Wilderness Heart is the third studio album by Black Mountain, released on September 14, 2010.
"Devil in a New Dress" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and rapper Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Originally released through West's GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free music giveaway started by the rapper to promote My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it later appeared on the album with an added guitar solo by producer Mike Dean and an additional guest verse featuring rapper Rick Ross. "Devil in a New Dress" was produced by Bink. It was the only song on the album not to be produced by West. The song samples Smokey Robinson's slow jam recording "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", and is themed lyrically to lust and heartache. Both the topics of love and religion serve as the main inspiration to the song.
BADBADNOTGOOD is a Canadian instrumental band and production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinski. In 2016, they were joined by frequent collaborator Leland Whitty. Among other projects, the group has released five solo studio albums, with the latest, Talk Memory, released in October 2021. They have had critical and crossover success, finding audiences in the hip hop, jazz, and alternative music communities.
"Amen" is a song by American rapper Meek Mill from his debut studio album, Dreams and Nightmares (2012). Featuring Canadian musician Drake, the song includes background vocals from Jeremih. It was produced by Key Wane and Jahlil Beats, with the first serving as a songwriter alongside the vocalists. Due to the interpolation of the Doobie Brothers' "Minute by Minute", written by Lester Abrams and Michael McDonald, they also received songwriting credits. The song was thought of by Key Wane in New York's Times Square, after he prayed when experiencing failure. On June 19, 2012, it was released for digital download and streaming as the album's lead single by Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records. At the time of release, Philadelphia reverend Jomo K. Johnson encouraged boycotting the song over alleged usage of the church for sinful activities, leading to the two debating publicly on Hot 107.9. Mill eventually apologized for any offense and Johnson called off the boycott, forgiving him. A hip hop number with pop and R&B elements, the song relies on a gospel beat, with lyrics focused on sexual exploitation and wealth.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids are a First Nations hip hop duo composed of Haisla rappers Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce. They are originally from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. Their 2017 album The Average Savage was shortlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and for the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019. In 2018, the duo received nominations for Best Hip Hop Album at the Indigenous Music Awards, and for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Their third album TRAPLINE was released on May 10, 2019 and was later shortlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. Their fourth album Life After (2021) was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize and was followed by their fifth album I’M GOOD, HBU? in 2022.
The following musical events and releases that happened in 2020 in Canada.
Before Love Came to Kill Us is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez. It was released on March 27, 2020, by FMLY and Island Records. The record was prefaced with the singles "Figures", "Imported" with 6lack, and "Love in the Dark", and the promotional single "Ankles". A deluxe edition with three additional songs was made available digitally on April 9, 2020. A super deluxe edition of the album was released on September 25, 2020.
The Super Bowl XXX halftime show occurred on January 28, 1996, at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona as part of Super Bowl XXX and featured American entertainer Diana Ross. The show was produced by Radio City Music Hall. The performance was entitled Take Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 years of the Super Bowl.
Etmet Musa, also known by her alias Ayo Leilani and her stage name Witch Prophet, is an Ethiopian/Eritrean musician based in Toronto, Ontario. As Witch Prophet, she has released 3 albums: The Golden Octave (2018), DNA Activation (2020), and Gateway Experience (2023). She co-founded and is the co-director of 88 Days of Fortune, a collective based in Toronto since 2009 that rebranded as Heart Lake Records in 2018. She also is a member of Above Top Secret, an electro-hip hop group. Above Top Secret has released three studio albums since 2010. DNA Activation was shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. In 2021, she released a new song "Leilani", which appeared on the deluxe edition of DNA Activation. The deluxe edition was released July 23, 2021. Her third album as Witch Prophet, entitled Gateway Experience, was released May 1st, 2023. The first single from the album, "Energy Vampire", was released on February 23, 2023 and featured DillanPonders. Gateway Experience was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.
Black Dresses are a Canadian noise pop duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion. Their debut album, Wasteisolation, was released independently in 2018. The duo released three additional albums, Thank You (2019), Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches (2019), and Peaceful as Hell (2020), before breaking up in 2020. Despite no longer being a band, Black Dresses has released two additional albums, Forever in Your Heart (2021) and Forget Your Own Face (2022).
Island is the fifth studio album by Canadian artist Owen Pallett. It was released on May 22, 2020, by Domino Recording Company.
The 2020 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional winner's gala did not take place this year, and instead a special cinematic tribute to the shortlist was streamed online by CBC Music and CBC Gem, following which the winner was announced.
Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadian rapper and producer based in Montreal, Quebec. She is most noted for her 2020 album God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, which won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It is the second studio album by Zambia-born Montreal-based rapper Backxwash. It was self-released on May 28, 2020 through Grimalkin Records. Production was primarily handled by Backxwash herself, along with Fatherfake, Skin and Will Owen Bennett. It features guest appearances from Black Dresses, Fatherfake, Malldate, Skin and Will Owen Bennett. The album won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
The following musical events and releases are expected to happen in 2021 in Canada.
Magic Mirror is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Pearl Charles. It was released on January 15, 2021, through Kanine Records.
A Billion Little Lights is the third studio album by American indie rock band Wild Pink. It was released on February 19, 2021 under Royal Mountain Records.
Forget Your Own Face is the sixth studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. It was released on February 14, 2022, exactly one year after the release of their previous album Forever in Your Heart, and is the second album released by the duo since their announced disbandment in May 2020. With the release of Forever in Your Heart, the duo clarified that they had nonetheless not reunited as a band, and The Fader described Forget Your Own Face as a continuation of the their "not-reunion". Released under Blacksquares Records, the album was preceded by the Patreon-only release of the song "u_u2" on February 1.
The 2022 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2022. The longlist was announced on June 14, with the shortlist following on July 14.
His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering is the fourth studio album by Zambian-Canadian rapper Backxwash. The album was announced on July 14 and released on October 31, 2022, via the Ugly Hag label. The album concludes Backxwash's three album trilogy and features collaborations from various vocalists.
