As a complement to our annual review of five “Queb” rap rookies to watch, here’s a portrait of five beat-makers who’ll break through on Québec’s hip-hop and electronic scene in 2022.

Gene Tellem

Gene TellemRaised to the sounds of ‘90s British trip-hop and Daniel Bélanger’s downtempo explorations on Rêver Mieux, Gene Tellem was attracted to the piano at a very young age, before switching her attention to the guitar in Cégep.

“I studied jazz guitar [at Saint-Laurent cégep], and around that time I started going out, and discovered after-hours clubs. That’s where I was introduced to electronic music,” says the now 30-year-old, Montréal-based beat-maker. “I started tinkering with machines, buying vinyl records, and mixing. I also grew interested in producing music. I bought Ableton Live [software], and all through my twenties I experimented with it a lot. Took quite a while before I produced something decent.”

It was in 2017 that Tellem unveiled herself with a first physical release, the EP Who Says No, on Montréal’s dance label Sounds of Beaubien Ouest – a subsidiary of the iconic Arbutus Records, which gave us Braids, Grimes, Blue Hawaii, and several other prominent local artists. Inspired by the New York house music scene, where she’s been an assiduous visitor for the past five years, the Bienvenue Recordings founder has since released seven other projects – some on vinyl, some on digital formats, most of which are available on listening platforms.

Mainly intended for the dancefloor, Tellem’s music took a whole new turn last year on Speed of Life, the second EP by singer Laroie, a longtime friend. Yanked out of her comfort zone, the result was an ethereal amalgamation of trip-hop, R&B, and electro-pop. “I was intimidated,” she readily admits. “Pop is my kryptonite when it comes to composing. I saw it as a challenge. Now I really enjoy [making that genre of music].”

In 2022, the musician will strike again with her friend for two new releases: Laroie’s latest project, and another one, with Secret Witness, a house band where the two play alongside drummer Pascal Deaudelin and producer Gabriel Rei. Tellem is also working on a duet project with Rei (Game Plan), as well as an upcoming solo EP in conjunction with New York’s Second Hand Records and, possibly, a full-length debut album on her own label. “I’m totally immersed in composing right now,” she says. “I’m gravitating towards songwriting and a listening experience, and away from typical club beats.”

Melowithdaheat

MelowithdaheatMelowithdaheat first became known on Montréal’s hip-hop scene under the moniker Melomayne. In retrospect, this re-appropriation of the word “mélomane” (“music lover”) has become a strong symbol for the now 33-year-old producer: it was his unwavering love of music that inspired him to carry on and never give up his passion, even though he could have justifiably done so many times.

Born in Little Burgundy, Montréal’s South-central neighbourhood, the Québécois-Congolese artist began making beats in the mid-aughts, inspired by the producer Vader (his cousin), who’d just purchased FL Studio (a music-creation software). “I made my first beat in a couple of days and thought it was amazing,” says Melowithdaheat. “I sent it to my cousins and they laughed at me really hard. Of course my beat sucked! I just didn’t care. I was already obsessed.”

Alongside Vader, the young producer created the group NOGAMZ and quickly ensured his success in the increasingly democratized – and competitive – beat-making market. Their first major placements arrived in 2012, notably with Booba and Sefyu, and the two cousins got their first contract in France. “It was a magical year,” says Melowithdaheat, wistfully recalling many paid trips and clothing sponsorships. “Sadly, for reasons unknown to us, [the rapper they were making beats for] stopped making music. We managed to get out of the contract, but it was like starting from scratch.”

And that was just the beginning of their hardships. In the years that followed, they had to contend with a crooked manager, and signing an American deal that turned out to be a dead end. “The music industry grossed me out a bit,” says Melowithdaheat. “I stopped making placements, but my passion came out unscathed.”

More recently, finding out his mother was ill triggered him to start making music professionally again. “It made me think a lot,” he says. “Then, in 2020, just as the pandemic started, I decided to go all in. I quit my job, I started investing in the stock market with my severance pay, and three months later, I learned how to record people. Six months later, I opened my own studio.”

