backxwash
The friendly competition between former pals Drake and The Weeknd was as hot as ever in 2022. Both had busy years, with three major releases between the two of them. More than a decade into their respective careers they’ve never been bigger, but Canadian music had many more artists to celebrate in 2022. Canadian music […]
Montreal’s known more for its solitudes than scenes, but that doesn’t mean the city is a bilingual bucket full of fighting crabs. Variety is the spice of life, and it’s also the special sauce that goes on Montreal rap’s steamé hot dog. To an outsider, the lack of interlocking parts may look like a lack […]
It’s been a tough month for Canada. As the nation still processes the discovery of over 1,000 unmarked graves and the remains of Indigenous children at former residential school sites, many are grappling with the bitter truth that the Great White North may not be as great as they had once thought. Some education, unlearning, and relearning is in order as […]
America may have Method Man, Redman, and (…ahem) Afroman. But Canada is no slouch when it comes to MCs waxing poetic about puffing lye. Our famous B.C. bud has helped fuel some underground, criminally underrated rappers who add poignancy and nuance to their smoke odes. On the other end of the spectrum (a few time […]
Drake and The Weeknd may be the two biggest artists Canada’s ever birthed, but to find success they had to leave the country. There’s a reason for that: Making it as a Black artist within our borders can feel like a Sisyphean task, thanks to systemic barriers that have remained in place for decades. For […]
It’s been a long fight. The music industry has been upended, and our lives along with it. But in the most challenging of years, some voices still managed to stand out, either lifting us out of the darkness or resonating with us during a time of unrest. Good music really hit different in 2020. And in Canada, […]
Backxwash has won the prestigious 2020 Polaris Music Prize for her metal-infused hip-hop album, God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It. The award is presented annually to the best Canadian album, as decided by a jury of music journalists and broadcasters. The Montreal-based, Zambia-born rapper had some steep competition this year, beating out records […]
Of the many music tastemakers to lavish praise on meteorically rising Montreal rapper Backxwash in 2020, the shout-out she might be most personally excited about came from Metal Hammer. The venerable UK rock publication, normally known for keeping track of what the titans of rock are up to, called Ashanti Mutinta one of “modern rap’s […]
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