10 Toronto Rappers To Watch

Toronto's hip-hop scene is bursting at the seams with great artists, all the way from its headliners, OVO and XO, to the underground, it's brimming with young, fast-growing talent.

An unfortunate reality for Torontonian rappers is that access to career-fostering platforms is in short supply. Very few Canadian acts get their big break to the States (first) and beyond, without external help. Although, the Internet has helped to break some boundaries that Canadian rappers often encounter, there's still nothing like a Drake co-sign to jumpstart a Toronto-bred MC (but, then again, if we're talking Drake, chances are it's an r'n'b-driven act).

To get their break, some artists pursue record deals in the United States. Others bury themselves in work over the long Canadian winter, writing song after song searching for a hit. LA is a popular destination for market testing, networking and inspiration during the bleak months of Canadian winters, but once spring strikes it's full blast in the city. Projects drop, club nights get booked, openers are sealed for big outdoor festivals. Toronto's art scene comes alive in the night time.

It's still a great place to be for budding talent, working with people from a myriad of different cultures, backgrounds, tastes and goals. The one thing Toronto's hip-hop scene lacks is proper exposure to a bigger audience that goes beyond the city itself. You can walk down the street and get recognized as a "big" Toronto artist locally, downtown, but once you veer away from home, your name may not carry as much weight, let alone recognition. 

With that in mind, here are 10 rappers from Toronto we think you should earmark for bigger things. This list is by no means exhaustive, but serves as a taste test of what Toronto's vibrant hip-hop scene has to offer. We'll be checking back in to offer the same sort of glimpse at the city's equally-thriving r'n'b scene, so be sure to look out for that companion list shortly.

Please note: before you get all riled up in the comments, we avoided including acts such as NAV, 88Glam and Preme, as much as we love them, simply because they've already been able to broach fame far beyond Toronto.

That being said, who is your favourite rapper from Toronto right now?

Derin Falana hails from Toronto’s western reaches in Brampton, Ontario, an artist we've been advocating for ever since he submitted to our Heatseeker series, way back when-- thus his inclusion here should come as no surprise.

His 2015 mixtape, 905, introduced him to Toronto and Brampton listeners, featuring local entertainers Jae and Trey Richards of Brampton's own 4YallEntertainment. In the same year, Falana released his self-titled EP, followed by Live from Rocky Mountain in 2016.

Falana also featured in a lookbook for Peace Collective - a Toronto-based streetwear and lifestyle brand - as part of their Canadian Built series.

Aside from his songwriting skills, it’s his approach to storytelling that we appreciate. Check out his serialized audio journal, These Days, a stream of consciousness streamed from his to yours.

As of lately, his music releases have been sparse, but we expect that's just because he's building up something supremely dope, so keep an eye out come 2018 (hopefully sooner).

Clairmont the Second is a self-made artist who doesn’t let his young age (he can’t drink yet in the U.S.) stop him from sounding like an rapper beyond his years. Aside from his rapping prowess, Clairmont directs his own videos, plays his own instruments (he's been playing drums since the age of 5) and produces his own tracks. The work ethic is truly unreal.

Clairmont is from the west end in Toronto. His area, aptly named Weston, is a point of pride and part of the identity of his music. If the name sounds familiar, you may recall it from Drake's track, "Weston Road Flows," a nod to his own childhood experience.

Check out his most recent album, Lil Mont From the Ave for a little bit of everything. There's bravado on “Gheeze,” sex appeal on “2 Rich 4 Me” and thankfulness on “ Ma Homie Gawd.” 

Shaqisdope, and he knows it. He recently collaborated with a much bigger Shaq on a clapback track towards Big Shaq recently, which gave him some added limelight, after many years of dedicated work to the rap game. He’s even named after the Shaquille O'Neal, bringing things full circle in a sense.

Shaqisdope’s self-titled EP just dropped two weeks ago, featuring Teddy Walton and Akhilo on the boards, so it's never been a better time to get introduced to the rapper's music.

Shaq grew up in St. James Town, a small area of Toronto's downtown east end that was built up in the 1960s. Shaqisdope comes from a Venezuelan background, and tries to incorporate his heritage in the music he makes. Check out "Bow My Head," featuring Venezuelan group West9 Phamily.

Also, that new self-titled EP.

Brick Grillins is as much a hype rapper as he is a mystery. Find him racking up plays on Soundcloud and playing a set at a grimy bar in Toronto’s west end before jetting off to LA for an artist’s retreat.

Having lost a baseball scholarship due to injury, Brick became involved in gang activity in Oklahoma City, where he went to school. Those days still plague him in the form of PTSD, according to his entry on Notable Life. Now a full-time rapper, Brick splits his time between California, Florida, and Toronto, as he works on growing his profile as an artist.

Get acquainted by starting with “Waste," produced by Onji from sunny LA.

Listen to Brick's BiPolar EP below.

Ty Senoj’s new album, Metrosexual, is a trip. Bouncy beats, a liberal use of autotune and a bright sound that can be difficult to properly execute all come together in a  trappy-hip-hop fusion. 

The whole album is a shoutout to his aesthetic as a young, tuned-in male who isn't afraid to get caught up in the art of life, be it the latest fashion, political movements or the general self-care required of a modern man.

