Indie record label Stealth Bomb Records recently made a big splash by revealing their official roster for 2020. The list, featuring some new faces as well as artists that have been involved with the label for quite sometime, is 10 acts deep including 9 recording artists and a DJ.
“I see so many amazing, talented artists struggling to get their foot in the door because of a lack of resources, money or team support.” – Snak The Ripper
The list includes Massiah, Young Stitch (of Lunch Room Poetz), KNOWN., Young Sin, Jaclyn Gee, Nicky MacKenzie, Junk, D-Rec, Snak The Ripper, and pnwrk.
The biggest surprise signing out of the group is Toronto rapper Young Stitch, who rose to fame after his highly publicized 2018 BET Freestyle Friday World Championship win. He’s joined by artists pnwrk, Young Sin, and Junk, who were all recently featured on the new SBR web series Aerial Assault.
Jaclyn Gee is one of two female West Coast artists on the label along with singer-songwriter Nicky MacKenzie.
New Canadian emcee KNOWN. brings his youthful flow and talent to the line up, looking to make an impact by joining the label early on in his career. Massiah returns from a brief hiatus from hip-hop to make his presence felt on the Canadian scene, and D-Rec The Crate Crusader is a unique addition to the squad as a DJ and beatmaker from the Vancouver area.
The label revealed the list via Instagram on June 11 with an individual post dedicated to each member of the team, and a final post with the SBR logo and each member tagged. You can also find them listed on the official SBR website.
Snak the Ripper known for his association with the Stompdown Killaz crew and has been the the ring leader of Stealth Bomb Records since founding the label. Snak provided us with a statement about the announcement, and what’s in store for the remainder of the year.
“I feel like I have a good eye for talent and It’s always been in my nature to try to help people. Anybody following my career over the past 10+ years would agree. In my time working in this business I’ve been through it all. My kindness and willingness to help others has also been my weakness, and I’ve been taken advantage of for financial gain on a number of occasions. It made me smarter and stronger and taught me how to conduct my business in a more strategic, self-sufficient manner.
In 2017, I shut the label down due to personal reasons, but the platform and our army of dedicated supporters never left.
After a three-year hiatus, I decided to give it another shot. Utilizing my existing pool of resources, I put together a team of like-minded individuals to help in the efforts. I see so many amazing, talented artists struggling to get their foot in the door because of a lack of resources, money or team support. I feel like it’s our responsibility to use our platform to help other artists we believe in so that they don’t have to go through the ups and downs that we did. Unlike other music groups, Stealth Bomb Records plans to offer our listeners only the highest level of quality and musical talent. Keep watching, we’re just getting started!”
Here’s a breakdown of each member of the Stealth Bomb Records team. Be sure to visit their official website for merchandise, more info and more music.
Snak The Ripper
Graffiti Legend turned Rapper Snak The Ripper is known all over the world. In 2006, Snak was one of the first rappers in Canada to upload his content to YouTube and use the platform as a tool to gain notoriety around the globe. The 3-time Western Canadian Music Award nominated artist has over 150,000,000 YouTube views, over 120,000,000 audio-only streams, and has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Snak The Ripper has headlined successful tours in 20 countries, has played multiple dates on the Vans Warped Tour and at SXSW, and has shared stages with internationally recognized names including Tech N9ne, MGK, Yelawolf, and Onyx. Snak has recently released his 7th album Off the Rails, his third to be released on his own independent record label, Stealth Bomb Records Inc.
Infamous in North America, Europe, and Australia, Snak the Ripper is just getting started on his mission to take over the entire world.
Jaclyn Gee
Jaclyn Gee is a singer/rapper from Vancouver, BC. Her musical style includes elements of hip-hop, soul and R&B. She’s been singing for audiences as far back as she can remember and wrote her first song at the age of fourteen. In 2012, Jaclyn was nominated for an Okanagan Arts Award for Best Musical Recording. She also released he debut EP Heart & Soul the same year.
In 2014, Jaclyn was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award in the category of Urban Recording of the Year for her EP titled Autonomous, which debuted at #5 on the iTunes Charts at the time. Jaclyn was nominated again, for the second year in a row, at the 2015 Western Canadian Music Awards with her EP titled Gypsy Rose.
