Just when you thought artists would be winding down for the year, we were hit with a number of new releases. In this edition of Dope New Music, we look at new Canadian hiphop and R&B, as well as folk, afro-fusion, Gospel and dancehall from Mustafa, AR Paisley, Nate Husser, TwoTiime, Töme, TOBi, Charmaine and more, in no particular order.
AR PAISLEY FEAT. INDERPAL MOGA | “WHAT’S BEEF?”
After signing a new deal with 91 North Records, a joint venture between Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India, AR Paisley is back with his new single “What’s Beef?” featuring Inderpal Moga. The song sees the two artists going back and forth on a timeless boom bap beat. It also comes with visuals directed by Tango and shot and edited by Charlton Visuals where we see AR Paisley and Inderpal Moga enjoying mansions, food, luxurious cars and beautiful women. There are some nods to his hometown with shots of Paisley Boulevard and a shot of Paisley performing in Celebration Square in Mississauga. Fire.
MUSTAFA | “NAME OF GOD”
After his performance late last week at the Daniel Caesar show in Toronto, Mustafa is back with his new single “Name of God”. His vocals and folk style of music are so therapeutic while grappling with his Muslim faith and the murder of his brother. He tends to bring the contrasts of musical beauty and the sometimes not so beautiful realities of life and he does it again masterfully on the new single.
TÖME | “FINE PASS”
Töme is back with a brand new single “Fine Pass”. It blends those Nigerian vibes with a story about love. It’s the kind of song you can vibe to with that special person in your life. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of songs out right now about love so this one is refreshing to hear.
NATE HUSSER | DARKS SONGS TO DRIVE TO
Next up we have two of Canada’s most skilled rappers back to back. First, Montreal’s Nate Husser who somehow still seems to be slept on in Canada. He recently dropped his new album Dark Songs To Drive To and sonically, that’s exactly what we get. Some of the songs have a slightly futuristic and innovative vibe to it, while others feel dark and menacing. Despite Toronto getting all the shine, Nate Husser is one of the best hip-hop artists coming out of Canada right now, period.
TOBi | PANIC
Next up there’s TOBi who may very well be the most overall skilled artist in Black music in Canada (Don’t @ me). Usually we talk about musical artists as being ‘talented’ while ‘skilled’ is reserved for painters, but that’s the kind of artist he is. His ability to both sing and play with word at a high level is unmatched. HIs music is also timeless and has a classic sound, and we hear this again on his new project Panic. The haters will say it’s rigged, but this is another award-worthy project. The samples, the flows, the bars and the vocals are just elite.
TWOTIIME | “PRICELESS”
After announcing his new record deal with Polo G, Ottawa’s TwoTiime dropped a new single “Priceless”. He brought his signature vocals to the melodic track, but his sound is even more polished. There are some pop music sensibilities to the song showing his potential for mainstream success.
CHARMAINE AND DUB J | “BIG MACK” (Bria Mack Gets A Life)
“Big Mack” is the new single from Charmaine and Dub J from the Crave Original TV show Bria Mack Gets A Life telling the story of a young Black woman and recent university graduate living in Brampton. If you haven’t watch it yet, you’re missing out.
Both the beat and Charmaine‘s flow are fire. The song really channels what the show is all about.
CHOLOCASH | LOVE SO LOUD 2
Cholocash has been one of the hardest working young artists in Toronto in recent years, networking and dropping music video after music video.
Now he’s back with a new project Love So Loud 2 (with Chromazz making an appearance on the artwork) where he continues to blur the lines between genres, dipping his toe in pop, rock, Latin and electronic music. Listening to the project, it’s only a matter of time before he finds mainstream success. He has the sound and work ethic to make it happen.
CHXRRY22 FEAT. VORY | “NEVER HAD THIS”
It seems like just the other day that Chxrry22 was introduced as the first female artist at The Weeknd’s XO Records. Now she’s back with a new single “Never Had This” featuring Vory, who has been featuring on quite a few Canadian tracks lately.
On the new single, we get some strong yet sensual vocals as Chxrry22 knows her worth as a woman.
ROMEYO WILSON | MESSY TO YOU, PERFECT TO HIM
Brampton R&B artist, Romeyo Wilson, recently returned with a new Gospel EP titled Messy To You, Perfect To Him. Looking at his content on Instagram, it looks like the change in direction came from a real spiritual awakening.
In Canada, Gospel music is still a relatively forgotten branch of Black music so it’s nice to see an artist like Wilson give his interpretation of the genre which is more true to his R&B roots than the hand clapping flavour of Gospel we hear in the Southern United States.
OMEGA MIGHTY | NOTORIOUS & NOBLE
Earlier this month, Omega Mighty released her new album Notorious & Noble featuring her signature island vibes. She really does occupy a unique space in the Canadian music landscape with her international sound. On the album, she reminds us that although she can jump on a dancehall beat, she’s also a very strong vocalist with range.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s Toronto-based editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 310 international voters for the 81st Golden Globe Awards by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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