If you want a taste of his style before diving right into Metrosexual, though, listen to "Flirt" below - if you like what you hear, flip to the other side of his sound with "Wheels," featuring another Toronto native in Sean Leon, before hitting play on the album. 

If you haven’t heard “Kilomanjaro” or “Distance” this summer, you need to check the wifi signal of the rock you live under. Killy is surely blowing up, with his hype singles, flashy image and catchy lyrics.

He's 20 years old now, but Killy's been rapping since high school. He told XXL that he'd record voice notes on BlackBerry Messenger to get his bars tracked. In the same interview, he also said that he disagrees with the "emo rap" and "SoundCloud rapper" tags. Killy's music may have similar characteristics to those hip-hop offshoots, but to put the young artist's music in the same box doesn't make much sense. His constant play with vocal register, rhythmically off-kilter beats and incessant work rate to style himself for video drops, concerts and his online image speaks to his dedication to crafting a unique voice and look as an artist. Broadly, what Killy makes is hip-hop, but it's just a little different to what other rappers on the come-up are making.

Bump the big hit, "Kilamanjaro," first.

Then hit play on "Stolen Identity," by Killy produced by Daxz

Continue the theme with “Regular Day” by Daxz, featuring Killy.

SAFE's introduction to the scene was fueled by talent and a little good fortune. Not too many from the city know much about the singer, who croons over trap-inspired ballad. Born in Abu Dhabi, Saif Musaad's parents moved the family to Toronto when Musaad was just two months old. He told Noisey that he traded a love of basketball for a pen to write lyrics at the age of 13. In Toronto, he's from the Esplanade, a bustling area mostly comprised of community housing, right by the lake. The story goes that SAFE met OVO founder Oliver El-Khatib during the video shoot for fellow Toronto rapper Donnie Prime's song, "Northside." Shortly afterwards, SAFE was working at the OVO store and continuing to develop his relationship with El-Khatib. Originally, SAFE didn't make it clear he was also an artist in his own right -- he just figured working at the store would be a "good experience."

"[Oliver] and I had something before he knew I made music, so when I told him it was like a bonus—he was really excited to hear it," Musaad told Noisey.

SAFE continued recording until he came up with "Feel." A quick upload to Soundcloud was all it took to put him on the city's radar. Soon, kids would come to the OVO store just to get a glimpse of the man on the rise.

Check out his self-titled EP.

And the visuals for the ever-powerful “Eternity”

Dillan Ponders is always in your face. His voice is raspy, his songs rattle. He's a trap machine, cranking out song after song that deal with his constant state of inebriation, sex, all the fun stuff. His laid-back demeanour combined with the voice of a scruffy soldier gives him the flexibility to put his lilt on dark beats that bang.

Listen to No Mans Land, laced with bangers.

Atlanta export Ca$tro Guapo teamed up with Fiji to form CMDWN, a collective born after a long night of partying. CMDWN have been busy making waves in Toronto's scene since Toronto peer Derek Wise invited them to the studio, where they recorded the anti-social anthem, "We Are Not." Shortly after they released "Wrist" to great reception. Since then, two albums have come from the two, the first being Atlanada in 2016.

This year, Fiji and Ca$tro combined to spit bars over hard beats and a "fire and ice" motif on their most recent release, Castro vs. Fiji.

Their time making music together spans just over two years, but CMDWN already features with artists like Nessly and Lil Yachty, ensuring they're moving in the right circles of like-minded (and sounding) artists. They're looking to release their third album, Atlanada 2, this coming spring. Safe to say big things are coming from CMDWN, and now would be the opportune moment to start paying attention.

John River, born Matthew Jonathan Derrick-Huie, is from Mississauga, just west of downtown Toronto. His entry into the music scene was with single "Every Evening," which led to mixtape The Calm, released when he was just 17-years old.

Recently, and unfortunately for us, Derrick-Huie has been quiet on all fronts as a rapper. His website, which doubles as a name for his socials - letssavematthew - directs to nothing. His Instagram feed is empty. On his YouTube channel, the platform that boosted his profile, has only two songs posted. 

Some of his inspiration comes from his late cousin, Khadeem Antoine, who was stabbed and killed in 2012. After releasing The Storm in 2015 produced in collaboration with heavy hitters Wondagurl and FrancisGotHeat, River has entered the world of public speaking to speak about the issues in his music in a way that's relatable to those who may be considered outsiders of hip-hop circles.

Derrick-Huie told CBC News that his work aims promote understanding between marginalized black youth and the corporate types to whom he delivers speeches. "Every white male above 30 years of age is not your enemy," Derrick-Huie said.

As for his musical output, we know from a bit of digging (aka stalking his twitter), that he’s been cooking something up in LA, before jetting off to NYC-- see the synopsis below. We can only hope he returns to form soon, because he is most definitely one to watch, and listen to, from the Six.

Listen to “The Storm” below.

L.A been crazy. Seen this nigga Justin Bieber like 3 times. Also got to come home & see my mom on my birthday so gotta thank the man up top

Aye & while I'm here gotta shout out everybody who been putting me up in L.A & letting me eat food from their cabinets. I'mma pay yall back

Back to NY.