Her latest release, Killing Time debuted at #1 on iTunes Canadian R&B Charts in 2018. Killing Time was accompanied by multiple high quality music videos including “Wanna Be Me,” “Addicted to Destruction” and “Killing Time.” The project combines songs of love, rejection, happiness, hardship, trials, tribulations and everything in between. It is without a doubt her most successful EP to date. Jaclyn has toured in 15 different countries over the past eight years and built a solid group of supporters along the way. She is making her return this year with a brand new EP for 2020. Jaclyn once said ‘As long as my music is helping someone, somewhere, I know that I’m doing exactly what I’m put here to do, and that’s enough for me.’ Be on the lookout for Jaclyn’s next big move!
Junk
Freestyle specialist / former battle rapper Junk, has gained a noticeable following and the utmost respect across Canada from the underground hip-hop scene. In 2011, Junk won the MTV hosted End Of The Weak national freestyle competition, which secured him a spot in Paris, France to represent Canada, where he took 3rd place in the world. In the same year he would co-create the Vancouver cult followed rap duo Northwest Division (NWD) with rapper Hungry. Together they released three albums and three mixtapes in five years and honed their craft of elite technical rap ability.
In 2016, Junk signed to Snak The Ripper’s label Stealth Bomb Records and joined him for the From The Dirt cross Canada tour. Since signing with SBR Junk has toured Europe 3 times with Snak, Merkules & Onyx. His high octane performance has been growing steadily and has been in heavy demand, making him one of the most booked artists in the Canadian underground rap scene. Whether headlining solo tours, or opening for legends like Tech N9ne, MGK, Yelawolf, Wu-Tang, Freddie Gibbs, Redman, Action Bronson and Murs, to an insatiable appetite for his craft and an unprecedented work ethic with three albums and three EPs under his belt, Junk is definitely knocking on the door to be the next up.
pnwrk
Vancouver-based lyricist pnwrk (Penwork) has been quietly cementing his status as an underground veteran for years. As a member of the group Usual Suspecs (alongside Jason James and DJ Krisp), pnwrk has shared the stage with such notable acts as: Raekwon, The Roots, DJ Green Lantern, Common, Mobb Deep, 2 Live Crew, Talib Kweli, Meek Mill, Naughty By Nature and Diamond D, among others. His expansive back catalog of material includes over 25 projects, comprised mostly of mixtapes and EPs, and he is constantly releasing new freeverses in addition to working on his upcoming album to be released in late 2020 on Stealth Bomb Records.
KNOWN.
Canadian based rapper KNOWN. mixes ever changing flows with catchy chorus’s over heavy drums and smooth samples. Bringing a new young energy to the scene. KNOWN. has finally come into his own with recently released singles that prove his diversity and songwriting ability.
Two months fresh out of high school the “My Place” rapper joined Canadian legend Snak The Ripper as his tour support for his 2018 Off the Rails Tour. Spanning 47 cities in two different countries KNOWN. honed his skills as an exciting high energy performer that set himself as one of the most exciting live acts coming out of Canada. The high-flyer has released 2 mixtapes and a bundle of singles spanning from 2018 into 2020. The 20-year-old has gathered hundreds of thousands of streams across multiple platforms and is set to release his debut album in 2020.
Massiah
Massiah, born Kai Williams, broke into the Canadian music scene under the moniker KAi Sky Walker. From 2010-2015 he continuously earned the reputation of a lyrically gifted songwriter. Cementing his underground status byway of impactful albums and mixtapes, national tours, and collaborations with Spark Master Tape, Casey Veggies, Nickelus F., Snak the Ripper, SonReal, Brevner, and Rich Kidd among others.
By late 2016, a necessary dedication to sobriety and the birth of his second child had drastically altered the MC’s lifestyle, sparking a complete hiatus from recording and releasing music.
After a two-year silence he emerged in 2018 as Massiah, with the politically charged single “Stand,” showcasing his improved delivery and potent story-telling. Fast forward to 2019, Massiah’s return culminated with the entirely self-engineered Massiah Profit: Angel of Sin. A 4-song EP that was created with – and accompanied by – an original 20-page comic.
His latest offering was a collaborative record with fellow Vancouver artist Junk. The well received single “Do or Die” surprised Massiah’s fans and peers by illuminating vocal chops and hook-crafting abilities that may have gone previously unnoticed. The song has received over 250,000 streams to date across all platforms.
