Posted on 10/21/2009
There’s a particularly good episode of South Park where Canada goes on strike to get more appreciation for its numerous contributions to the world. The gag is of course that nobody (apart from Terrance and Philip devotees) notices. Just as you might say nobody really pays much mind to Canadian hip-hop. But with Drake and K-os in the vanguard, and this fine record from Tona and Lyve now out there, that could all be about to change.

However, Direct Deposit deserves your attention irrespective of nationality. Despite masquerading as an EP, this release (with all its 12 tracks) shows more scope and ambition than most albums from the right side of the border. Tona is a top drawer MC constantly reaching for the next lyrical level, while Lyve furnishes some very dope beats, ranging from classic soul samples to industrial joints, that will have your head nodding from start to finish.

There genuinely aren’t two tracks that sound the same. “Mynd Made Up” is a deliciously slow tribal joint that tips its hat to Madlib’s Beat Konducta in India, while “Hold Back” makes liberal use of D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie,” chopping it up to make it even more sultry than the original, thanks to some frankly indecent drums. Then there’s “See Me In Ya City,” which kicks off with a G-Unit style beat designed to garner “some of that radio love,” before being summarily ditched in favour of a much stronger soul dhojo RZA direction.

This last track’s typical of the self-awareness that characterises much of Tona’s persona. He knows his position in the game all too well (ignored by the radio, unloved by the majors) but this only inspires him to come through with lyrics that will have you pressing rewind to catch every last word. “I’m trying to put lyricism back in detail” is hardly a unique claim, but Tona does more than most to follow up on his, er, words.

Like this gem from “Now A Dayz:” “I’m not your American idol, I don’t do whatever Simon says.” Even better, he also knows when to be silent, like at the start of “U Know It”, whose sublime soul-drenched beat he lets ride “to breathe for a minute, let DJs load it in the Serato, get that 4 bar loop and shit.” And this particular horn-driven tune deserves every bit of play it gets (as does Skyzoo for dropping the best guest spot on the EP).

The pedestrian “Major” aside, Tona and Lyve have made an album that deserves to break out of the “screwface capital” and gain both of them and their scene proper international recognition. It bumps, it bounces and there’s enough invention and intelligence to make a strong case that Canadian hip-hop is no longer a laughing matter. Maybe it really is time for that Canadian Hip-Hop recognition day…

-Will Georgi