It's Bigger Than Hip Hop

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(l-r) DJs Hunnicutt and Co-Op (PROVIDED PHOTO)

One of the most important things about 2010 was the huge upsurge in urban hip hop culture in our small metropolis.
   
Three out of the five nominees in the hip hop category at the Western Canadian Music Awards were from Winnipeg; Streetz FM, a radio station dedicated solely to hip hop music, was launched; and many big-name hip hop acts stopped in Winnipeg to do shows.
   
I turned to many in the local hip hop scene to get their take on why this past year was such a great one for hip hop in Peg City.
   
Here’s what some of them had to say:
   
   
Rob Crooks, MC, Magnum K.I. and The Fucking Retards:
   
One of the reasons hip hop started to gain back some ground in this city was collaborations. More groups were supporting each other, and the scene, in general.
   
Also, there’s Streetz. Streetz gave Winnipeg hip hop an outlet when there wasn’t anywhere else to go.
   
One more thing is individual efforts. Artists who had been doing it for a long time continued to do it. Pip Skid, Foultone, Rupness and Cypha Diaz are all artists who never stopped. Then you have newcomers like The Lytics and Winnipeg’s Most, both of which made some major moves in the past year. You have promoters like Cass moving to the city and doing big things, bringing in big acts and helping out local acts, too.
   
Hip hop never stopped in this city, but it ebbs and flows, and the momentum it's gaining now is only the beginning.
   
   
Tyler Sneesby, aka DJ Hunnicutt:
   
I think 2010 was the busiest year for touring rap shows that I can ever remember — Beatnuts, Del, Pharoah Monch, Reflection Eternal, Shad, The Roots, Freeway and Jake One, Buck 65, Drake, Chali 2na, Yelawolf, Bun B, EPMD, Three 6 Mafia, and some other stuff I’m probably missing.

   
Hellnback, MC, Team Rezofficial:
   
It’s ironic that most cats that are making huge noise are under conditions. They also say when faced with nothing the only thing to gain is everything.
   
They call Winnipeg ‘Red Hollywood’ but I call it a talented place that just happens to be populated with Natives with crazy talent. I hate the term ‘Native hip hop’ which is ironic cause I was one of the people that started the trend.
   
What I hate is the fact that cats say, ‘He’s good for a Native!’ I say, ‘I’m good for an artist, not just a Native.’
 
   
Tha Rupness Monsta, MC:
   
(It’s) a combination of things — the one main thing being a radio station dedicated to local/Canadian hip hop. But another big thing would be the bunch of people within the scene making stuff happen.
   
We got Cass, who’s bringing in mad shows, then we got Kev from TUB bringing in hella shows as well, and let’s not forget Stephen Hua. And then we got Heatbag/Winnipeg’s Most, which def brought a hell of a lot of shine to Winnipeg the past year.
   
Then you got a bunch of rappers and rapper/producers like DJ Kutdown, Boogie, Alex Sannie and myself, and many others that are making a serious push… I think all of this is perpetuating this snowball effect within the hip hop community in Winnipeg, and everyone is just gettin more and more on they grind!

   
Allan Lorde, graphic designer/hip hop head:
   
I’d say it was the year everyone woke up and went for theirs. Winnipeg has been slept on nationally for a while, so the locals have been doing everything they can to let everyone know we’re still around.
   
Peanuts & Corn Records dropped two releases after being dormant for two years. P&C mainstay Pip Skid released an incredible album on Foultone, and Len Bowen of Shadez put out his Long Story Short EP.
   
Marathon of Dope put out several free/pay-what-you-want releases, and they’ll end the year with John Smith and Murdock’s It’s True Because It Rhymes, an album I’ve been waiting three years for. Needless to say, Winnipeg’s Most and Magnum K.I. have been getting much-needed and deserved attention.

   
DJ Kinetik:
   
Streetz. Pretty much the sole reason. It forced artists to step up their game in terms of recording, mastering, etc., and also finally supplied an outlet for all these basement chemists to have their music heard.

   
Nestor Wynrush, MC/producer, Marathon of Dope:
   
Hip hop is the pop music of this generation. People have attempted to ignore that in Winnipeg. In the last few years, Winnipeg media finally caught up with the times. Local talent has always been above average but has not had the outlets available to get their art to the people’s ears in the past. Our city’s artists have always been proud to explore and express our views on living in this city that is a microcosm of this country. The ground support, Internet, written press, awards, TV and regular radio rotation have given this scene a bit more of a fighting chance to shine. People now know that someone is trying to tell their stories.

   
Jon-C, MC/producer, Heatbag Records, Winnipeg’s Most:
   
It’s the quality of music that’s being produced now, and the artists are real and their stories are relatable, so we got the fans listening. The hustle that’s being put forth by artists like CTL, The Lytics, us, Pip Skid, Foultone is amazing to see and be a part of.

   
Dro/Drezus, MC, Team Rezofficial:
   
I think it was a lotta hard work and dedication to something that we all grew up lovin’. The hip hop community in the ’Peg is strong and moves as a unit. There may be different sectors and subgenres in the scene but there’s a sense of pride in the Winnipeg product… whether we make music to sell or make music for ourselves… or even both. I’ve seen this scene grow to national media coverage. I love Winnipeg hip hop and am blessed to be a part of the growth in the scene.
   
Can’t forget the youth... they’re soooo involved with the scene and wanna become what they see... which means it’s also very important that we show them growth as artists and especially as human beings.

   
Melissa Spence, music director/host,  Streetz 104.7:
   
The addition of 104.7 to the FM dial in Winnipeg is, to me, a definite contributor to the surge in hip hop in Winnipeg. I still get many comments about how people never would have heard of some of the groups we play if they hadn’t heard them on the radio, specifically Streetz. I think we also influenced a couple other stations here in the city to step up and spin more local artists as well.

   
Cass Elliott, Face Entertainment:
   
People have stepped up the business side of their art. (The) reasons are (there are) more shows to be a part of and the chance to be on Streetz.
   
Needless to say, something special is happening with the hip hop music scene in Winnipeg. It’s due to many contributing factors that vary depending who you talk to, but the most encouraging and awesome part of the scene in Winnipeg is the support that all the local crews have for each other. There aren’t any beefs between crews and everyone collaborates with everyone. They support each other’s shows and listen to their music.
   
Traditionally, hip hop has been underground, but now with urban music becoming mainstream, MCs are having their voices and stories heard. Their messages reach far beyond the community they grew up in and, with the national attention we are getting here in Winnipeg, one can safely say that this is only the beginning.