Thanks to a few placements with key artists on the Québec scene (Rosalvo, OneNessa, SB, and LK tha Goon) as well as with the renowned French rapper Kalash, Melowithdaheat kickstarted 2022 with ironclad determination. In addition to preparing the launch of two new Montréal-based rap hopefuls (Bagfull and Kyilah), he is working on several secret collaborations he can’t announce just yet.

Nkusi

NkusiOf Rwandan origin, the Trifluvian (a name that denotes people living in Trois-Rivières, Québec) beat-maker Nkusi was baptized with music early on in life, when his mom enrolled him in the church choir. A few years later, he traded praising the Lord for a more popular form of expression among the youth of his adopted city: rap.

First established by trailblazers such as Ale Dee and Sir Pathétik, the Trois-Rivières hip-hop scene has been alive and kicking for about a decade now. Thanks to its vitality and dynamism, Nkusi was introduced to beat-making a little more than five years ago. “Even though [Sir Path and Ale Dee] aren’t always taken seriously, they’ve put Trois-Rivières on the map in many people’s consciousness,” says Nkusi. “There’s something brewing over there.”

But make no mistake about it: the 28-year-old producer has nothing in common with the smooth pop tunes and dated piano-violin flights of the two veterans. On the contrary, his is a minimalist hip-hop groove, with soul and electronica flavours, that he inherited from his love of Flying Lotus, Flume, Kaytranada, and Knxwledge.

Jimmy Young, a central player on the Trifluvian scene, was the one who turned him on to beat-making. While in Québec City to study jewelry-making, Nkusi decided to forge on with his first project, Gutaginza (2019). “That’s where I understood how to flesh out my ideas and monetize my art, and I had a job at Le Bureau de poste [a popular bar in downtown Québec City],” he says. “I worked in the kitchen, but one day they asked me to DJ. When I got my first cheque for doing that, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. That was the initial spark.”

The spark turned into a flame when he moved to Montréal in early 2020. His alliance with producer Funkywhat (another of Montréal’s emerging beat-makers) on the mini-album Fwnk, as well as his considerable participation in the first EP of indie pop singer Thaïs (now signed to Bravo Musique), allowed him to diversify his sound. “The producers I admire aren’t pigeonholed. And that’s what I’ve always aspired to. I love music above all else. I have no intention of limiting myself,” says the man who also specializes in sound design for podcasts, and in the development of artistic projects of social entrepreneurship.

2022 will mark the release of a second solo project for Nkusi, as well as several collaborations with talented artists on Montréal’s rap and R&B underground scenes.

Beau Geste

Beau GesteWhile studying at Cégep de Jonquière, Beau Geste started composing beats. “I met two guys who were there for their French immersion program during the summer, and both were rappers. It’s really thanks to them that I started making music,” he says, about Vancouverite JML and Torontonian Ugly Tomorrow.

Inspired by American hip-hop trends, the beat-maker from Acton Vale slowly opened his horizons to electronic music somewhere in the mid-2010s. “I started getting into dubstep and the rave culture,” he says. “It’s people I met in Cégep, all of them from Montréal, who initiated me into that universe. And then I started making lo-fi house.”

Curiosity and open-mindedness are the main characteristics defining Beau Geste’s work. After his electronic explorations, he grew interested in the emo-rap vibe. Inspired by Lil Peep, XXXTentaction, and other (mostly) dead rappers who, ironically, gave life to the genre where the codes of trap, emo, and 2000s pop-punk meet, the now Montréal-based beat-maker unveiled his first songs in 2018. “I liked the highly melodic side [of emo rap]. I started making tons of beats with big 808’s and guitar loops,” he says.

Alongside rapper K0ne, a member of the megacollective Les Fourmis, Beau Geste released Redbird, his first major release, in early 2020. This paved the way for his most important collaboration to date, born of meeting rapper and singer Emma Beko, which crystallized on Blue, an EP with electro and pop influences.

Released in the winter of 2021, this first duet project has generated hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify, as well as earning the title of CISM’s best English-language album of the year. “We were super-happy that it was a hit,” he says, pointing out the very DIY nature of the EP. “We did that, just the two of us, in a small room we turned into a studio. We didn’t really have any gear – just a computer and a sound card. It couldn’t be any simpler.”

