ATSIC S04E36 - Convincing
It’s time to speed run through all the remaining unplayed music I bought this year before 2024 begins, bringing with it the fifth season of ATSIC and the third season of Fly in Formation. Some weeks coming up will have 2 episodes of #ATSIC, so stay tuned for more of the best rap from coast to coast as we double down on being the best coverage of the national rap scene.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to better promote the show, the scene, all the artists, and my own music. A lot. For years. I could be wrong, but I’m starting to suspect that there just is no market for Canadian indie rap, for a variety of reasons. People are too stressed just trying to live; they have no capacity to stay tapped into the constant flow of new music. Most of my friends are so busy that they barely have time to return a text let alone check out some rapper I say is dope. And a lot of those are other artists who’ve devoted huge parts of their life to their love of music. Streaming platforms have pushed music as an art form into a corner where people expect it in life, but they expect not to pay for it directly, and expect not to have to make any effort to find new artists. There are algorithms for that right? Surely the good stuff gets pushed hardest? Many are happy to listen to the classics they loved in high-school. Some people think that the mainstream is the only relevant music being made. Other people think the mainstream is garbage and that Hip Hop died. Neither side of that argument will listen to a show like this. Some artists think they have nothing to learn from other artists; they’ve read the how-to guide online, and those other guys are wack anyways. Some people only want to hear indie music made by artists they grew up with, thinking that ignoring the rest of the country's upcoming acts is somehow a show of loyalty to the guys they know. Some guys don’t trust anything online because it’s new and scary, etc. Everyone has some reason not to listen, not to engage. Everyone has a reason they can’t be bothered. That’s alright. I can be bothered enough for everyone. Every fucking week.
I’m not entirely sure if ad money will help. This might just be too niche. I flip flop on whether or not to promote the show as being all Canadian. It might scare more people away than it entices. Either way, I’ll keep at it and hope for the best.
In an effort to push it a bit more, I’ll be doing a lot of chopping and posting clips from interviews throughout December to try to be so constant that anyone interested in Canadian Hip Hop who remains ignorant of the show will have to do so willfully, probably for one of the above reasons. Soon enough I’ll probably try some ad dollars too. I don’t imagine many Americans will be coming to check out talent from the country beside them, but there might be Europeans who I can convince to tap in; they still seem to dig for Hip Hop on a more regular basis, and there are millions of them. And Canada is closer to NY than they are so that adds some sort of authenticity maybe. For now, the focus is on creating mixes that will convince people when they do tap in. I think we have the formula for that locked in.
The Mix
I picked a new track from RZA to kick off this episode. It’s sorta weird if I’m keeping it 100, but it’s by one of the most respected producers in the industry, so I’m still here checking and can appreciate the output. Dude could have picked up a flute instead. It’s funny how listeners will shit all over new releases they don’t like, then also get outraged when someone like Dre 3k drops something that isn’t rap at all. Personally, I’m all for hearing what aging rappers still have to say. Age should bring wisdom and new perspectives, and sharing those with the world seems more and more important as people segregate into our own online echo chambers.
The mix for the rest of the episode was once again put together by my good friend DJ Dice, selecting from a folder I’d been building of “danceable” songs from the past couple months. I think there was about 80 minutes of music in that folder, but he whittled it down to 50 or so minutes and did some tasty blends and scratching throughout it.
YellowBunny is an artist who might be making her ATSIC debut with “Jaded.” I can’t recall, but I’ve probably played a few songs featuring her before this. She’s an artist from Vancouver who talks openly about her history of drug addiction and carries a torch for people pursuing sobriety and a better quality of life. I can always appreciate that content; it’s a damn epidemic out there, and people need all the inspiration they can get. They need harm reduction and social programs too, but I can’t convince people what music they should be listening to, let alone how to vote.
Tea Fannie recruited fellow Calgarians Catfish the Wizard and Rubix for “Stay in the Light,” an upbeat bop that has the 2 emcees skipping across a rumbling soundscape from the Wizard and recapping things that keep them up at night. It’s a slow build to a full-on dance vibe this mix.
Navi sent over the new single from Dankery Harv, which sounds like it could have been a freestyle if my lyricist ear serves me. Nothing too intricate being said here, but the reggae-infused beat carries this one along. When I’m collecting tracks for a mix like this, I’m still going to pick music that sticks to my personal tastes; it’ll never be just straight pop music. This is Hip Hop; it can get gutter.
I hope a lot of people listening to these episodes ask themselves “Who Is This?”, the title of Konan Doyle's new one. He bars up and hits a flow midway through that reminded me a lot of something I remember hearing from Mitchell Lawler a few years back. The “Whoa..” flow.
After that, it’s off to Montreal for some francophone lyricism. I can’t speak French anything close to fluently, but I could tell one of the verses is shouting out a bunch of rap legends, and the flows and hook are on point. Bi-lingual Canada needs representation too. I do my best to play stuff from every city and every artist who’s relevant to someone.
