Top Hip Hop Artists You should see at NXNE

June 15th, 2011

NXNE is this coming weekend and too many good music acts will be hitting the city. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite 10 hiphop acts we highly recommend that you should check out. Holler!

The Pharcyde

Hip hop pioneers whose ‘Bizarre Ride II’ is Kanye’s fave album ever. The classic crew reunited 3 years ago, barnstorming the country and drawing rave reviews. The LA Times touted it as a “dazzlingly brilliant performance.” If you slept through the 90s, catch them this week! Sunday, June 19th, Yonge & Dundas Sq. at 9pm. For more on The Pharcyde, check HERE.

Shad

Canada’s JUNO winner for Rap Recording of the Year, Shad, is gracing the Ballroom on Saturday night (Really, Sunday morning) at 12:30am. If you’ve never heard of Shad, he can easily be crowned one of the biggest names in Canadian hip hop right now, and has had some major hits with latest album TSOL. Learn more about Shad HERE.

88 Days of Fortune

[Wolf J McFarlane]

[KJ]

[Brendan Philip]

Out of this Toronto-based artist collective of musicians, multi-media artists and creative minds, Wolf J McFarlane, Brendan Philip, and KJ will be opening up for Shad at the Ballroom this coming Saturday. Their set time begins at 11:30pm, so make sure you arrive on time to catch their swoony vocals and lyrical flow. For more information on 88 Days of Fortune and the rest of their collective, check out their website HERE.

The Boombox Saints

This Vancouver hip hop-pop group is bringin’ the Boom back and will be hittin’ up the Crawford on Saturday night (But really Sunday early morning) with their set time at 2am. Huggy Fresh, Adlib, Freeky P, and DJ Relik will be droppin’ their west coast flavaahhh. For all your Boombox Saints updates, check out their website HERE.

Church Chizzle

You may remember this face, and no, it’s not just because he looks like Pusha T. Church Chizzle was our long time #Freestyler on RapCity and won the Stanton turntables after winning his 5th battle. Performing at 9pm at the Crawford on Saturday night, come through and hear him spit some of his tracks, not just from the top of his head! For Church’s MySpace, click HERE.

Keys N Krates

Using turntables, keys and drums as their main instruments, these beat manipulators have infused the art of DJ’ing and producing and have taken it to a whole next level. Remixing is their expertise: Fusing hip hop, electro, pop, funk, top 40′s and 80′s-90′s tracks creates one of the livest and upbeat dance parties you’ve ever been to. Check Matisse, Jr-Flow, and Adam Tune HERE.

Lego Gang

The Lego Gang are a two piece future hip-hopper crew who mix up old school influences with their signature high energy and bass heavy sound. They will be promoting their recent ‘The Bill’Up’ mixtape during their performance at the NOW Loung, 9pm on Thursday, June 16th. Check out their website and download their latest mixtape HERE.

Miles Jones

Jones’ smooth mix of R&B, electro, reggae and pop influences has won him the Ontario Independent Music Award for Hip Hop, critical acclaim across the board and numerous US radio hits. Learn more about Miles Jones HERE.

Reema Major

The youngest guest that has graced our RapCity stage, 15-year old emcee Reema Major will be performing for NXNE on the main stage at Yonge-Dundas Sq on Sunday, June 19th, at 5pm. Signed with G7 Records, Check out Reema out HERE.

Stalley

Ohio’s Kyle Myricks earned his nickname, Stallion, because of the grit and determination that characterized his youthful athleticism. Now based in Brooklyn and making tight, Raekwon like grimy rap he’s all set to prove himself in a different field. Stalley will be performing on Thursday, June 16th, at the Crawford, Midnight. To listen to Stalley’s MySpace, click HERE.

For more info on NXNE and other artists/bands to check out this weekend, drop by their website http://NXNE.com

Tags: 88 days of fortune, boombox saints, brendan philip, Church Chizzle, keys n krates, kj, miles jones, nxne, RapCity, Reema Major, shad, Stalley, The Pharcyde, wolf j mcfarlane