The pair is preparing two more EPs to be released this year. “We’re gravitating towards something that’s closer to Emma’s hip-hop roots,” he says. “We’re totally immersed in that right now.”

A singer and guitarist, Beau Geste is also preparing the release of the first album of his new post-punk band – which, “for now,” is called Distraction 4Ever. “I’m super-inspired by the fact of playing real instruments for a project,” he says. “It’s probably going to trickle down in future releases, including those alongside Emma. I’m still in love with digital creation, though. I’m really into hyperpop and weird synth sounds lately.”

RKT BEAT

RKT BEATWhat RKT BEAT is going through at the moment is nothing short of a fairy tale: barely 15, he’s poised to become one of the most promising hip-hop beat-makers in Québec, thanks to collabs with Shreez, JPs, and Tizzo.

Known for his hard-hitting signature, characterized by heavy bass and powerful drill tones, the teenager insists on one thing: he has a much wider range of influences. First raised by his parents to the sounds of rhumba, as well as Cameroonian and Haitian music, he rapidly developed a passion for dance.

Then, as is the case for most teens, he drifted away from his family’s influences in favour of the music of his time: trap. It was Metro Boomin, one of the most talented and ingenious producers of his generation, that most appealed to him in his early days. “I listened to a lot of his music and I started following his tutorials on YouTube,” says RKT BEAT. “I saw all the gear he was using. I basically wanted to be him!” he admits. “My dad got me a PC for my birthday and I downloaded FL Studio. I started from scratch, I didn’t know how to play the piano.”

Motivated by the success of his first compositions, at school and with his friends, RKT BEAT decided to go for it in 2019, contacting different rappers in the province. “I thought I was ready [for the next step],” he says. “I wrote a long message to introduce myself and sent my beats to a ton of people, including Shreez. That same night, he sent me a snippet of what he was going to do over one of my beats [what became the song Loud]. It was so random!”

When Shreez’s song was released, a few Instagram pages and hip-hop media outlets in Québec noticed the teen’s precocious talent. But even if this overnight craze gave him the confidence to believe in a career in the business, RKT BEAT makes sure to stay down-to-earth. “Music is not necessarily a career you can maintain your whole life,” he says. “I want to focus on my studies and progress towards university. I have good grades right now, and making beats is a hobby.”

Several placements are coming up in 2022, with prominent artists from the local hip-hop scene. The young man is also working on a mixtape project with various local rappers and beat-makers.

 



As a teenager, Amanda Rheaume scribbled feelings in her diary. Years later, these angst-driven dribbles ended up as lyrics to original songs she sang with her rock ‘n’ roll band – in between cover versions of other people’s music – to beer-swilling audiences at Ottawa’s Zaphod Beeblebrox. Playing gigs at bars five nights a week, the artist followed this muse, thinking that was it, but a pair of epiphanies told her otherwise: As an artist, she had a bigger role to play.

The first one occurred in the early 2000s. Rheaume, crammed into a van with a group of aspiring musicians, played house concerts across the Southern U. S. One night, while performing in front of a group of strangers in this intimate setting, her heart spoke. The singer-songwriter realized that she was wasting her gift singing songs with little substance.

The second epiphany came not long after. Rheaume travelled to Afghanistan to perform a series of concerts for Canadian soldiers; again, her heart sent a message. Though she rocked out, and the men and women in uniform enjoyed her shows, what meaningful words had she given to these heroes?

Ever since, Rheaume has turned inward – and outward – in her art. She now writes from a personal space and comments on universal themes. As a citizen of the Métis Nation and a proud member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, she knew she could no longer ignore her truths.

“I want to say something that matters,” says Rheaume. “I believe I have a responsibility, when I’m onstage, to make a positive impact on people. After those two epiphanies, I made the decision to stop singing about my broken heart and write more about deeper things: my identity, my family history, and how that translates into my lived experience. As an artist, it’s critical for me to sing my truth, and the truth of the Métis Nation.”