Gully is one fifth of the Winnipeg group The Lytics, and he dropped a new EP, “The Makishi Dance.” The single, “Pain,” has him flipping an ODB sample on the hook, so that scored points, but the overall vibe and message of the song hit home with precision, incorporating some therapeutic advice while providing people with a certified jam.
Omega Mighty is a Toronto-based artist whose sister Haviah Mighty makes more regular ATSIC appearances. Her stuff seems to be more dancehall infused than her sibling, so I’d been waiting to include a track or two from her onto a more dance-oriented mix. “Poblano” has plenty of heat to spice up the mix a level or two. Some French bars on this one as well.
GONZZALO is an Edmontonian who someone must have told me to tap in with, and his new record “Sculpting the Sun” has a bunch of solid music on it. This one, “Left Right, Left Right featuring 5kHizzy,” is a G Funk-inspired head nodder complete with a high line funk synth melody. Both emcees kill their verses with some reminiscing on the come up.
Moka Only has been an inspiration. As I just listened back to my voice over, it sounds like I say “was an inspiration”.. dude is still alive and well don’t worry. I just misspoke, meant it more like “even back in the day Moka was an inspiration.” Consistency like he’s been exhibiting lately is truly a rare feat. “Sophisticated” has him rocking the mic over a beat from Soulization. I’m wondering how Moka places on the “Most Played” list at the end of Season 4. He’s gotta be up there with all the features plus his own solo project this year.
I was happy to see Edmonton’s Arlo Maverick call in some support from Calgary’s Sinzere for his recent Blue Collar album release show. Too often Berta’s 2 most populated cities are happy to maintain a competitive stance. “Big Pimpin” is a single, and it keeps the West Coast bass line trend with a beat to inspire a boogey.
We go full EDM steez with “All of a Sudden,” the new one from Vancouver duo The Funk Hunters featuring J5 legend Chali 2na. I think these acts toured Canada back in the day, so they must have maintained ties. Or maybe this is a remix under some bars from the fish that I wasn’t familiar with, I don’t really know for sure. Either way, dope. Still Hip Hop.
Belleville ON emcee Nic Bam brings things back to the B Boy cypher with “BEASTIE IN ME,” where he pays homage to the originators, from the Fugees to the titular Beasties, over a classic breakbeat and a flute sample. Straight to the morning, straight to the point.
Kola is an artist who I was introduced to on TikTok; he’s a producer in Montreal, I believe, and he does lots of content, from beat-making vids to open verse duo challenges (I did one). This track has him remixing a jam from fellow Montreal artist Milla Thyme. I think Makadi must be on the chorus. Disco vibes on this one, but in Timbos.
Back to the well for a second time with more GONZZALO, another banger; “These Streets feat. Nyyjeerya.” All of these songs are still bar-heavy, but they’re also tracks you might need to dance to. It’s not a mix you hear often, which is why it took a bit of time to put this playlist together. Some of the tracks might be a bit older than usual on ATSIC. Sculpting the Sun dropped mid-October.
I know a thing or two about Illvis Freshly, since they talked to me for Fly in Formation last year in season 1. We talked about making music for festivals, and this is definitely that. Back to EDM bass lines and a groove you can’t reject. The guys drop some clever and well crafted party rhymes, as is tradition.
Things finish out with two more tracks from Edmonton. Maybe Dice has an Edmonton bias? I sent an hour and a half of music, he chose what to play out of it. K-Blitz with “Again” keeps the dance floor moving, and then we finish out with a new drop from Touch’s YouTube, where his music has been landing exclusively. When we talked for Fly in Formation a couple of weeks ago, Touch told me to go bootleg it if I want to play it, so I did that; hopefully, he doesn’t hit me with the cease and desist.
Included after the music is the Touch interview from Fly in Formation, where we talk for 2 hours about just about everything two emcees can pontificate about. If anyone has a legit overview of the Edmonton rap scene, it’s Touch, and I’m humble enough to admit a lot of reverence for the man's music; he’s been an inspiration for what a career as an indie emcee in Canada can look like, and he didn’t do it by writing really good grant proposals while making questionable music either, dude is dope as fuck. We chopped it up, so tap in here for audio or over on Youtube if you want to see our smiling faces.
Thanks for the support, thanks for checking in and reading. Let me know what you think of the mixes, the songs, the artists, or anything else. Sound off in the comments here, on Mixcloud, or on any of the socials (social links above and below).
There are two more interviews scheduled this season for Fly in Formation; then I’ll be back on Jan 2 with more. The Jan/Feb schedule is up on Twitch already, where no one will ever find it. If you do go looking, hit follow while you’re there, it’s a slow climb to build a community. I’ll do more promo for next season of FiF through December. Don’t let the people you care about keep sleeping.
We’ll be back on Thursday with another mix this week.
Stay Up.
