Hailing from Toronto, I try to keep up with rap released north of the border. While Canada’s had a Hip Hop scene since the early 80’s, it wasn’t until the late 90’s that we really started making noise. And within the past few years, we’ve seen the scene grow and artists and producers become recognized and even accepted in America. Though I’m not the biggest fan of Drake, I do have to admit that he’s gone very far with his success and has brought some more attention to Canadian Hip Hop. But for this list, let’s forget about him and focus on a few artists you should be checking for, and see what kind of uniqueness Canucks bring to the table.

Shad: From London, Ontario, Shad is one of the best and brightest rappers around, having issued three solid albums so far, as well as a recent mixtape, Besides. An excellent rhymer and a thoughtful dude, let’s hope he has a collaboration in the works with…

k-os: Mixing Hip Hop with rock, electro, and lots of instruments, Toronto’s own k-os does things VERY differently. This summer, he’s releasing the double album, BLack on BLonde, an ode to both rock and Hip Hop.

K’Naan: Originally from Mogadishu, Somalia, K’Naan introduces a worldly experience to his sound and speaks beyond his years. Scoring a global anthem in “Waving Flag” in 2009, he’s at work on his third record hopefully dropping this year.

Saukrates: Having been on the scene since the mid-nineties, Toronto’s Saukrates is well respected, collaborating with artists such as Nas, Method Man, and Redman. This year, he’s set to release Season One, his first full length since his ’99 debut The Underground Tapes.

Kardinall Offishall: A legend, Kardi was instrumental in the creation of “Northern Touch,” the posse track which resuscitated Canadian Hip Hop in ’98, and he’s well known for bringing heavy reggae vibes to his music. Having scored a US hit with Akon in 2008 on “Dangerous,” he’s back to release Mr. International this year.

Eternia: With her strong lyricism and collaborations with artists like DJ JS-1, Hasan Salaam, and Reef The Lost Cauze, Eternia is out to prove that your favorite rapper wears a skirt. It’ll be dope to see what tracks and collabs she creates this year.

D-Sisive: Known for his personal and fractured rhymes, D-Sisive is on the come up with collaborations alongside fellow Canadian emcees like Shad and Munshine. His projects are like a journey into his soul and I’m intrigued to hear his next project.

JD Era: Championed and recently signed by Da Chef himself Raekwon, Toronto’s JD Era has a lot of potential with his smooth rhymes. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Classified: Because you can’t have a Canadian emcee list without Classified, a very prolific and respected emcee out of Nova Scotia, who started catching attention up North. He’s now ten albums deep and released a legit Canadian Hip Hop anthem with “Oh, Canada” in 2010.

Sweatshop Union: A collective of the Vancouver-based groups Pigeon Hole, Dirty Circus, Kyprios and Innocent Bystander, Sweatshop represents some of Western Canada’s most acclaimed underground acts, focused on conscious and politically-minded raps, and with a strong EP release in 2011 with The Bill Murray EP. I’m definitely for hearing more of them in 2012.

Now this is not an exhaustive list and my picks are a bit skewed toward T-Dot (‘cuz that’s my city!), so if you have some artists you don’t see here, hit up the comments and let us know who you are checking for!

Related posts:

1. The Real Frequency: Canadian Classix Vol. 1
2. Drake: The Biggest Canadian Hip Hop Artist Ever?
3. Canadian Vs. Danish Gangster