cold frontin' in canada...

this is a compilation of canadian rap artists from 1991, featuring main source (for those that don't know, sir scratch and k-kut are canadians), maestro, dream warriors, and others. the record sounded a little dated even then, but is worth checking out. "12 sided dice" is the standout track, in my opinion. i can't find the cover online anywhere, sorry.

various artists - cold front
attic records, 1991

1. ciut 89.5 master plan show spot
2. maestro fresh wes - black tie affair
3. base poet - when i went to buy milk
4. sweet ebony - with this
5. dream warriors - 12 sided dice
6. ckln power move show spot
7. main source - atom
8. sonyaline - in coming into consciousness
9. ciut 89.5 master plan show spot
10. kish - jim class
11. r&r - having a good day
12. nu black nation - soul vibration
13. chry 105.5 jam factor spot
14. kgb - letters of three
15. top secret - stupid
16. fresh b - this is for the record
17. ckln 88.1 oblivion express spot

from the liner notes (i got 'em from here):

"Although rap music has existed in Toronto since the late 70's under the influence of N.Y.C. and brought to the people via mobile sound crews like Sunshine, Maceo, City Crew and Ebony All-Star, the Toronto rap music community has had to share the beat with Funk, R&B, and Reggae almost pushing rap into an obscure underground until the mid-eighties. It wasn't until CKLN radio DJ Ron Nelson dedicated his three hour funk/hip hop show "The Fantastic Voyage" solely to rap music and began promoting concerts that new life was breathed into a community saturated by Roxanne Roxanne answer records and Egyptian lover beats.

"From the mid to late eighties, no Canadian artist had rapped on vinyl until Ivan Berry, Rupert Gayle and Richard Rodwell (AKA Maximum 60) formed Beat Factory Productions. In 1987 Beat Factory met Scott La Rock and KRS 1 during a BDP show. The result of that meeting was the Beat Factory EP featuring Michee Mee & L.A. Luv, and Rumble & Strong, which was co-produced by BDP and released on Beat Factory Records.

"Still, many Canadian labels weren't paying attention to the program. It wasn't until December of 1989 that Attic Records broke things wide open when they released Symphony In Effect, the debut album from Maestro Fresh Wes. Maestro and his manager Farley Flex had a chance meeting with Stevie B during a performance on the local television dance show The Electric Circus which led to an American deal with LMR Records. The album was released in Canada on Attic and quickly proved rap's commercial power to the industry by sailing past the platinum sales plateau and making Wes the first Canadian artist in any genre to score two Top 5 singles from a debut album -- thus forever changing the way the Canadian record industry viewed rap music.

"Meanwhile, Beat Factory had relative success with the signing of Michee Mee to First Priority and the release of HDV's debut LP, Sex, Drugs And Violence on ISBA (CBS) Canada. But, it wasn't until Island Records released the Dream Warriors LP, And Now The Legacy Begins, that Canadian hip-hop was finally recognized world-wide.

"Finally, A&M Records became the first major label to sign a Canadian rap artist when they picked up Kish from the Full Flex Management stable. Kish's debut Order To Chaos shows the new funky direction taken on by the Canadian hip hop nation.

"The Cold Front LP is not all that makes Toronto strong, but it's a taste of a rap community that has been stewing for over a decade."

--John Bronski