Justis

When the intro’s horns erupt and Justis delivers his first two bars, you get that rare feeling that this is going to be something special. The Kitchener-Waterloo rapper and producer gets everything right on his debut, finding a delicate balance between personalisation and audience inclusion. On "I Am Hip Hop,” he raps, "Despite asthma, I rip mics and write chapters.” Whether he is making a good point ("Try’n To Live,” "Music For A Rainy Day,” "Cocaine”) or just having good time ("Down,” "Get it Right,” "Weekend”), Justis has the cadence, lyricism and production skills to make him a defining voice in Canadian hip-hop. Just Is is just one of the best rap debuts in recent memory.