Rheaume has released five albums over the past 15 years. Keep a Fire (2013) was nominated for a JUNO and won a Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. This search for truth and deeper meaning continues with Rheaume’s latest, The Spaces In Between. Produced by Hill Kourkoutis, It’s set for release May 27, 2022, on Ishkōdé Records, the label she co-founded, and co-runs, with Shoshona Kish, to foster and amplify Indigenous voices. “I’m so proud of this record,” she says. “It really feels like my favorite. Stylistically, it’s my most personal, and really reflects who I am.”

The first single, “100 Years,” is a rallying cry inspired by the words of Louis Riel, one of Canada’s most famed Métis leaders, who said, “My people will sleep for a hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists that give them back their spirit.”

The Spaces In Between also includes four spoken-word interludes from Tony Belcourt — a Métis leader, activist and founding president of the Native Council of Canada. Throughout the record, Rheaume retrieves more of her spirit, which guides her muse to find the right words. On the title track, she sings,

I’m just trying to find my place
Trying to find some empty space
Where I’m comfortable enough to say the things I need to say

The song was co-written, via Zoom, with Kourkoutis and Serena Ryder. “A lot of the songs are about identity, and how I fit into the landscape around me and tying that thread back to the history of the Métis Nation,” she says.

During her formative years, Jagged Little Pill was a touchstone. These days, the songwriter is inspired by Lucinda Williams, Ani Di Franco (her lyrics more than her music) – and more recently, Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate in the U.S., with whom Rheaume took a masterclass.

“As artists, we’re already living on the fringes … carving our own paths and going against the grain,” she says, addressing the overarching theme of The Spaces In Between. “We’re making and finding our own spaces to create, succeed, grow an audience. and connect with people. None of that is laid out for you… You need to just do it and find your own way. To sing about, and to express, the spaces in between, you need to first love yourself, and come to terms with the fact that you don’t have to live in this one place. You can continue to grow and re-define who you are.”

Searching  for Songs: Rheaume’s top three tips

1) “Write a minimum of five (timed) minutes stream-of-consciousness every single day. Keep your pen on the paper, or fingers typing. Doesn’t matter if it’s nonsense. As with a pipe in the winter, you’ve gotta keep the water running! Ten minutes is even better, first thing in the morning is best… It’s the discipline that encourages greatness and mastery of a craft.”

2) “Keep a list of titles and ideas, either in your phone, or in a notebook you carry with you. Ideas flow into our consciousness all the time. As much as we try to remember, it’s much easier to keep track of everything.”

3) “Finish the song. Not every song is going to be your best. Sometimes we need to write one to get to the next one. Creativity and ideas are abundant.”

(Originally posted in February 2022)



As we look forward to 2022, Words & Music and Paroles & Musique also remember and celebrate 2021, with Top 10 Lists of SOCAN members’ songs from some of our regular contributors, and favourite moments or highlights from some of the members themselves. Happy Holidays!

 

MEMBERS’ FAVOURITE MOMENTS OF 2021

 

Haviah MightyHaviah Mighty, hip-hop/R&B singer, songwriter, performer, entrepreneur, philanthropist
“The release of Stock Exchange was a big highlight for me this year! With restrictions in place for half of it, this was a project I went within to find; navigating my internal emotions about self-love, self-validation, and self-identity. What I found most challenging about this project was conceptualizing ideas with very little ‘new’ experience and lack of studio access for collaboration – an interesting time to take on the role of executive producer. The most exciting part of the process was working with so many incredible artists, and tapping into different sounds and genres. This project really allowed me to explore after 13th Floor, as I continue to develop my sounds and visions.”

 

Roxane BruneauRoxane Bruneau, singer-songwriter
“There’s no doubt that winning four Félix awards was a highlight, so I’ll go with that. But I’m also incredibly proud of all the web content I created for people during the pandemic. I do feel like it was a job well done. I couldn’t save lives during the pandemic, I’m not a doctor, I was ‘useless,’ so I figured my job was to help people forget about what was going on. Some people lived through hell, they lost their jobs, or even loved ones. So when people connected to my free content, my album was free because I wanted people who didn’t have the money anymore to still be able to listen to it. If those people could spend just 10 minutes with me and forget about their troubles, my job was done.”

