Since the 2000's, Canadian hip hop saw a rise to mainstream success led by Drake, and to a lesser extent Kardinal Offishall, Tory Lanez, and Nav.
[5] In addition to "Ladies Delight", Mr. Q (Jay McGee) released a handful of other rap singles through the last several months of 1979; one, "Party Rapp", included lyrics about the 1979 Mississauga train derailment.
[6] Toronto's CKLN-FM was an early supporter of the genre, with Ron Nelson launching Canada's first hip hop program, The Fantastic Voyage, in 1983.
Other notable rap singles of this era include Maestro's "Drop the Needle", Devon's "Mr. Metro", Dream Warriors' "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" and "Wash Your Face in My Sink", Ground Control's "Another Dope Jam", MCJ and Cool G's "No Sex With My Sister" and "So Listen", and Kish's "I Rhyme the World in 80 Days".
This action did not result in significant chart success for her—she has asserted in interviews that the reggae influences on her 1991 debut album Jamaican Funk—Canadian Style were met with resistance from US label executives and radio programmers.
An important influence for the development of hip hop in Toronto was Ron Nelson and his Fantastic Voyage radio show which aired Saturday afternoons on CKLN-FM from 1983 to 1991.
Fantastic Voyage was the first exposure many youths had to the hip hop genre and provided the first airplay for many Toronto artists including Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee, Rumble & Strong, Get Loose Crew, Simply Majestic and the Dream Warriors.
[11][12][13] In addition, Nelson helped set up events in Toronto that drew in well-known US hip hop acts, such as Big Daddy Kane and Run DMC.
After 1992, Michie Mee was the only Canadian rapper to make an appearance on the national pop charts until 1998—and even she didn't accomplish the feat with a hip hop song, but by partnering with the alternative rock band Raggadeath for 1995's "One Life".
"[18]A special collaborative single, "Can't Repress the Cause", was released under the name Dance Appeal to advocate for greater inclusion of hip hop in the mainstream of Canadian music.
[19] Participating artists included Devon, Maestro Fresh Wes, Dream Warriors, B-Kool, Michie Mee, Lillian Allen, Eria Fachin, HDV, Dionne, Thando Hyman, Carla Marshall, Messenjah, Jillian Mendez, Lorraine Scott, Lorraine Segato, Self Defense, Leroy Sibbles, Zama and Thyron Lee White.
[9] In 1994, filmmaker Andrew Munger profiled several of Toronto's underground hip hop musicians, including Ghetto Concept, Dan-e-o, Thrust and Da Grassroots, in his documentary film Make Some Noise.
The following year, Dubmatique broke through as the first Quebec rap band to top Canada's francophone pop charts, Montreal alternative rock collective Bran Van 3000 had a hit with the trip hop song "Drinking in L.A.," and some controversy erupted in Toronto when Milestone was again passed over for an urban radio station on its second application.
The most notable Canadian hip hop album during this era, Rap Essentials Volume One, was a compilation which featured the debut singles of both Kardinal Offishall and Choclair.
Artists such as Choclair, Jelleestone and Saukrates were also beginning to make waves in the press, as the year's more dramatic events renewed attention on Canadian hip hop.
Bande à part has produced a compilation album of unsigned Quebec hip hop artists, 93 tours, which it distributed as a free download from its website.
[34] However, a new radio station, CKFG-FM, was licensed to Toronto in 2011 to broadcast a broad spectrum of African and Caribbean musical genres, including hip hop, reggae, soca and rhythm and blues.
[38] Numerous other Canadian hip hop and R&B artists from the Greater Toronto Area, including the Weeknd, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Majid Jordan, Roy Woods, NAV, Dvsn, Killy, 88Glam, Pressa, Honey Cocaine, and Tory Lanez, have also attained wider international prominence in this era.
[41][42] Also that year, satellite radio provider SiriusXM Canada launched Mixtape: North, a full-time channel dedicated to Canadian hip hop and R&B.
[43] Several artists working in Canada achieved international success in Punjabi hip hop from the 2010s on, including Sidhu Moose Wala and Karan Aujla.
[45] South Asian rapper Ylook was a pioneering artist in Toronto's hip hop scene, working alongside Kardinal Offishall as part of the influential Circle crew.
[45] In the 2020s Punjabi language hip hop reached mainstream charts with the success of Canadian artists like Sidhu Moose Wala, AP Dhillon, Gurinder Gill, Karan Aujla, and Shubh, as well as producers such as Gminxr, Byg Byrd, and Ikky, marking the breakthrough of Punjabi-language hip hop, referred to in the Canadian music industry as Punjabi Wave.
[45][49] The same year, Warner Music Canada launched 91 North Records, a Canadian label designed to foster and promote emerging South Asian talent.
[52] Observers of the genre's rise believe that Punjabi Canadian hip hop may emerge to see the same level of global influence that Reggaeton has had in decades prior.
Other significant francophone rappers who have emerged in 21st century have included Muzion, Manu Militari, Yvon Krevé, Loco Locass, Catburglaz, Atach Tatuq, Taktika, Sans Pression, Omnikrom, Anodajay, Gatineau, Radio Radio, Alaclair Ensemble, Boogat, Koriass, Loud Lary Ajust, Sarahmée, Pierre Kwenders, Tizzo, Dead Obies, FouKi, Souldia and Treizième Etage.
Smooth, who was also known as D-Lite on the Winnipeg local public access television show VPW Spotlight in the early 1990's are attributed to be the first indigenous rappers in Canada.
The group went on to win the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Rap Album of the Year and tour internationally, representing Canada at the World Expo in Nagoya, Japan, and performing at the First Americans Festival at the Smithsonian Museum.
[citation needed] Other artists from this early wave included Winnipeg's Most, Kinnie Starr, Tru Rez Crew, Drezus,[59] Eekwol,[60] Inez Jasper, Manik 1derful,[61] OS-12,[59] Joey Stylez,[60] Lil Pappie, Wab Kinew, TKO,[59] Samian, Crystle Lightning,[60] A Tribe Called Red,[60] JB the First Lady,[62] Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie,[63] Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Team Rezofficial.
[59] David Dacoine, a member of Tribal Wizdom, has hosted workshops across Canada encouraging indigenous youth to take up hip hop as a method of creative expression and self-empowerment.
Artists such as K'naan, k-os, Grand Analog, Touch and Nato, Dragon Fli Empire, DL Incognito and Graph Nobel have pursued styles which blend a diverse mix of hip hop, rock, jazz, world music, and R&B influences.