It’s almost time for the 2018 JUNO Awards in Vancouver! It’ll be tough to predict who will walk away with the award once the Rap Recording of the Year category is sorted out. Together, they’re a perfect testament to the immense talent coming out of this country, and the vast collection of styles and art forms that can be found from coast-to-coast.
While the geographical representation is definitely out of balance – and not the first time at that – it should be noted that nominations for the JUNOs are based on the artist or record label submitting their work for consideration. If something isn’t submitted, it’s not being considered for this particular category dedicated to hip-hop/rap. A call-out for nominations is made earlier in the year and artists have a large window of opportunity to submit via the CARAS website. CARAS, or the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, is the organization that runs the JUNO Awards.
This year’s nominees for Rap Recording of the Year include Belly for Mumble Rap, Clairmont The Second with Lil Mont from the Ave, Lou Phelps with 001: Experiment, Maestro Fresh West with his latest album, Coach Fresh, and Tory Lanez with “Shooters,” the first single of Memories Don’t Die which is Tory’s sophomore album dropping March 2.
If seeing a single go up against a bunch of the full-length projects is wonky to you, you’re not the only one. It’s the reason we’ve been hoping to see CARAS add another hip-hop-dedicated category for singles (leaving this one of albums and EPs). It just seems like comparing apples and oranges if you keep them together.
Maestro actually lost to a single being nominated back in 2013 when his Black Tuxedo EP lost to Classified’s hit single, “Inner Ninja” (featuring David Myles. The song was undoubtedly award worthy, but it also beat out 3 other incredible full-length projects or EPs including JD Era’s No Handouts, Rich Kidd and SonReal’s The Closers and MadChild’s chart topping comeback album, Dope Sick.
Keep reading for more information about each nominee (via the official JUNO Awards website).
2018 JUNO Awards: Rap Recording of the Year
Belly
Canadian rapper Belly (aka Rebellyus) was born Ahmad Balshe in the West Bank Palestinian city of Jenin. Hoping to escape violence and poverty, Belly’s family immigrated to Ottawa when he was a boy. Belly was purportedly selling drugs on the street by age 13 and already distinctly aware of growing up poor and Muslim in a primarily non-Muslim country. Having long been interested in hip-hop, he began expressing anger over his situation by rapping, and soon garnered a reputation as a formidable MC. He even drew the attention of local record label entrepreneur Tony Sal, who signed Belly to his fledgling CP Records. By 2003, the still teenaged Belly had developed a strong local following and released various singles as well as several mixtapes featuring collaborations with DJs Kay Slay and Big Mike.
Clairmont The Second
Clairmont The Second is an artist from Toronto. At 20 years old he already has a body of compelling work that is well beyond his years. With his most intriguing release yet, Lil Mont from The Ave, he has put the Toronto community on notice that their new international star is on his way. Having toured with SonReal and performed alongside Goldlink, Lil Yachty and HARRISON, Clairmont is ready to show the music industry why he deserves the top spot in rap royalty.
Lou Phelps
Louis-Philippe Celestin, better known by his stage name Lou Phelps, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Saint-Hubert, Quebec. He is a member of the Canadian Hip hop duo The Celestics alongside his brother Kaytranada. In 2014, Lou Phelps, along with Kaytranada, released a project titled Supreme Lazinessunder the moniker The Celestics. In April 2017, Lou Phelps released his debut project titled 001: Experiments. The project was produced entirely by Kaytranada. The project featured guest appearances by Bishop Nehru, Innanet James and Kallitechnis.
Maestro Fresh Wes
Coach Fresh is the brand new album from Canada’s Godfather of Hip Hop, Maestro Fresh Wes. This 13 track album reinforces the fact that Wes’ legacy is cemented, but also that he is still expanding by experimenting with new sounds and new collaborations. Wes collaborates on this album with NYC wordsmith Skyzoo on ‘Designated Driver’, west coast underground legend Ras Kass on ‘Mr. Evans’, Kool Keith of the legendary Ultramagnetic MC’s on ‘Skyscrapers’ and a special reunion of Ghetto Concept and Infinite on ‘Toronto Icons’ which will be a Canadian classic. Danko Jones appears on the crazy joint ‘Last Waltz’ while songstress Ivana Santilli appears on the King Reign tribute entitled ‘Tomorrow Never Promised’….Saukrates and Rich Kidd join Wes again on the album with ‘The Distance’ and the anthemic piece ‘Jurassic Park’ (a tribute to The Toronto Raptors). Female vocalists Faith Walker and Halifax based soul singer Cyndi Cain also round off the album. Coach Fresh is less eclectic than Wes’ previous 2013 album ‘Orchestrated Noise’ but is more aggressive and filled with more social commentary showcasing Wes’ cultural awareness. The album hits hard from top to bottom and reinforces why Wes is considered The Godfather of Canadian Hip-Hop.
Tory Lanez
Tory Lanez is a vocalist and producer from Toronto. His critically acclaimed debut album I Told You, released in August 2016, reached #4 on the Billboard 200 upon its release with the highest first-week sales of a debut urban artist in 2016. The album spawned two #1 hits, the Platinum-certified “Say It” and “LUV,” nominated for Best R&B Song at the 59th Grammy Awards.