 

Amin BhatiaAmin Bhatia, screen composer
“This is such a strange and wonderful dilemma, because I have to choose from so many highlights this year. I suppose the double win Canadian Screen Awards with Ari Posner would be the biggest contender, but there have been many notable anniversaries, too: 40 years since I won the Roland Synthesizer Competition, 50 years since immigrating to Canada, and 60 years since I was born. I have so many people to thank for all of this. But if I had to narrow it down to the one most important highlight for 2021, it would be that I got vaccinated! Thank you to all the front-line workers, and to everyone who made the vaccines possible, otherwise none of us would be here to talk about highlights!”

 

CRiCRi, electronic music artist
“Simply put, 2021 was the greatest year of my life. Obviously, because of the release of my album Juvenile, which is an amazing feat. And although it came out at the end of 2020, the whole promotional campaign happened in 2021. 2021 truly was full of opportunities. The second reason was because I bought a house in the Laurentians. I love this new life, living in the forest is amazing; a bit reclusive, but I love it!”

 

Snotty Nose Rez KidsSnotty Nose Rez Kids, Haisla Nation rappers
Quinton “Yung Trybz” Nyce: “Outside of dropping our album, because that was huge for us, just going on our first American tour, finally, after two years. This has been three years, four years in the works, almost, and we finally got to do it. It made us feel accomplished; we felt good about ourselves.”
Darren “Young D” Metz: “The night of the album [release], I’m not gonna lie, I cried a little bit. It was like winning a championship. When you work so hard toward something for so long, and then it finally gets there, it’s, like,  all the emotions that you endured throughout that journey come out.”

 

Damien RobitailleDamien Robitaille, singer-songwriter
“My professional highlight of 2021 would be all the success I’ve had with my song covers, from “Pump Up The Jam” to “We Are The World”,,, and all the other tunes I’ve done. A personal highlight was being able to visit my daughters in Spain, I spent the entire summer there – two full months – and it had been eight months since I’d seen them.”

 

Kim TempleKim Temple, Publisher, High Priestess Publishing
“The High Priestess highlight of 2021 was hosting our first song camp ever in Toronto IRL! Artists, producers, and songwriters gathered at Taurus Studios over three days, and tripped out on each other’s presence: Lockdown lifted, molecules bumping up, faces beaming. “Veni, vidi, vici,” which in song camp speak means “We laughed, we cried, we devoured oxtail.” (We failed Latin, but we heart you, @kateringco.inc.). Producer gender parity (a rarity) set the stage, and we were enchanted with our special guests. Standout collab combos: James Baley x Tynomi Banks, Witch Prophet x Junia-T, Jesse Northey x Nyssa, Zaki Ibrahim x SATE, Lana Winterhalt x Thomas D’Arcy, SUN SUN x Cadence Weapon, Melody McKiver x T Thomason. Like boxing match-ups, but instead of exchanging blows, songwriters exchanged pure love and creativity – resulting in killer cuts for 2022.”

 

Alex BurgerAlex Burger, singer-songwriter, member of Bon Enfant (among other bands)
“The fact that it was Patrick Norman who gave me my Félix for Country Album of the Year was like a dream come true. It was truly a great moment. It’s just a shame we didn’t get to hug; that’s probably the worst moment of my year, not getting to hug him, because he doesn’t really want to do live shows anymore.”

 

TOBiTOBi, R&B/hip-hop/pop singer-songwriter
“As I sit back and reflect on what was deemed Part Two of the pandemic, there were many bright spots this time around. Going on tour this fall would have to be the highlight of my year. Driving across the United States with my crew; being in and out of hotel rooms and restaurants was the right amount of chaos I needed after being inside for a whole year. Seeing different cities and sharing the gift of music with new faces. Stepping back onstage after two years felt like a return to home, and we were welcomed with open arms. I felt alive again. Thankful to my management team, to Brasstracks for being the best family on tour, to the crews in different cities that made this experience so worthwhile. The tour went off without any hiccups and for that I’m grateful. Ready to do it all again. Oh, and always get auto insurance!”

