(SUPPORT: Kandy K, Adrian Dey & Young Stitch) – CMW 2019 Feature
Surrey, British Columbia-based rapper Merkules, has already gained a name for himself as one of the best, fast-spitting rappers in Canada and has already made a platform for himself nationally and internationally, as he toured all over the United States and Europe, collaborated with artists like Hopsin, Tech N9ne, Project Pat, and rap duo Onyx, and having over 250+ million views and 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, which included his well-known remixes to other rappers’ songs. Now being apart as an act for Canadian Music Week, and starting to headline his own major Canadian tour in Toronto’s own Mod Club Theatre, he is ready to beat the odds with his spectacular live performances, fast-hitting lyrical bars, and showing as much fan love as possible. Although I wasn’t a fan of both Merkules and Lil Windex, I did know about them from their remixes and other tracks and decided to check them out and see what they have.
Since this is Canadian Music Week, what better way to bring a strong forefront of Canadian talent for this show is by having local-based artists open up for the Surrey lyricist. Starting off the show was Toronto’s own Young Stitch; known for being the winner in BET’s Freestyle Competition for Toronto last year, he warmed up the crowd with some of his unique tracks like ‘Where We Are’ and ‘Party Hardy’. Stitch also did his own remix from XXXTENTACION’s ‘Look At Me’, and brought some of his collaborator friends to join the stage to perform their tracks. They managed to have fun and made sure that the form of lyricism is still alive.
Up next, Toronto rapper Adrian Dey switched up the entire style of the show with his modern-style, rage-infusing, trap ballads and brought his friend, and Ajax, ON-based rapper Ty Senoj, to the stage to perform some of their collaborative tracks. By bringing strong power and energy throughout their performances, getting the crowd pumped up with their eclectic and hard-hitting songs, and attempting to deliver a great mosh pit, both performers made the crowd excited for what Lil Windex and Merkules have to offer for their sets. Up next, Toronto rapper and singer Kandy K walked up to the stage and started rapping to one of her tracks, ‘All on the Line’, off her P.U.S.H. EP. The rapper brought her A-game when it came to lyricism and hard-hitting punchlines, which excited the crowd so much to hear more from her. She then went on to perform other tracks like ‘Tryna Get It’ and ‘Be Me Now’, and assembled her dance crew to bring that breakdancing element of hip-hop to life. Overall, her set was quite unique and I really enjoyed her stage presence, as a rapper and an artist.
Before Merkules got on to the stage, his close friend, social media personality, and Mission, British Columbia-based rapper Lil Windex (who also goes by DTG, as his other persona) came up to the stage with his crew, and the fans went crazy as he came through, embroidering the stage with SDK towels and water bottles near the microphone. He performed a variety of tracks such as ‘Cleanin’ Up’, ‘F.W.U.’, and ‘San Pellegrino’, as well playing some unreleased material during the beginning of his set, for his upcoming album this year. His energy on stage, as well as his satirical approach to making music and performing really excited the crowd so much, that they were bobbing their heads and showed all smiles. Lil Windex also came in clutch with hard-hitting lyrics, a well-sped delivery from bar to bar, and wicked crowd participation, that I even enjoyed as well. Fans were chanting ‘SDK’ and ‘DTG’ so much that Windex shook hands with a variety of fans, and switched up to his DTG persona and rapped a couple of tracks to finish off his unique set.
Finally, Merkules came up on stage and performed a couple of tracks to start off the show, including his remixed version of Desiigner’s ‘Panda’, and one of his own tracks, ‘Drugs & Liquor’. The way he provided technique and managed to sharpen his breath takes when rapping bar for bar, made fans so excited of what more he has to offer. As well, he never managed to break a sweat when he performed, since he never walked around the stage as much, which was pretty satisfying for an artist like him. Coming up as a fast, lyrical rapper, he managed to perform other non-lyrical tracks to soothe the vibe of the crowd, but he made sure that those remixes are performed well with fan satisfaction, and made sure that everyone had a good time. He also shook lots of hands with a variety of fans and did typical stage antics, like throwing water to the crowd and having fun. Overall, I enjoyed the show and was quite astonished that Canadian talent in the hip-hop industry is still thriving with many acts on the rise. As well, I have managed to enjoy all acts and decided to check out more of their work, despite not listening to them as much, before.Merkules will still continue on his tour up until May 31st, 2019 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at Citizen Nightcub. You can keep up with the schedule at https://merkulesmusic.com/tour-dates
Lil Windex
By: Joshua Habtwold | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not!