I’m not sure about you, but when I think of HipHop shows, the first thing I don’t think of is Barrie. Call me ignorant, but when I think of Barrie, I think of Casinorama or the outlet stores on the way to Casinorama. So, when MikeAll invited members of the crew to go with him to a show I thought, “How bad could it be? It’s in Barrie.”
I’m a bit introverted when it comes to events. It was less than a decade ago when I saw KRS-ONE rip the mic to shreds with an impromptu cipher in Jane and Finch so I thought I had experienced all I had to experience, but I digress. Going on a mic and performing with MikeAll is always a good time, so I was on board when he said he’d take care of transportation to go.
MikeAll was late in picking me up. We synchronized our watches like Parker Lewis, but his departure text carried an unexpected message. About 40 minutes before meeting up, my phone was updated with a message that said, “I’m going to be late. I’ve been asked to pick someone up.” I didn’t mind too much, it gave me a few more minutes to talk to my parents.
MikeAll picked me up on a chilly night outside of SanRomano Way in Jane and Finch. When I got to the car, a person got out of the passenger seat and I was surprised to see who it was. Spade from the Juno nominated HipHop group, Citizen Kane, got out of shotgun to make room so MikeAll and I could rehearse. I immediately recognized him but was now puzzled with the type of HipHop event we were heading to.
After an hour and a half of going over our set, debating why the new Batman movie is terrible, and how main streets all over North America look the same, we finally arrived at CW Coops. When we first walked in, we were greeted by a wall of canvases adorning tags, bombs, and pieces. One particular piece was signed by KRS-ONE so I asked our host Liftid about it. He regaled me with a story of getting it signed by KRS-ONE himself, so I asked him if this occurred at that same moment where KRS-ONE bombed the mic in Jane and Finch. Liftid let me down and said, “No I didn’t get it signed then… but I was also there at the tennis court when KRS-ONE was yelling at the balconies.” From that moment, I knew this trip was going to be different.
The evening flashed before my eyes with gems from Canadian HipHop. While MikeAll and I did our thing on the stage, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I was nervous performing in front of Disco/JSN from the Oddities and Versatile, Frankie Payne, J Shiltz, and the Toronto lyrical assassin himself, Dan-e-o. I felt truly blessed to be there that night, and despite my own insecurities and mess-ups, I share it proudly with whomever wants to see.
“Tha Undaground Volume 9” at Barrie was definitely a night to remember. It wasn’t packed and it wasn’t empty. It wasn’t dead and it was very much alive. Like most things that deserve to, Hip Hop finds a way, and on that one night in Barrie I got to see it live and well.
Big shout out to Liftid and Hip Hop Northern Productions for having us out!
– Tigz
Hip Hop Headucatorz & RPP
