Beats, not banjos: Some hip-hop artists to see at ECMW

If you perceive East Coast Music week as the conference of beards and banjos, you're not entirely wrong. That doesn't mean there isn't something for you.

If you grew up listening to Biggie over Johnny Cash, or Wu Tang over Simon & Garfunkel, you'll still feel at home.

The Electronic and Hip-Hop award categories are breathing fresh beats into the east coast music scene and highlighting what they have to offer. 

East Coast Music Week's Hip Hop Spotlight, will feature these four artists:

Hear/Say 

Hear/Say is a hip-hop band from St. John's, fronted by rapper Adam Martin. He isn't backed by electronic beats, but he has a full band behind him with guitarist Adam Hefferman, drummer Keith Harding, percussionist Whitney Rowe, Robbie Brett on synth & keys, and Greg Bruce on saxophone. Here's a sample. 

City Natives

City Natives is Beaatz, IllFundz, Gearl & BnE, collectively from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They have performed alongside artists Bone Thugs N Harmony, YG, SonReal and Madchild to touring Canada with Wu-Tang Clan's own Raekwon. Last year, they took home an ECMA for Aboriginal Recording of the Year for their release, 4Kings.

​Jay Mayne 

Dartmouth hip-hop artist Jay Mayne has a loyal following and has made a name for himself. He's known for being an avid skateboarder and WESC activist. In the coming weeks, he'll be releasing his latest album, 14. 

[Caution: this video contains explicit lyrics.] 

Corey LeRue

Corey LeRue is a Halifax-based audio engineer, producer and composer. He's worked with numerous artists including most recently American rapper Waka Flocka Flame. LeRue is primarily known for his electronic/pop band, Neon Dreams.