Blog - The Movement Fam, Independent Hip Hop Record Label - Toronto + Montréal
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Toronto Hip Hop
An album a decade in the making, Montreal-via-Melbourne's Cee and Oakland-via-New Mexico's Po3 have delivered a soulful, authentic, introspective and head noddin' project in "Bad Habits".
Conceived in 2008 in the Bay Area after a collaboration, work begun on the project in early 2015. What started as a collaborative EP quickly turned into a 15 track, full-length album as Cee and Po3's creative synergy blossomed.
Shot by serial collaborator Richard Bastarche exclusively in the vertical format, "Taste" is one of the first Hip Hop music videos of its kind in Canada. Bastarache's flair with visual FX blend with the Montreal views to create an engaging piece of vertical content, built specifically for Instagram's IGTV platform, and the perfect complement to the summer banger.
While Notion is putting the finishing touches on the EP, he connected with his brother Cee, Toronto's The Mighty Rhino and regular collaborator Digital Junkie for this uplifting, soulful banger. "Back To Life" sees the three artists drop positive bars focusing on progression, dedication, focus and the neverending search for happiness, all tied together by Digital Junkie's razor sharp cuts.
Back in December, Cee dropped his 12th single of 2017, "Net Neutral". Once again helmed by Notion, soulful harmonies provided the backdrop for Cee's timely bars, touching on the recent Net Neutrality repeal, social media addiction and cryptocurrency, all contributing to an appropriate year-end wrap up.
Now Cee has teamed up with King Richard yet again for the FX and message-heavy visuals, shot in Montreal.
The twelfth and final 2017 single, "Net Neutral", is once again helmed by Notion. Soulful harmonies provide the backdrop for Cee's timely bars, touching on the recent Net Neutrality repeal, social media addiction and cryptocurrency, all contributing to an appropriate year-end wrap up.
As haunting and as intense as the song is, the video features The Movement Fam's official DJ Digital Junkie as the antagonist, playing the role so well that we were almost concerned. With vivid violent imagery mirroring that which society pits against specific communities, Cee and Notion find themselves prisoners in a dystopian future (or is it now?) in direct combat with their oppressor, ending in an ultimate victory for humanity, an echo of positivity in world that is otherwise headed for entropy.
Produced by, and featuring, frequent collaborator Myer Clarity, "What We Want" captures a Jackson 5-esque, "College Dropout" era Kanye vibe with both MCs delivering positive messages of their dreams, aspirations and plans, with a splash of side-eye.
Produced by LyricVids.com, "Spaceman" takes the listener on a journey across the earth and around the galaxy as Notion recounts and reflects upon his struggles while showing gratitude for where he's at. The trippy and hypnotizing visuals mesh perfectly with the ambient vibes in the production to create a mesmerizing, engaging viewing experience.
Last week on Friday April 28th, Notion released his debut album "Heart On My Sleeve" to the world, and to celebrate, we threw a party to end all parties. Well, even if the cops weren't called, it was still lit AF, as the kids say.
We connected with the guys at Laylow in Toronto, a Hip Hop-themed bar and nanobrewery to brew a beer - a super juicy, fruity North East IPA called "Hops On My Sleeve" - just for the event at their super dope spot, and we invited a guestlist of our favourite people in the industry in Toronto. In a first for TMF, we vlogged the whole thing. Check how it all went down below, and buy/stream the album!
You never forget your debut, and this project means the world to Notion. As the title suggests, "Heart On My Sleeve" is a deeply personal album, containing music he's worked on over his time in Canada and touching on subjects that he's never spoken on before. At times dark, introspective, reflective, emotional, positive, quietly confident and inspirational, "Heart On My Sleeve" has something all of us can relate to. Notion conveys his emotions in a way that not many other MCs are bold enough to put on display, and this admirable trait makes this project all the more important. Written and recorded through an often tumultuous time of his life, the record expresses the whole breadth of human emotions, while the soulful, boom bap vibe is a breath of fresh air in today's brash, disposable musical landscape.
