Meet the young hip-hop stars blazing new paths in Canada's scene

This week, hip-hop turned 50, and as artists across North America and abroad celebrate the decades of work it took to define and redefine the genre, a younger generation is reflecting on its own progress.

A wide range of successful Canadian DJs, MCs, artists and dancers have paved the way for aspiring musicians to follow in their footsteps, but for many of these up-and-comers the path they're taking looks a little different.

CBC News spoke with four emerging artists who are navigating this competitive industry and creating their own sounds to inspire future generations.

Canada's hip-hop market

While Canada has produced some of the biggest names in hip-hop, some new artists believe the country has yet to recognize the constantly evolving genre.

"I don't know if every rapper I've ever met feels like the Canadian music space has a place for them, or they don't have to branch out into other places to be successful," says Myst Milano, a non-binary, multi-talented artist based in Toronto.

Like many other artists, music was something Milano was always drawn to — they wrote songs as a child and played both drums and the guitar as a teen. The singer/songwriter, DJ and producer has found it difficult to get grants or find the same upward trajectory they see happening for artists in other genres.

"I've always kind of had to build my own thing as a queer, female presenting person."

Similarly, Toronto-based rapper Lioness Kaur, has faced some backlash trying to break out into the hip-hop scene. "I'm not the stereotypical person people would expect to be in hip-hop and there's a lot of hate and bias."

Kaur released her single Shawty like Sade in March and is looking forward to releasing a new song this month.

Edmonton-based ARDN found his own path through social media. 

"Like everything that I've ever done has been because of social media," he said. "In my experience and my whole career that's been my absolute foundation."

ARDN's big break came on TikTok in 2022 after he released his song Til the Morning and then Jupiter & Mars right after. The traction allowed him to grow a fan base and stretch his music outside Edmonton and Canada. 

Merging genres, going genre-less

The beauty of hip-hop is its ability to create a unique sound that can influence art, fashion, dance and more. Some artists use a mix of genres to create stories while others have created their own sound. 

King Cruff, a London, Ont.,rapper and MC (born Solomon Marley-Spence) plays with genres like reggae and dancehall in his singles Samurai Chop and Soufflé. In his next release, SHEDOENEED, he also added pop. But for him, the focus is always the lyrics, or bars.

"When you're telling these stories, you could introduce so much and actually make it a moment for the people," he said. "That was just always a big deal with me. And I wanted to make sure that anytime I made music, I had my bars up."

He spent his formative years in Jamaica and moved back to London when he was 17. The rapper spent years building his name before signing a label collaboration with Universal Music Canada and Jamaica's Tuff Gong Collective in October 2022.

While King Cruff focuses primarily on hip-hop with influences from other genres, some artists see themselves as genre-less. 

ARDN is one of them. "I did not want to be trapped in the box. I wanna be able to … explore and experiment and go with whichever avenue I want to do with my music. I never want to hold myself back."

ARDN signed with Capitol Records in December 2022, but he continues to use social media to his advantage in hopes of expanding globally, a path many young artists have taken in place of seeking radio play. 

"I wouldn't be in this if I'm not trying to be the biggest," he said.

Milano also describes themselves as genre-less.

"I listened to so much different music that I feel like putting myself into a box of one genre would be doing myself a disservice," they said. "As a DJ I love to put people on to new sounds and to things that they might not have come across."

Generational influence

The path to a career in hip-hop is not always easy for new artists, but the generations of talent that came before them continue to be an inspiration.

Toronto rapper Drake is one of the country's most successful exports and for Kaur, someone to aspire to. 

"I always looked up to him because he kind of had a similar story to me," she said. 

"When he first started out, a lot of people didn't get what he was doing. Like it was different and he got a lot of hate for it. But he was true to himself."

Drake followed Kaur on Instagram in 2022, making her feel more supported within the industry.

Cruff, who mentioned Maestro Fresh Wes and Nelly Furtado as artists who influenced him growing up, says connecting with Toronto's network of musicians has been helpful. "As I've started operating more in Toronto, I've met artists such as Rich Kidd and Junia-T who have been these underground kings who not only have made their own amazing music but have influenced the next generation so much."

Hip-hop's bright future

And even if some artists don't feel like they have a space in the Canadian hip-hop scene, new artists are hopeful about the future.

Myst Milano believes there's something great bubbling in hip-hop. "I'm hoping that the industry grows in a way that allows innovation and allows for there to be a breath of fresh air and allows for experimentation."

King Cruff came to Canada because he knew there was more of a market for hip-hop here than back in Jamaica. 

"I just feel like there's all these, like, hidden gems that just need their exposure," said Cruff who hopes to see London, his home town, give more space to newer artists.

"I feel like Canada has played this role of a quiet giant for quite some time and it's becoming more and more recognized by the rest of the world."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.