New single from Chadio & The Gumshoe Strut, the second from their upcoming collab album, Root Sellers.
Now based in Kamloops, BC, veteran MC Chadio returns with “Bring It Back”, the second single from his forthcoming album, Root Sellers. Dropping this summer via Hand’Solo Records, the project marks a new chapter — rooted in experience, sharpened by time, and driven by purpose. Over gritty, soul-infused production from acclaimed beatmaker The Gumshoe Strut, Chadio blends clever wordplay, lived-in perspective, and a deep respect for the craft. It’s a boom-bap burner that feels equally at home on dusty speakers or in fresh playlists. Already known to many through his “Sunday Bars” live rap sessions on Instagram, Chadio continues to carve out space for thoughtful, grounded hip-hop that hits hard without shouting.
Written and performed by Chadio Produced by The Gumshoe Strut
The new beat tape from The Dirty Sample is out now!
01 Love Here Now 02 Just One 03 Stay 04 The Vision 05 Sometimes Loved 06 I Really 07 Really Love 08 You 09 No Bad, No Good 10 Shmoopy 11 A Message From Baba 12 The Love Bug 13 You Love Me (Question Mark) 14 I Guess I Just Never Thought 15 The New 16 It’s All Love 17 It’s All One 18 It Rained (It Does From Time To Time) 19 Feeling the Sun 20 The Long Love
The new album from Epic & Deadly Stare is out now!
Welcome to the enigmatic world of A library called Calder, the latest from veteran Canadian emcee Epic. This world-building hip hop record pulls together a rich collection of thought-provoking narratives as Epic issues his reports and observations from once familiar territory. From the opening strains of “Chickpeas”, Epic brings the listeners with him as he points out jarring changes in the world around him, musing about what once was while pressing on into an uncertain future that still finds hope on album finale “Properly Swim”. With a perspective as unique as his voice, Epic guides listeners through a labyrinth of emotions and ideas, each verse twisting and turning around the dreamlike, otherworldly production by Montreal’s Deadly Stare (Triune Gods, Endemik Music). Ethereal beats grounded equally in Golden Age boom bap and sweeping prog rap abstraction serve as the perfect compliment to this mesmerizing and profound record that serves as a travelogue of both past and present. Together, Epic and Deadly Stare have built something magnificent in A library called Calder. Step inside and check it out.
Written and performed by Epic and guests Produced and mixed by Deadly Stare Mastered by W.C. Spicer
“[C]’est un réel plaisir de retrouver ce flow nonchalant sachant s’adapter à n’importe quel rythme.” – Indie Rock Magazine
New review of Kaboom Atomic x The Dirty Sample’s 2 Cents by Indie Rock Magazine with two different view points.
TRANSLATION: Rabbit: The historic label behind the beginnings of Sixtoo and Buck 65, to which we owe the more recent launch of the Backburner collective and its various satellite projects, most of which remain faithful to the label, Toronto’s Hand’Solo Records regularly offers interesting Canadian indie rap, with some fine headliners including producer The Dirty Sample. Associated here with the rapper Kaboom Atomic, whose ironic, deadpan writing is matched by an equally distinctive, nasally flow that should quickly sort out those who like it from those who don’t, the author of last year’s irresistible Beats To Murder Rappers 2 is less dark (with a few exceptions, cf. the eerie bass and other dissonant violins on It’s On Us), more playful and relaxed (Are You High? with its Tachichi airs, or the funky It’s Been Hijacked), without abandoning its cinematic overtones (the keyboards of Don’t Bother, the deliquescent atmosphere of It’s Worse Every Year, the haunted backing vocals of I’m Your Least Favourite Rapper), his Asian incursions (the flute on I Don’t Expect You To Get It) or his taste for offbeat beatmaking (Ashes with its bursts of unstructured beats and chopped samples bordering on glitch, as well as You Ain’t It, I Ain’t So Proud Anymore or the superb conclusion I’ll Deal With This Later).
Namor: A leading exponent of indie rap from Canada, Kaboom Atomic has been on the rap scene since the early 2000s, and his new album comes as something of a surprise to me, as I’ve lost interest in the man’s work. And it’s a real pleasure to rediscover his nonchalant flow, which adapts to any rhythm. I wouldn’t say the same for The Dirty Sample’s prods, which make the rapper’s performance a little pointless as they seem so flat and don’t always do justice to the MC’s elastic diction. The whole thing lacks a bit of rough edges for my taste, even if the “simpler” beats recall the finest hours of the indie scene that Kaboom helped shape (It Ain’t Me, I Ain’t So Proud Anymore, It’s On Us).
“Plutocracy” is the first in a series of stand-alone singles that Mickey O’Brien will be dropping in 2025 as he builds towards a new album planned for 2026.
Sudbury-based rapper Mickey O’Brien returns with a searing new single that cuts through the noise with unflinching social commentary and raw energy. Fusing gritty boom-bap with razor-sharp verses, “Plutocracy” confronts economic injustice and corporate power with an urgency that speaks to the times. O’Brien and politically-charged lyricist Lee Reed trade bars like battle cries, while Uncle Fester’s surgical scratching and the cinematic production of Danny Miles, drummer for the Juno-winning rock band July Talk, elevate the track into a protest anthem built for the underground.
Written and performed by Mickey O’Brien and Lee Reed Produced by Danny Miles Cuts by Uncle Fester
“The [t]rack has a mellow and reflective vibe comprising solemn textures and soft drum grooves underpinned by Chadio’s expressive flow and insightful lyrics.” – Word Is Bond
A short review of Chadio & The Gumshoe Strut’s “Been a Minute”, the first single from their upcoming collab album, Root Sellers, as part of Word Is Bond’s Top Submissions EP3 for April 2025.
