Arts·Commotion

A tour through Quebec's rap music history

As part of our series celebrating hip-hop at 50, CBC broadcaster and emcee Nantali Indongo explores hip-hop's musical history in La Belle Province.

Nantali Indongo explores the role language played in the rise of Quebec's most noteworthy rap acts

Four men pose in front of a truck.
Canadian hip-hop musical collective Alaclair Ensemble. (Alaclair Ensemble/Facebook)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of what many consider to be the birth of hip-hop.

Today on Commotion, CBC broadcaster and emcee Nantali Indongo joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to act as a tour guide through hip-hop's musical history in Quebec.

Together, they examine the genre's past, present and future in La Belle Province, and consider the role language played in the rise of some of its most noteworthy rap acts.

LISTEN | Today's show on YouTube:

For more stories about the 50th anniversary of hip-hop — including Tom Power's conversations with some of the artists who witnessed and shaped the genre — check out Hip-Hop at 50 here.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Nantali Indongo produced by Ty Callender.