| What It Takes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Canadian hip hop | |||
| Label | Knee Deep Records | |||
| Producer | Day (exec.) | |||
| Choclair chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from What It Takes | ||||
| ||||
What It Takes is an EP by Canadian rapper Choclair, released independently in 1997 on Knee Deep Records. It spawned the 12" single "What It Takes Remix", and a music video of the title track was released in 1996. The EP won the award for Best Rap Recording at the 1997 Juno Awards. [1]
| # | Title | Featured guest(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What It Takes" | Jully Black | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Just a Second Remix" | Tara Chase and Mike Schell | 3:37 |
| 3. | "The Adventures of Lync (Interlude)" | 4:55 | |
| 4. | "What It Takes Remix" | 3:50 | |
| 5. | "What It Takes (Ill B. Style)" | Afrolistic and K.C. Thomas | 6:00 |
| 6. | "What It Takes" (Instrumental) | 4:23 | |
| 7. | "Just a Second Remix" (Instrumental) | 3:37 | |
| 8. | "The Adventures of Lync (Interlude)" (Instrumental) | 4:55 | |
| 9. | "What It Takes Remix" (Instrumental) | 3:50 | |
| 10. | "What It Takes (Ill B. Style)" (Instrumental) | 6:00 |
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.
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.
"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.
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.
Luke Boyd, better known by his stage name Classified, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.
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.
Ice Cold is the debut studio album of Canadian rapper Choclair, released November 2, 1999 in Canada and March 14, 2000 in the United States. It was released on major label Virgin/Priority Records. The album's early success was driven by the first single, "Let's Ride", which reached #37 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart and #38 on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart. The second single, "Rubbin'", features Saukrates.
Christopher France, better known by his stage name Thrust, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He is most known for his appearance on the Rascalz' 1998 single "Northern Touch," which also features Kardinal Offishall, Choclair, and Checkmate. He was also featured on the pop band soulDecision's biggest hit "Faded". Thrust has taught an Artist Series at the Harris Institute of Music in Toronto.
The MuchMusic Video Awards presented an annual award for Best Rap Video from 1990 to 2018. After 2002, the award was branded as MuchVibe Best Rap Video, for MuchMusic's urban music spinoff channel.
Knee Deep Records was a Canadian independent record label, specializing in hip hop music.
Shawn Maurice Mims, known mononymously as Mims, stylized as MIMS, is an American rapper. Born and raised in New York City, he is best known for his 2006 commercial debut single "This Is Why I'm Hot", which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following the success of his hit single, Mims' debut album, Music Is My Savior, was released in March 2007.
Cash Crop is an album by the Canadian hip hop group Rascalz, released in 1997 on ViK. Recordings. The album is the group's most successful record to date and was certified gold by CRIA with sales of over 50,000 copies across Canada.
"Let's Ride" is the first single from Canadian rapper Choclair's debut album, Ice Cold. Produced by Kardinal Offishall, the song features ad-libs by Saukrates. The song is well known for its catchy piano hook and chorus. Commercially, "Let's Ride" reached number 38 in Canada and number 37 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.
Da Grassroots is a Canadian hip-hop production team from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Mr. Attic, Mr. Murray, and Swiff. The Juno Award-winning group contributed to the development of Toronto hip-hop throughout the 1990s, highlighted by the release of their debut album Passage Through Time in 1999.
Roger Perryman, better known as Mr. Attic, is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is a member of Juno Award-winning production team, Da Grassroots.
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.
What It Takes may refer to:
Frankenstein is the stage name of Frank Fallico, a former Canadian rapper and record producer. He is most noted as a two-time Juno Award nominee for Rap Recording of the Year, receiving nods at the Juno Awards of 1998 for his single "The Rain Is Gone" and at the Juno Awards of 1999 for his album Frankenstein UV.
Kevin McKenzie, professionally known as K-Cut, is a Canadian record producer and DJ, most notably as a member of East Coast hip hop group Main Source.