Region
Canada
2 artists
Canadian hip-hop has gone from a small scene in the shadow of the US to one of the biggest exports in modern rap, thanks above all to Toronto.
The story. Maestro Fresh-Wes scored Canada's first big rap hit with "Let Your Backbone Slide" (1989), and Kardinal Offishall kept Toronto on the map in the 2000s. Then Drake arrived. With producer Noah "40" Shebib and his label OVO, he turned "the 6" into a global center of hip-hop and R&B, followed by artists like The Weeknd and PartyNextDoor. From Montreal, producer Kaytranada built a worldwide reputation with his bouncy, house-tinged beats.
The sound. The "Toronto sound" is moody, atmospheric and slow, with muffled drums and lots of space, often blending rap and R&B.
Key albums
- Symphony in Effect, Maestro Fresh-Wes (1989)
- Take Care, Drake (2011)
- Nothing Was the Same, Drake (2013)
- 99.9%, Kaytranada (2016)
