Enter Donny Snowbird. It’s been two months since the sudden passing of my friend and talented Canadian hip-hop rapper, Justice “Don Mulatto” Levar. The people closest to him will tell you that time hasn’t made coping with his loss any easier.
Don Mulatto was a true workhorse and recorded more music than you’d expect he’d even be able to keep track of. But he did, repeatedly coordinating multiple mixtape releases while promoting the projects he had already dropped; improving each step of the way. He even pulled the trigger on a project had been working on while almost completely immobilized in a hospital bed. He was incredibly dedicated to his craft and one of the most goodhearted people I’ve worked with in the Canadian scene. Lucky for me, family, friends, and fans, and anyone who didn’t get a chance to meet him, Justice left us a large catalogue of music that will surely keep his memory alive.
One project he didn’t get to see through was an album he had told me about for months on end. Donny Snowbird. The first time he mentioned it to me it was going to be an EP but it snowballed into something much bigger. We talked about ways he could promote it in Canada, and how he might get the attention of blogs overseas. Listening to him describe the producers he had on board for it was like hearing a kid tell you gifts they had received for Christmas. He was overtly excited for people to hear it and felt strongly that it could take his career to new heights. It was great to see. I signed up to help play a roll with his online promotions and offered suggestions on how HipHopCanada could get behind the project as well. The music was done, the project just need to be wrapped up.
Unfortunately that was the last conversation I had with Justice. He passed away a couple of weeks later at just 20-years-old.
Now one of Justice’s friends has paid tribute to him by getting Donny Snowbird completed, and released for all to hear. It’s what Justice would have wanted, and a proper send off for an MC that lived to make music for the masses. He knew he was a star the moment he picked up a mic; he had the look, charisma, talent, and more. He was just waiting for everyone else to realize it and at the rate he was going, that might not have been long. It kills me that he never saw that dream through. I find comfort in knowing he was reunited with his mother, who sadly passed away just a week before Justice from unrelated circumstances.
Donny Snowbird
I asked TG Savage about the project’s release, and how Donny might have felt about it:
“He just wanted people to have his music and he didn’t care how they got it… So here it is, for his fans. Share this album so that his memory can live on forever. He meant the world to me, and if he was here right now he would have gotten very upset with me that the project wasn’t out sooner. #LongLiveLatto.”
Those sentiments were echoed by a friend of Donny’s who was interviewed by the Sault Star after his death: “He wanted to be a rapper, he wanted people to listen to his music.”
After his passing, Justice’s girlfriend Danita Caruso also spoke with the Sault Star about her loss. Her words really capture the kind of person he was:
“Justice was a rare occurrence and you don’t meet people like him everyday. He was sensitive and amazingly creative, and those types of people should be greatly treasured. He has always been an outgoing, extraordinary individual with a heart of pure gold who will live on through his inspirational music.”
Donny Snowbird is a 24-track album featuring original production from Maneo, Zaytoven, Cassius Jay, Mack Boy, 30 Roc, C4, Tarentino and Purps of 808 Mafia, Deko, Murda Beatz, OG Parker, Savage LP and Real McCoy. Guest appearances include TG Savage, Sayzee, Mcevoy, Krazy Blacc, Ethan Sacii and Zuse. I’m going to let the music speak for itself.
TG Savage uploaded the project to his own SoundCloud profile, which is why the song’s are tagged in his name. But Savage is featured on the project; track 14 which is the Maneo-produced “Junk.” Take in the whole project below.
Long Live Latto
2017 Update: As of the launch of HipHopCanada’s new website, the full Donny Snowbird project is no longer available online (as far as we can see). If it’s made available again we’ll be sure to share it with our viewers. That said, we were able to find a few of the project’s tracks and we’ve included them in this post.
Written by Jesse Plunkett for HipHopCanada
