that places like the Horseshoe have been for rock for ages and ages. That’s great to see. I mean, I’m not biased. I love music as a whole, so I don’t want to see an all-rap North by Northeast.

It’s cool that the SmashMouth showcase, it’s pretty much all blog rappers. So it’s a South by Southwest–style show…. You’ve got guys from New York, D.C., Toronto, the rest of Ontario, and Vancouver, and all good-quality artists.

Do you think the fact that more local rappers are getting internationally recognized is helping the genre at NXNE?

That’s a good question. Maybe indirectly? I don’t know how much of a conscious thing it is. I think it has more to do with the fact promoters are doing a better job representing it. SmashMouth, Droppin’ Knowledge, and I Luv Lola are all doing these big, well-done rap shows, so there’s no longer a monopoly on it like there was for years. There are these good, independent promoters, which are the kind of people that North by reaches out to…. Although, obviously, Drake and The Weeknd blowing the fuck up doesn’t hurt at all, but it’s a circular thing.

The SmashMouth show is huge in terms of the number of artists. Who are you excited to be working with on that?

Obviously I have to shout out Rich Kidd, because he’s the homie and I love the fact that he’s headlining at 2:30 in the morning. That’s hilarious to me. I’m going to stay and drink until 4 a.m. In terms of out-of-town guys, there’s a guy, Denzil Porter, who’s coming in. He’s been up on the blogs a lot lately. He had a song called “Kanye West” that was really dope. The other guy is T.Shirt, who’s just really raw New York hip-hop. It’ll be great to just meet guys like that and kind of build with them. Denzil actually got in on Friday and played Rich’s solo show that he just had, and he’s just kind of hanging and working with guys. It’s great to see guys from New York and other cities just come up here and kind of build. It says a lot as to where we’re at as a community. Artists in Toronto are the guys that people are respecting in the industry right now.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at NXNE?

Killer Mike for sure. It’s weird to say, but Raekwon and Ghostface, because I’ve never seen them before. It just never worked out. That free show is going to be epic for me. I’ve seen Method Man, but he’s the only member of the Wu-Tang I’ve seen live. When I got into rap, I was too young to see them on those early tours, like for Wu-Tang Forever. There’s a lot of bands I’d like to see, but I don’t know how many of them I’m actually going to check out, because I’ll be busy working with a lot of these guys.

When Wu-Tang legend Raekwon blew into town last year and signed local rappers JD Era and Gangis Khan to his new label, The Chef’s two new proteges responded in very different ways.

While Gangis started producing new material at an almost frenetic pace, releasing three mixtapes in five months, Era opted to be a little more methodical, getting on a couple tracks with his mentor, making an appearance on Strombo, then releasing No Handouts, a mixtape that is actually an album in all but name. With several high-profile guests, as well as some heavy-hitting producers—including both locals like Rich Kidd and Pro Logic, and Americans like Lex Luger and 9th Wonder—No Handouts lets Era show exactly how well rounded an MC he is.

On “Top of the Game,” he switches speeds with remarkable precision, first intentionally crowding too many words in each bar, then changing it up and drawing out every syllable. On “Canada Eh!” Era lays down complex metaphors and plays word association games over snapping snares and a horn sample that gets stuck in your head. “Yoga Flame” is the least lyrical song on the album, but proves that Era is capable of making a rowdy, tear-the-club-up style banger as well as creating rewind-worthy bars.

The other thing that’s impressive is how well Era stacks up next to some of the guests who appear on the album. On “9th Inning,” Era more than keeps up with his legendary label boss Raekwon, while he rhymes circles around chart topper Mac Miller on “Hate Me Later.” (Click above for a sample of that song.)

Canadian hip-hop heads have long known that JD Era is one of this country’s top rap talents. On No Handouts, he proves that he may be one of the most talented rappers working right now, period.

Braggadocio is a pretty well-accepted part of hip-hop culture. We expect rappers to talk about why they’re the best, and we tend to get a little disappointed if they don’t. That said, brag raps are inherently dangerous, because the only thing that disappoints an audience more than a total lack of boasting is an MC who over-promises and under-delivers.

On his new mixtape, Reform School, Scarberian rapper Tona begins by setting the bar perilously high—not with what he says, but with what he samples. The first track, “Already Gone,” uses a clip from professional wrestling legend Ric Flair. Tona is essentially comparing himself to the iconic 21-time world champion, which is a tall order.

While Tona may not have achieved Flair’s stature quite yet, he certainly has championship-level skills. Sounding a little like Kardinal Offishall and—I know this is a big comparison—a a young Jay-Z, Tona throws out the sort of head-scratching, rewind-worthy metaphors that are the hallmark of elite-level MCs. He’s able to sound equally convincing whether he’s eviscerating haters on “We Do” or lamenting the state of modern R&B on “RIP R&B.” (Think of it as Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.” but about singers.)

Tona uses guest MCs judiciously, and is careful about choosing collaborators. While he is skilled enough to carry the entire album on his own, he opts to liven up Reform School a little by including a few friends, who represent a wide cross-section of Megacity MCs, from established acts like Kardinal, Shad K, and Raekwon protegé JD Era, to underground heroes like Adam Bomb and Theo3.

As good as Tona is, he’s also blessed with great production. Rich Kidd’s distorted vocal samples on “Street of Dreams” provide a subtle, spooky backdrop for an angst-filled song, while Boi-1da’s big, banging “Good Livin” just begs for someone to boast over top of it.

Toronto’s been a hotbed of hip-hop talent for years, but has only recently received global attention. First there was Drake-mania, then American labels scooped up local talents like Era, Gangis Khan, and Honey Cocaine. Tona is a world-class talent, and Reform School proves it. With any luck, it will be enough to make him the next local MC to get international recognition.