 

AnachnidAnachnid, Oji-Cree singer-songwriter
“One of the greatest moments of my year of 2021 was going on tour in Québec. One of the most magical moments was really connecting during the day with many families on the tip of the mountain looking out over the ocean of the Gaspésie. Seeing people dance and just be happy was simply magical. I felt like I was in an eagle’s nest because that’s the bird that can fly the highest. I felt really connected to my grandfather, whose spirit animal is the eagle. Sharing that experience with families and kids and a great team over there was really great.”

 

CONTRIBUTORS’ TOP 10 SOCAN MEMBER SONG LISTS FOR 2021

 

Chaka V GrierChaka V. Grier
Words & Music regular contributor Chaka V. Grier is an interviewer and writer for NOW Toronto and Bandcamp Daily. Bylines include National Public Radio (NPR) in the U.S., O Magazine, Flare, and Elle Canada.

 

  1. Mustafa – “Separate”
  2. Allison Russel – “Montreal”
  3. Charlotte Day Wilson – “I Can Only Whisper”
  4. Cadence Weapon – “Skyline”
  5. DijahSB – “Way Too Many Ways”
  6. TOBi – “Off The Drugs”
  7. Silla + Rise – “Ijiraq (Hide and Seek)”
  8. Charlotte Day Wilson – “Changes”
  9. Naya Ali – “Air Ali”
  10. Dominique Fils-Aimé – “The Healing Song”

 

Élise JettéÉlise Jetté
Paroles & Musique contributor Élise Jetté has been a host and interviewer at CISM for over ten years, editor-in-chief of the digital music magazine Feu à volonté, and writes about music for other publications, including Clin d’œil magazine.

 

  1. Ada Lea – “partner”
  2. Les Louanges – “Pigeons”
  3. Safia Nolin – “PLS (Sunset Version)”
  4. Salomé Leclerc – “Chaque printemps”
  5. Robert Robert featuring Hubert Lenoir – “La nuit se plaindre”
  6. Laurence-Anne – “Indigo”
  7. Vanille – “Si je pleure”
  8. Émilie Proulx – “La nuit les échos”
  9. zouz – “Auréole”
  10. Nicolet – “Le retour des animaux”

 

Errol NazarethErrol Nazareth
Words & Music contributor Errol Nazareth is the host of Frequencies, a global music show that airs every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET on CBC Music.
(In no particular order)

 

  • Mustafa – “Ali”
  • Haviah Mighty – “Avocado”
  • John Orpheus – “IG”
  • Dominique Fils-Aimé – “Grow Mama Grow”
  • Donné Roberts – “Aleo Miarka Sy Mifanaraka”
  • Marito Marques – “Manjerico”
  • Cartel Madras – “Drift”
  • TEKE::TEKE – “Kala Kala”
  • Amaka Queenette – “Want You More”
  • Mas Aya with Lido Pimienta – “Tiempo Ahora”

 

Eric ParazelliEric Parazelli
Eric Parazelli is the Editor of SOCAN’s online magazine Paroles & Musique and Manager of Francophone Communications for SOCAN.

 

  1. Hubert Lenoir – “Dimanche soir
  2. Charlotte Cardin – “Meaningless”
  3. Lou-Adriane Cassidy – J’espère encore que quelque part l’attente s’arrête”
  4. Robert Robert – “L’été je m’ennuie”
  5. Bon Enfant – “Ciel bleu”
  6. Chiiild – “Sleepwalking”
  7. Lydia Képinski – “Arbol”
  8. Emma Beko – “MHS”
  9. Hippie Hourrah – “Fantôme”
  10. MIELS – “Pour l’amour du ciel”

 

 Beatriz BaleeiroBeatriz Baleeiro
Words & Music contributor Beatriz Baleeiro is a young music journalist who recently completed an internship at Complex magazine.

 

  1. Charlotte Cardin – “Passive Aggressive”
  2. Chiiild – “Sleepwalking”
  3. Drake featuring Lil Baby – “Girls Want Girls”
  4. Belly, The Weeknd featuring Nas – “Die For It”
  5. Selah Sue featuring TOBi – “Hurray”
  6. Allan Rayman – “Books”
  7. LOONY – “Raw”
  8. Lennon Stella – “Bubble”
  9. Olivia Lunny – “Sad To See You Happy”
  10. Jade LeMac – “Constellations”

 

Catherine GenestCatherine Genest
Paroles & Musique contributor Catherine Genest is a freelance journalist for both print and radio. Her first book, a biographical novel telling the story of the singer Guylaine Guy, will be published by éditions du Boréal in the Spring of 2022.

