This year, we were introduced to Vince the Messenger. Next year, he's going to blow up
The rapper gives CBC Music's The Intro a sneak peek at his upcoming album, Trustfall
Vince the Messenger is putting Charlottetown's burgeoning hip hop scene on the map.
While many may not automatically think of the East Coast city as a hotbed for the genre — Toronto maintains its dominance as the epicentre for hip hop acts — rising artists like Vince find that there are upsides to making music in a smaller place.
"I find, just being in Charlottetown, you can really sense the feel of community between musicians," he says, "which is awesome because it always makes for great opportunities for collaboration. It's definitely a cool place to grow and learn as a musician."
On his last EP, Nowhere 2 Grow, he did everything: wrote the lyrics, performed all the drums, synths, bass and effects, and engineered and mixed it himself. But he also loves to utilize that aforementioned network of musicians around him, teaming up with a producer named Niimo as well as other local Charlottetown acts.
Vince writes personal and empowering lyrics; he released an anti-racist anthem earlier this year called "Mood" that is still reverberating. And he will continue that momentum heading into 2021 with a new album called Trustfall dropping in early January.
In this episode of CBC Music's The Intro, watch Vince the Messenger perform "Mood" and "Dead World," a brand new track off his upcoming album, at Back Alley Music in Charlottetown. Vince is joined by Niimo on "Mood" and rapper Marquis & the Squid takes a verse on "Dead World."
Watch Vince chat with CBC Music Mornings host Saroja Coelho about his music, above.
CBC Music's The Intro is a new feature where CBC Music brings essential emerging Canadian talent to the world. Episodes of CBC Music's The Intro will be released weekly on CBC Gem, CBC Music's YouTube channel and here on cbc.ca/music.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
