IRS (band)

Last updated
IRS
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Canadian hip hop
Years active1990s-2000s
Labels Universal Music Canada
Past membersKorry "Korry Deez" Downey
Black Cat
T.R.A.C.K.S.

IRS, an initialism for Instinctive Reaction to Struggle, was a Canadian hip hop band from Toronto, Ontario, active in the early 2000s. [1] They are most noted for their 2003 album Welcome to Planet IRS, which received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2004. [2]

The group was formed in Scarborough in the late 1990s by rappers Korry "Korry Deez" Downey and Black Cat and producer T.R.A.C.K.S., all of whom had previously been associated with the hip hop crew Monolith. [3] They released a number of 7" and 12" singles in their early years, toured as supporting performers for Kardinal Offishall (appearing on his hit "Ol' Time Killin'"), [4] and appeared as featured guest performers on the Rascalz song "Dun Did It", from their 2002 album Reloaded . [5]

They signed to Universal Music Canada in early 2003, [6] and released Welcome to Planet IRS on that label in 2003. [3] The album's most successful single was "T-Dot Anthem". [7]

They did not release any further albums as a group. T.R.A.C.K.S. next collaborated with Saukrates in the group Big Black Lincoln; [8] Korry Deez has released albums as a solo artist, although both T.R.A.C.K.S. and Black Cat have continued to appear on them as collaborators.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maestro Fresh Wes</span> Canadian rapper, record producer, and actor

Wesley "Wes" Williams is a Canadian rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes or Maestro as a musician, and is credited by his birth name as an actor. One of the earliest Canadian rappers to achieve mainstream success, he is credited as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop". His debut album, Symphony in Effect (1989), was the first certified platinum album by a Black Canadian artist, and his 2023 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and 2024 Governor General's Performing Arts Award were each the first for any hip-hop artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian hip-hop</span> Music genre

The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jully Black</span> Canadian singer, songwriter and actress

Jully Black is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. She has released 4 studio albums, and 2 remix EPs. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Child, and Sean Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Touch</span> 1998 single by Rascalz featuring Kardinal Offishall, Checkmate, Thrust and Choclair

"Northern Touch" is a Canadian hip hop single, which was released in 1998 by Rascalz in collaboration with Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust and Choclair. It is one of the most important individual songs in the history of Canadian hip hop, which almost singlehandedly transformed the genre from a largely ignored underground movement into a viable commercial endeavour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweatshop Union</span> Canadian hip hop collective

Sweatshop Union is a Canadian hip hop collective based in Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of four politically-minded rap acts — Dirty Circus, Pigeon Hole, Kyprios and Innocent Bystanders. Known for their socially conscious lyrics, Sweatshop Union's music comments on issues ranging from the war in Iraq, the plight of the poor and working-class, to the negativity and misogyny of mainstream hip-hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kardinal Offishall</span> Canadian rapper and record producer (born 1976)

Jason Drew Harrow, better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall, is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent hip hop producers during the 2000s and is distinctive for his reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip hop.

Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He was one of the most successful rappers in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Choclair has been nominated for six Juno Awards, winning four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BrassMunk</span> Canadian hip hop group

BrassMunk was a Canadian hip hop group from Scarborough, Ontario. It was formed in 1997 by emcees S-Roc, Clip, May One 9 and DJ/producer Agile. May 19 was replaced by King Reign in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rascalz</span> Canadian hip-hop group

Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop as well as specifically for the Westcoast scene in Vancouver popularizing the term “Van City”. The group consists of emcees Red1 and Misfit, and record producer DJ Kemo. Breakdancers Zebroc and Dedos were also part of the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saukrates</span> Canadian rapper and singer (born 1978)

Karl Amani Wailoo, better known by his stage name Saukrates, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer. He is the co-founder of Capitol Hill Music, and lead singer of the hip-hop/R&B group Big Black Lincoln. He is also a member of Redman's Gilla House collective.

Black Jays is a Canadian independent record label, production company, and musical collective, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music. Founded in 2000 by rappers Kardinal Offishall and Solitair, it was originally known as Silver House and the Girl (S.H.A.G.). In 2004, the group came to prominence after releasing a remix album and mixtape. The Toronto-based group's name is derived from the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitair</span> Musical artist

Sheldon Pitt, better known by his stage name Solitair, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is a founding member of the now defunct Black Jays record label and production team. Solitair has been producing hip hop and R&B for nearly 20 years, and has produced for Nina Sky, Glenn Lewis, Cham, Maestro, Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall, Ivana Santilli, Jully Black, Choclair, and Sugar Jones among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shad (rapper)</span> Canadian rapper and broadcaster (born 1982)

Shadrach Kabango, known professionally as Shad or Shad K, is a Canadian rapper and broadcaster. Beginning his career in 2005, has released seven studio albums and three extended plays. He won a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2011 and five of his albums have been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, the most short-list nominations of any artist in the prize's history. In 2013, CBC Music named Shad the second-greatest Canadian rapper of all time. Shad hosted Q on CBC Radio One from 2015 to 2016, and hosts the International Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution on HBO Canada and Netflix.

<i>Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1</i> 2001 studio album by Kardinal Offishall

Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 is the second studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. It was released on MCA Records, his first album for a major label. It is a recompilation album, which includes older songs and demos that he used to get signed. The lead single, "BaKardi Slang", became his first single to appear on a Billboard chart. The second single, "Ol' Time Killin'", was a minor hit. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ol' Time Killin'</span> 2001 single by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black

"Ol' Time Killin'" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall featuring Jully Black, Allistair, IRS, and Wio-K, released in 2001. Produced by Mr. Attic, it was the second single from his second album Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1.

Daniel Faraldo, known professionally as Dan-e-o, is a Canadian hip hop artist and actor of Jamaican and Spanish descent. In June 2015, Dan-e-o received the award for Best Hip Hop Artist at the Black Canadian Awards. He is a member of the groups Monolith and Perfeck Strangers, both based in Scarborough, Ontario.

JD Era is a Canadian rapper and lyricist. He has worked with artists such as Nas, Gza, Kardinal Offishall, The Clipse, and has also cut several tracks with longtime friend Drake. In 2008 he won Best Rap at the Toronto Independent Music Awards, and also won the TAG Records’ Survival of The Freshest competition. He has also released a number of mixtapes and singles, and in the Juno Awards of 2013 his album No Handouts was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year.

David Carty, known by his stage name Jelleestone, is a Canadian rapper.

Tasha the Amazon, born Tasha Schumann, is a Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter, hip hop producer, author, and host to the Animalogic YouTube channel. She is best known for her debut EP Die Every Day, which was nominated at the 2017 Juno Awards for Rap Recording of the Year.

Big Black Lincoln was a Canadian rhythm and blues musical group from Toronto, Ontario, active in the mid-2000s. Led by rapper Saukrates, the group included musicians T.R.A.C.K.S., Agile, Ro Dolla and Shakari Nyte.

References

  1. "Can IRS save rap from bling bling?: T-dot trio struggling against the machine". Halifax Daily News , July 31, 2003.
  2. "Juno nominations". Montreal Gazette , February 12, 2004.
  3. 1 2 "IRS: Welcome To Planet IRS". Exclaim! , April 1, 2003.
  4. "It's Offishall: Toronto's hip". National Post , June 9, 2001.
  5. "IRS: Welcome to Planet IRS". The Province , April 8, 2003.
  6. "IRS gets deal". The Province , March 4, 2003.
  7. "Culture Fest set for Milliken Park". Scarborough Mirror , August 8, 2003.
  8. "Big Black Lincoln Very Necessary". Exclaim! , January 1, 2006.