One theme that has remained constant amongst creatives is the nature of resilience when it comes to how people shift in the midst of a complicated pandemic and social unrest. Whether it be music, art, or fashion, these cultural industries have all had to find new ways to grow their footprint with new hurdles presented in front of them at any given point. Today we are featuring an individual by the name of Bijan Celani who heads New Tone Studios, a multidisciplinary creative house that tries to tell stories through clothing and other creative outlets. Bijan has put a heavy focus on connecting with artists when they stop in Vancouver, Canada to spread the vision of what he’s built from the ground up. Now there are many brands out there that are started up with these goals in mind, but an underlying driving vision is what separates the top tier from the countless streetwear brands that have come and gone over the past decade. Bijan has been crafting New Tone Studios long before his first piece of clothing was ever sold, the ideas have been in his head. Combining the clothing with elements of music and live events has him …

As we covered last week, Toronto has been a focal point as of late as the music coming out of the city really doesn’t sound like anything else. Each pocket of the world has begun to create its own take on rap, but Toronto holds a different weight with it being very similar culturally to the cultural giant that is the United States. While it has been a hot topic as of late, there are pioneers of the sound that are still by no means finished growing their careers. Today we have a new Richie Souf produced track called “Just A Little” from Jimmy Prime, leader of the Prime Boys collective that initially caught a lot of attention on SoundCloud in its golden era. Another close associate of Smoke Dawg, it seems that the entire ensemble has been re-awakened and ready to reclaim their city. If you’re not familiar, the Prime Boys consist of Jimmy Prime, Donnie, and Jay Whiss. Their sound was always futuristic, but with a dark cloud hanging over their crew they needed time to regroup for what they have planned this year. Jimmy Prime and the entire collective are set to release a ton of new …

It’s been a cold winter for many of us, especially in Toronto where everything is locked up and COVID restrictions only seem to be tightening up further to kick off 2021. Last year, we were introduced to Canadian artist YaYa who really only turned to music once this pandemic made him move home from playing College Basketball in Houston. With his initial love being temporarily taken away from him, YaYa took matters into his own hands with his impressive debut “Change” that we covered last year. This dark R&B cut was only an introduction to what YaYa is capable of, to cap off one of the wildest years in history he blessed us with his second single titled “Ease The Pain” which shows a more lyrical use of his silky smooth vocals. While his catalog may not be deep, there’s no denying the raw talent he possesses. YaYa’s voice is truly remarkable, each track he drops he is proving he is ready to become a household name in his city and beyond. With production coming from Miler and the track being engineered by Losh, this song sounds incredibly crisp as his vocals cut through a simple string pattern that’s paired …

Last year has seen some major releases from some of our favorite artists, but being the madness that it was a few took the Robert Horry approach dropping a bomb as the buzzer winds down. In the final days of 2020, one of Canada’s Coldest blessed us with a new song and video that instantly reinvigorates the same energy that made him one of the hottest to come out of Toronto. If you’re from north of the border then this name should need no introduction, but for any unfamiliar readers then I highly suggest getting familiar with the living legend that is Puffy L’z. You really can’t talk about the history of Toronto’s sound without mentioning Puffy’s name. His energy, subject matter, and effortlessly unique delivery are all quintessentially Toronto, his new song “Wheel It” has Puffy L’z at his nicest ready to continue his global takeover. It’s been a few years since the passing of Smoke Dawg, his untimely death definitely shook the city and his Halal Gang brothers to their core. Through it all, it seems like the crew hailing from Regent Park is ready to reclaim their place as the artists that helped build Toronto’s sound to …

If you have been a fan of underground hip-hop then there’s no doubt you are familiar with the name J.K. The Reaper. The artist out of North Carolina electrified listeners with his sharp lyricism and aggressive delivery on many iconic songs from the peak of the SoundCloud era. J.K. connected with Supah Mario, a producer who has been on an absolute tear this year contributing to some of 2020’s biggest albums. Mario’s sound was crucial to Lil Uzi Vert’s behemoth album Eternal Atake, so it comes as no surprise that the super-producer shifted his eyes to another talent that is ready to reclaim his title as one of the nicest out of the underground. The pair recently dropped an energetic new single titled “Hot Ones”, a spicy single that highlights why a collab from these 2 is long overdue. With J.K. The Reaper, you can always expect witty verses that feature lines that implant themselves in your head. Since I first time I heard this song, J.K. outlining himself getting wild and doing a “Swanton Bomb into a Hot Tub” was an image I just couldn’t get out of my head. This heater was accompanied by visuals that match the tempo of the …

Kids Take Over is one of the most inventive and exciting platforms for hip hop on YouTube built from the ground up by one creative Canadian. The host Arshan has built an incredible brand by getting guests that other outlets would overlook, creating interesting interviews that shed light on all aspects of the music industry. The past few weeks have been huge for Mario Judah, his very public taunting of Playboi Carti to drop one of the most anticipated albums of the year after a million delays has garnered the attention of millions. Over the weekend, Mario dropped his own version of Whole Lotta Red on SoundCloud, this saga has only helped Mario evolve from a depressed kid who went against the grain to a very genuine and hilarious rockstar that hasn’t even begun to hit his stride as an antagonist to what people perceive as conventional. Kids Take Over was the first outlet to get an interview with Mario, Arshan’s calm demeanor allows Mario to show his real personality, dive deep into his fandom of Playboi Carti, and the method behind the madness. Watch the interview below and check out more of the content on Kids Take Over!

Over the past few years, we have seen Toronto’s DillanPonders work tirelessly to ascend through the convoluted journey that comes with making it as a star in today’s music industry. The career artist has put out a stellar full body of work over the past few years, each one showing a solid step forward in Dillan’s talent as an artist but he recently blessed us with by far his best project to date titled BECAUSE WE’RE ALIVE. This powerful 12-track album is a full showing of Dillan’s musical talents and a tribute to all of the influences that he has pulled from to craft his unique sound. It feels as if Dillan has gone through an evolution, everything from his music to his demeanor seems to have been focused in on as with an album of this level, I don’t think DillanPonders will be considered an underground artist for much longer. This year has seen us all have to take a step back and be thankful for the small things many of us take for granted on a day to day basis. Dillan’s unrelenting praise of perseverance in the face of hardship is honestly one of the most inspiring takeaways …

Earlier this summer, I stumbled across a group that exudes talent and chemistry to the highest degree. The group’s natural appeal and timeless feel has positioned them as a top contender for next up in a long lineage of rap collectives to shake the world. Known as O2worldwide, they have quickly become one of my favorite new acts of the year without question. The 16-person ensemble filled with artists, producers, and visionaries got their name from a majority of the group being born in 2002 and their roots in Oklahoma. While the Sooner State may not be home to a ton of success in the hip-hop world, this lack of paths to follow is what created a need for these young creatives to join forces and create a group that is fit to hit with listeners of every demographic. We’ve covered O2worldwide in the past but with each release, they seem to be growing in stature and their latest single is quite possibly one of their best to date.  Today they released their latest single titled “WHAT’S THE MOVE”, a laidback track that encapsulates what makes O2 so appealing. Intricate verses over a bouncy beat with a smooth chorus that …