BoudahBless and Radical Joe – Emerging Artist Spotlight

Jan 19 2012 – On occasion we like to surf around YouTube and see what new local talent is emerging in Toronto. In our quest to we ran into a couple of raw guys throwing down lyrics in a manner that impressed us. Their video is at the bottom of this article so check it out! We were able to track down Radical Joe and asked him a few questions:

Tell us a bit about the group/song?
RJ- We’re not a group lol, this song was a collaboration of rappers – BoudahBless and Rockband: Radical Joe, we’ve all been friends for many years, have always influenced each others developments in music, and have always partied together… the song itself was to promote our collab. and that we have a show this Friday January 20th. The song itself is a remastered version of another BoudahBless track called “Whatever Happens Happens”.


What are your favorite artists right now?
RJ- Honestly there isnt much mainstream music that i personally listen to, just a few songs here and there, but not really any hip-hop…i was at a “Blackstar” concert in November and it really reminded me what hip-hop’s been missing for quite a while LOL.


Do you think Toronto has a vibrant hip-hop scene?
RJ – Well i think that hip-hop cannot be determined as anything less than a way of life that at the end of the day is influenced by the music of now and the music of now can only be influenced by the music of yesterday, however, I think that musically the genre is changing and the fan base is increasing so with the development of these factors ,I can’t be a hater and say “F@#$ Toronto’s hip-hop scene, because that’s not at all the case, i just personally don’t like the hip-hop of today for the blatant fact my appreciation lies elsewhere. The scene itself… I don’t think there’s anywhere else more hip-hop than Toronto, other than NY, but who’s counting.


How do young artists like yourselves get a video made? Any advice for newcomers?
RJ- Getting this video made was a combination of a lot of hard work, i think the key to getting this video made was the fact we knew a lot of girls, we planned it out well in advance and we had the help of professionals. so in short that means we spent a fair chunk of change. So the best advice would really be: meet more people, talk to other bands, introduce yourself to other artists and build bonds that way, because at the end of the day and the amount of money spent only plays the slightest factor, we pulled this all together nicely because Radical Joe and BoudahBless have developed a strong “give-take” relationship which allows us to feed off one another and help each other out.


What can we expect from you next?
RJ- I’ve had my mixtape on hold for quite awhile in preparation for the show, now once BoudahBless’s LP drops, the next step will be a full on collab between BoudahBless and Radical Joe, we’re going to be teaming up with Rob “dj Manic Haze” C. (producer of video beat) and take a new approach to the music of today.

Verdict: Check our BoudahBless and Radical Joe at Toronto’s Sound Academy this Friday January 20th. Details for that show are here. The show is part of Supernova‘s Battle of the Bands.