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2010 - Current: Canada Officially on the map

The success of Canadian artists has made Canada recognizable worldwide in hip hop. Artists such as Drake and The Weeknd have become staples in hip hop and r&b as a result of their global success. Drake has a total of five number one albums that have appeared on the Billboard 200 chart, all of which have peaked at first place. As of October 19, 2015, Drake has two albums simultaneously in the Billboard 200 chart. His mixtape/album titled "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" currently holds the #20 spot and has peaked at number one. The second album, titled "What a Time to Be Alive" is a collaborative project with Atlanta rapper, Future. This album holds the number three spot and has sold nearly 400,000 copies in its first week (both digital and physical). Much like Drake, the Weeknd's work has attributed to making Canada a household name in hip hop. After his song "Earned It" took over the radio and became a hit record in early 2015, he followed up with a pair of hits of equal calibre. "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face" both dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for consecutive weeks. These achievements contributed heavily towards a growing global interest in Canadian hip hop and r&b. Hip hop label, OVO Sound has gained footing in the hip hop scene as a result of this success. Featuring a plethora of artists from Toronto, OVO Sound further personifies Canadian talent. Mississauga native Jahron Anthony Braithwaite (PartyNextDoor) and Toronto duo, Majid Jordan are both critically acclaimed artists signed to OVO Sound. Each with many projects to their name, they have used the OVO Sound platform to solidify their names and push the presence of Canada in hip hop. In recent years, a Canadian sound has started to form in hip hop. Different from the usual poetic, or street sound, Canada produces distinct melodies. Rather than being one dimensional, Canadian hip hop artists often take advantage of their vocal talents in order to create melodies withing their music.

Significant Artists in Canadian Hip Hop

Maestro

Maestro was the first Canadian hip hop artist to make a name for himself. In 1989 Maestro became the first Canadian hip hop artist to have a top 40 billboard hit with his single "Let Your Backbone slide". Maestro is often regarded as the godfather of Canadian hip hop. After his breakout success people began to acknowledge Canada's presence in hip hop. This ultimately paved the way for other Canadians to achieve success at a national level. In 2005 Maestro decided to pursue an acting career. He appeared in many television shows and is currently on the CBC television show, Mr. D.

Kardinall Offishall

Kardinall Offishall for the first time in Canada introduced hip hop with a mix of reggae and dancehall. He had started rapping when he was 8 years old. His parents had immigrated to Canada before he was born. With his father being a DJ in the past, Karinall Offishall was always around different types of music. In 2000 Canada launched its first ever urban radio station, Flow 93.5 This was just as Kardinalls career began to take off. Since his debut he has released four albums, several nation top 40 singles and has been proclaimed the ambassador of Canadian hip hop. Throughout his career, Kardinall has collaborated with a number of hip hop and r&b moguls including Rihanna, and Busta Rhymes and in 2007 he signed to Akon's record label.

Drake

Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham is a Toronto native. He made himself known through an acting career that he pursued in high school. Drake appeared in over 150 episodes of Degrassi, where he played the character Jimmy. During his time on Degrassi, Drake also pursued his interest in music. "He released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006, achieving modest sales around approximately 6,000 copies. He followed that with the 2007 release of another mixtape, Comeback Season. Comeback Season included Drake's first hit single and music video, "Replacement Girl," which was featured as the New Joint of the Day on BET's popular hip-hop television show 106 & Park." Soon after his character was removed for Degrassi following a cast overhaul, he was contacted by Lil Wayne and was given the opportunity to join him on tour. In 2008 he released his breakout project "So Far Gone" and signed under Lil Wayne and Birdman's label YMCMB. Since then Drake has released five number one albums and has become the most successful hip hop artist in Canada. Drake has countless awards and nominations to his name and is the only artist other than The Beatles to have 14 songs simultaneously in the Billboard Hot 100. Drakes October's Very Own brand has followed his through his success and he has become a global icon.

The Weeknd

Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd is a Toronto native. He was raised in an Ethiopian household by his single mother and his grandmother. At the age of 17 Abel dropped out of school with his best friend and began to take his music seriously. In 2011 he released three mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of silence. These projects were quickly picked up by blogs and became critically acclaimed. Critics began to compare The Weeknd's sound to that of Michael Jackson. These three mixtapes were later repackaged into a remastered studio album titled "Trilogy." In 2013, The Weeknd released his next album Kissland which was not a widely received as it was predicted to be. The next two years ushered in the rise of The Weeknd. In 2014 he released the songs "Often", "Love Me Harder" with Ariana Grande and "Earned." This trio of songs quickly rose to the top of the charts and remained there for multiple weeks. This spread The Weeknd's name on an international level. In 2015 he headlined multiple music festivals, including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. On August 28, 2015 The Weeknd released his breakthrough album "Beauty Behind the Madness." The album has been topping the Billboard 200 chart since it release, along with its hit singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills" which have vacated the top 2 spots for multiple weeks. The Weeknd's success in 2015 has been matched by very few artists this year in music, let alone hip hop and r&b.

Canada's Hip hop culture

Canada shares some elements with America in terms of hip hop culture. There are common themes that exist in both styles of hip hop and there are also themes that make each unique. Canadian and American hip hop often incorporate messages dealing with women and luxurious lifestyles. What makes the two substantially different is the use of violence in American hip hop that contrasts they heavy tone of emotion in Canadian hip hop. In both settings hip hop is very masculine. Hip hop is often argued to sexist and misogynistic. Hip hop in Canada is an indusrty dominated by men. A common theme in Canadian hip hop and r&b is the males conception of females. Although not apparent in all Canadian hip hop, it is apparent in much popular Canadian hip hop. Explicit language is a staple that is regular in hip hop. When compared to the American counterpart, Canadian hip hop is less explicit. Hip hop is a genre that reflects the lives of the artists making the music. More than often, the lives being portrayed in American hip hop is more troubled than that of the average Canadian hip hop artist. The majority of American hip hop artists are black and in many situations represent a troubled upbringing in their culture. Canadian hip hop culture is rapidly changing. As artists gain and lose popularity there is a shift in culture. The effect of this is apparent in Canadian hip hop culture due to the fact that the number of artists is small. Canadian hip hop has been trailing American hip hop due to preconceptions of America being bigger and better. Overall, the culture is best described as a reflection of an artists reality, creativity and youth.