T-West

That Kid West is still a youth at 18, but he’s building a buzz out of his block in Jungle City to become one of the hottest MCs in Toronto currently on the come up. Doing double duty as a rapper and producer, T-West uses The Development Mixtape to focus on his growth and evolution as an MC, putting his production talents to use on only three of the 14 songs included here. His production fits nicely within the mix of radio-ready music, but it’s first single "My Home,” where West teams with JD Era to give much love to their T-Dot home, that really stands out on the album. Hopefully this song is a sign of what’s to come with his sophomore album in early 2007. However, it’s as a rapper that T-West stands out and really shines. A street rapper with an easily accessible vocal style, West just happens to be a rapper that hustles good. From the get-go, West is not afraid to question and confront stereotypes, whether he’s putting his spin on topics like clothes ("Sneakers And Fitteds” and "Doorags”), money ("Cake”) or the authorities’ abuse of power ("Here’s A Story”), the latter also demonstrating a knack for solid storytelling and stands out as another of the mix’s highlights. Best of all, as T-West demonstrates on the title track, he knows this is just one more step in his development as a world class rapper. In other words, The Development Mixtape is a great introduction to someone whose name will be heard a lot more in the near future.