Young Sin
Young Sin has always had a strong passion for music – born to a DJ mother and a father in a funk band, the Toronto-native was initially inspired by groups like Earth, Wind and Fire, Sam & Dave and Parliament. As he got older, Sin’s wandering attention span was held by NWA, Black Sheep and anything Dr. Dre touched; it wasn’t until the late nineties that his family moved to Vancouver and he started to turn his passion into reality. Sin and his brother Lexani formed Domino Click, achieving local notoriety for winning 2003’s Starmaker Contest on the Beat 94.5, where their singles “That’s That” and “Get Down” spent considerable air time.
Despite this growing momentum, Young Sin spent a few years focused on the administrative side of the rap game, sharpening his skill set and garnering industry wisdom. numerous industry accolades- including a placement in 2005’s International Songwriting competition.
Young Sin has toured extensively alongside label mate Snak the Ripper and has over a million views and streams online collectively. He released his full length album in 2009 titled This Is Who I Am which received praise for his lyrical content and songwriting ability.
After almost a decade long hiatus, Young Sin is back as a formidable member of the SBR roster.
Nicky MacKenzie
Nicky MacKenzie is a 19 year old singer/songwriter from Western Canada. Known for her strong, jazzy vocals, Nicky started writing original music at a young age, incorporating her roots of folk and blues into catchy pop, soul, and R&B songs. She is recognized for her performances on CTV’s The Launch, CBC’s Searchlight competition, and her debut album Honeydew, available everywhere. Look out for more from Nicky this year!
Young Stitch
Young Stitch, hailing from Toronto Canada has been making big waves as of late. From being crowned BET Freestyle Friday World Champion, to working with numerous platinum selling artists, to performing on stages in front of thousands of screaming fans, Stitch owns his versatility with intense flow, hard hitting bars, and super catchy melodies blending together in perfect harmony. No matter the sub-genre, stitch seamlessly conquers any style of rap thrown in front of him with ease. The kind of “rapper” that even the best would be scared to test.
D-Rec
A veteran in the Vancouver hip-hop scene, D-Rec has been holding it down for well over a decade, with a stacked resume of club nights, live show, studio album production and scratch credits. If you’re fortunate to catch him on the decks, you will soon hear that he is heavily influenced by early to late 90’s hip-hop, but he is extremely versatile and can flex with any genre or style. With an emphasis on turntablism and creative mixing techniques, you can always expect him to drop all the hip-hop classics you know and love, obscure gems, classic rock, funk, soul, rnb, 80’s, new stuff…anything goes. And as far as his beats go, he keeps it simple with cleverly arranged and selected samples and hard-hitting boom bap inspired drums.
As the official DJ for world renown Vancouver artist Snak the Ripper and Stealth Bomb Records, D-Rec has toured extensively at an international level, including countless cross- Canada tours, a USA tour and several extensive European tours. He has shared the stage with legendary astists such as Raekwon, Havoc (Mobb Deep), The Beatnuts, Tech Nine, Planet Asia, Camp Lo, Sean Price, GM Roc Raida, RA the Rugged Man, Prince Paul, Kool DJ Red Alert, GZA, The Alkaholiks, Little Brother, Pharoahe Monch, MOP, The Coup, Swollen Members, Sweatshop Union, 2 Chainz, Jedi Mind Tricks, Diamond D, Onyx, Digable Planets, Zion I, Hopsin, J-Live, Blackalicious, Freestyle Fellowship, Ghostface, La the Darkman, La Coka Nostra and many more.
His production and scratch credits include work with Snak the Ripper, Junk, Edgar Penwork, Jaclyn Gee, Evil Ebenezer, HellnBack, Timbo King, RA the Rugged Man, Sadat X, El Da Sensei, Mac Lethal, Swollen Members, Sweatshop Union, Emotionz, Alpha Omega, Robbie G, Fatt Matt, Lesk One, Jeff Spec, Narai, Tonye Aganaba, Stevie Ross, Hungry, and Matt Brevner, to name a few.
Throw in a residency at Vancouver’s longest running hip-hop night, Monday Night Live, multiple DJ and beat battle victories (including the first ever KOTD Vancouver beat battle), respect and admiration from fans, peers and heads worldwide, and you have someone truly dedicated to their craft. Even with such an extensive resume, he feels like he’s just getting started. Be on the lookout for lots more from D-Rec in the years to come.
Stealth Bomb Records Playlist
Be sure to check out the official SBR playlist below and check out the official website for more info. You can follow the label on Instagram @StealthBombRecords.
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Introduction written by Kyle McNeil and Jesse Plunkett for HipHopCanada
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