 

  1. Robert Robert – “Les gens ”
  2. Valence – “Rosier”
  3. Hubert Lenoir with Bonnie Banane – “Octembre”
  4. Louis-Jean Cormier – L’ironie du sort”
  5. Sarahmée with Nissa Seychs – “Elle est partie”
  6. Julyan – “Run Around”
  7. De Flore – “L’été ne reste pas”
  8. Bon Enfant – “Porcelaine”
  9. Salomé Leclerc – “Où on s’est trouvé”
  10. Ponteix – “Les années”

 

Howard DruckmanHoward Druckman
Howard Druckman is the Editor of SOCAN’s Words &  Music online magazine.

 

  1. Snotty Nose Rez Kids – “Grave Digger”
  2. Haviah Mighty featuring Yizzy – “Protest”
  3. Donovan Woods – “She Waits for Me to Come Back Down” / “Whatever Keeps You Going”
  4. Mustafa – “Stay Alive” / “Ali”
  5. TOBi – “Made Me Everything”
  6. Leonard Sumner – “Mourningstar”
  7. LU KALA – “No Smoke”
  8. DijahSB with RAY HMND – “Moving With the Tides”
  9. grandson – “In Over My Head”
  10. Charlotte Cardin – “Passive Aggressive”

 

Olivier Boisvert MagnenOlivier Boisvert-Magnen
Paroles & Musique contributor Olivier Boisvert-Magnen is a journalist, researcher, columnist, host, curator of music lists, and on-air director for ICI Musique/Première, QUB Musique, Stingray and CISM.

 

  1. Thierry Larose – “Cantalou”
  2. P’tit Belliveau – “J’aimerais d’avoir un John Deere”
  3. Lary Kidd with Loud et 20some – “3 saisons”
  4. Connaisseur Ticaso – “STL Vice”
  5. Bon Enfant – “Ciel bleu”
  6. Les Fourmis – “Intuition”
  7. Alex Burger – “Sweet Montérégie”
  8. gabWan – “On s’en calisse-tu pas”
  9. Lou-Adriane Cassidy – “Oui le serpent nous guette”
  10. Vincent Vallières – “Homme de rien”

 

Del CowieDel Cowie
Words & Music contributor Del Cowie has worked as a writer, producer and researcher for the Peabody and International Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary series Hip Hop Evolution. He’s also worked as a producer for CBC Music and was hip-hop editor at Exclaim! magazine for more than a decade.

  1. Planet Giza – “When The Moving Stops”
  2. Rochelle Jordan – “All Along”
  3. Mustafa – “The Hearse”
  4. allie – “Violet Nights”
  5. Chiild – “Awake”
  6. Liza – “Rolla “
  7. TOBi – “Don’t Touch”
  8. Shantel May featuring Westside Gunn – “Until I Say So”
  9. Drake – “Lemon Pepper Freestyle”
  10. Haviah Mighty – “Obeah”

 

Dominic TardifDominic Tardif
Paroles & Musique contributor Dominic Tardif is now a journalist at La Presse. He’s also a columnist for On dira ce qu’on voudra and host of the podcast Deviens-tu c’que t’as voulu?

 

  1. Lou-Adriane Cassidy – “J’espère encore que quelque part l’attente s’arrête”
  2. Thierry Larose – “Cantalou”
  3. Jesuslesfilles – “Troisième semaine”
  4. Alex Burger – “Dormir sur ton couch”
  5. Myriam Gendron – “Poor Girl Blues”
  6. LUMIÈRE – “LA.BELLE.JOURNÉE 1971”
  7. Apophis – “On prendra de l’avance plus tard”
  8. Les Shirley – “Fuck It I’m In Love”
  9. Lary Kidd – “De mon âme”
  10. Meggie Lennon – “Night Shift”