Rascalz

Origins

The Rascalz came out of East Vancouver. Rapper Red1 and producer DJ Kemo met in high school around 1990, bonding over skateboarding and hip hop, and the group took shape by 1991 (sources give either year). Alongside MC Misfit, the crew included breakdancers Zebroc and Dedos, and Kemo also painted graffiti, so the group represented several pillars of hip hop culture at once. Their debut Really Livin' came out independently in 1992, and Sony Music Canada reissued it in 1993.

Cash Crop and the Juno Stand

In 1994 the group started its own label, Figure IV, and later partnered with BMG Canada. Their second album, Cash Crop (1997), won the 1998 Juno for Best Rap Recording, but the Rascalz turned it down because the award was handed out in a non-televised portion of the event. They said the award felt like a token gesture given how little Black music appeared on the broadcast. The next year the Junos moved the rap category into the main televised ceremony.

Northern Touch

"Northern Touch" (1998) put the Rascalz on a posse cut with Toronto's Choclair, Kardinal Offishall and Thrust, plus Vancouver's Checkmate. It was the first Canadian rap hit since the early 1990s and got airplay across North America. It won the 1999 Juno, giving hip hop its first performance on the Juno stage, and its Director X video won a MuchMusic Video Award. Global Warning (1999) followed, with singles "Sharpshooter" and "Top of the World" featuring Barrington Levy and K-os, plus guests such as KRS-One, and the Esthero collaboration "Priceless." Reloaded (2002) was their last album, and Red1 released the solo record Beg for Nothing in 2007.

Legacy

The Rascalz helped popularize "Van City" as a name for Vancouver's scene and built a bridge between the West Coast and Toronto. "Northern Touch" is widely called one of the most important songs in Canadian music, and the group's Juno protest changed how the industry treated rap. Drake later introduced the track at his OVO Fest as Canada's national anthem. The Rascalz have not released new music in years but still perform occasionally.