The Lytics

The Lytics' annual appearances at CMW are criminally under attended, probably due to their early hour. But that never stops the Winnipeg hip-hop crew from performing as if it were a packed house. Drawing inspiration from early '90s Native Tongues records -- A Tribe Called Quest's flow, the Pharcyde's sense of humour -- the Lytics dropped tracks from their 2009 self-titled EP and a bunch of new material. The quartet of MCs bounced rhymes back and forth, wowing the crowd with their lyrical dexterity, while the boom-bap beats of their EP gave way to dance, Afrobeat and even a '60s R&B feel for on their newer tracks, which see the group seriously expanding their scope. The Lytics have been sitting on a lot of these tunes for over a year, but hopefully they'll see release really soon.