Ghetto Concept
Encyclopedia
Ghetto Concept is a Canadian
hip-hop
duo from Toronto
, Ontario
, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of Ghetto Concept.
and Lawrence Heights
neighbourhoods of Toronto.
Their first single "Certified" was released in 1993, by independent label Groove-a-Lot Records. In 1995, they released "E-Z On Tha Motion", which introduced their newest member, Infinite (Desmond Francis). The group won Juno Award
s in 1995 and 1996 for "Certified" and "E-Z On Tha Motion", respectively.
In 1995, Infinite's brother was murdered, and he left Ghetto Concept shortly after. Before he left, Ghetto Concept recorded a tribute to his brother entitled "Much Love", and it was released as a single and video in 1996. Infinite re-emerged as a solo artist in 1997, with the Juno-nominated track "Gotta Get Mine", featuring Divine Brown
. Between 1997 and 1999, he released five singles, each of which were accompanied by a music video
. In 1998, he released an EP
, entitled 360 Degrees, which featured his previous singles. In 1999, he won a MuchMusic Video Award
for "Take a Look". That year, he contributed three songs to the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
game soundtrack. He also made an appearance in the film In Too Deep.
Ghetto Concept created 7Bills Entertainment in 1996. The remaining duo released their self-titled debut album Ghetto Concept in 1998, and released the singles "Krazy World" and "Precious Metals"; Sticky Fingaz was featured on the remix "Heavy Metals". Their most popular single was a 2001 remix of their track "Too Much", entitled "Still Too Much", which featured Maestro
, Kardinal Offishall
, Red-1
, Ironside, and Snow
. In 2002, they released a second album, Ghetto Concept Presents...7 Bills All-Stars: Da Album.
In 2005, Infinite was featured on a single by Maestro called "A Criminal Mind", which is a remake of rock singer Lawrence Gowan
's 1985 single of the same name. He also appears in the music video with Maestro and Gowan.
Recently, Ghetto Concept has formed a new label called G7 Records. It appears they are also going by the moniker GC (short for Ghetto Concept), and they are planning to release an album, tentatively titled Times Up.
Kwajo Cinqo performed again with Ghetto Concept on March 29, 2011 at CBC
's Hip-Hop Summit , along with fellow Canadian artists Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee
, and Dream Warriors
at an event that was the first of its kind in Canada. The concert was staged at CBC's Glenn Gould Studio and hosted by CBC Radio 2 . Additionally, the event was also highlighted in Love, Props and the T.Dot a documentary which was hosted by CBC Toronto
's Dwight Drummond
, with Kwajo Cinqo featured in the documentary.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of Ghetto Concept.
History
Kwajo Cinqo (Kwajo Boateng) and Dolo (Lowell Frazier) formed Ghetto Concept in 1989, hailing from the RexdaleRexdale
Rexdale is a neighbourhood located in the north-west corner of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It covers the northern section of Etobicoke, which was an independent city until it merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998. Rexdale was named...
and Lawrence Heights
Lawrence Heights
Lawrence Heights is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the south, Highway 401 to the north, Allen Road to the east and Dufferin Street to the west...
neighbourhoods of Toronto.
Their first single "Certified" was released in 1993, by independent label Groove-a-Lot Records. In 1995, they released "E-Z On Tha Motion", which introduced their newest member, Infinite (Desmond Francis). The group won Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s in 1995 and 1996 for "Certified" and "E-Z On Tha Motion", respectively.
In 1995, Infinite's brother was murdered, and he left Ghetto Concept shortly after. Before he left, Ghetto Concept recorded a tribute to his brother entitled "Much Love", and it was released as a single and video in 1996. Infinite re-emerged as a solo artist in 1997, with the Juno-nominated track "Gotta Get Mine", featuring Divine Brown
Divine Brown (singer)
Divine Brown , previously known as Divine Earth Essence, is a Canadian rhythm and blues and soul singer and theatre performer....
. Between 1997 and 1999, he released five singles, each of which were accompanied by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. In 1998, he released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, entitled 360 Degrees, which featured his previous singles. In 1999, he won a MuchMusic Video Award
MuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
for "Take a Look". That year, he contributed three songs to the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Street Fighter III
is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
game soundtrack. He also made an appearance in the film In Too Deep.
Ghetto Concept created 7Bills Entertainment in 1996. The remaining duo released their self-titled debut album Ghetto Concept in 1998, and released the singles "Krazy World" and "Precious Metals"; Sticky Fingaz was featured on the remix "Heavy Metals". Their most popular single was a 2001 remix of their track "Too Much", entitled "Still Too Much", which featured Maestro
Maestro (rapper)
Wesley Williams , better known as Maestro and formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, and actor. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop".In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have...
, Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
, Red-1
Rascalz
The Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia, who played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop. The group consists of MCs Red1 and Misfit, and DJ Kemo. Breakdancers, Zebroc and Dedos were also part of the group.Formed in 1991, the...
, Ironside, and Snow
Snow (musician)
Darrin O'Brien , better known by his stage name Snow, is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rap and reggae musician. He is best known for his 1992 single "Informer", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.-Life and work:...
. In 2002, they released a second album, Ghetto Concept Presents...7 Bills All-Stars: Da Album.
In 2005, Infinite was featured on a single by Maestro called "A Criminal Mind", which is a remake of rock singer Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan is a Scottish-born Canadian musician. Gowan has been both a solo artist and the current keyboardist and vocalist of the band Styx. His musical style is usually classified in the category of progressive rock.-Career:...
's 1985 single of the same name. He also appears in the music video with Maestro and Gowan.
Recently, Ghetto Concept has formed a new label called G7 Records. It appears they are also going by the moniker GC (short for Ghetto Concept), and they are planning to release an album, tentatively titled Times Up.
Kwajo Cinqo performed again with Ghetto Concept on March 29, 2011 at CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's Hip-Hop Summit , along with fellow Canadian artists Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee
Michie Mee
Michelle McCullock , better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actor. As Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.-Early life and career:...
, and Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors were a Canadian hip hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, comprising King Lou and Capital Q. Described as "a pair of deft, intelligent rappers" by Allmusic, they were major contributors to the jazz rap movement of the early 1990s. Their 1991 debut album, And Now the Legacy Begins, is...
at an event that was the first of its kind in Canada. The concert was staged at CBC's Glenn Gould Studio and hosted by CBC Radio 2 . Additionally, the event was also highlighted in Love, Props and the T.Dot a documentary which was hosted by CBC Toronto
CBC Toronto
CBC Toronto refers to:*CBLA-FM, CBC Radio One on 99.1 FM*CBL-FM, CBC Radio 2 on 94.1 FM*CBLT, CBC Television on channel 5SRC Toronto refers to:*CJBC, Première Chaîne on 860 AM*CJBC-FM, Espace musique on 90.3 FM...
's Dwight Drummond
Dwight Drummond
Dwight Drummond is a Canadian television journalist, currently working for CBC Television in Toronto, Ontario.-Career:Drummond moved to Canada in 1976 and was raised in Toronto's Jane and Finch neighbourhood...
, with Kwajo Cinqo featured in the documentary.
Discography
- Ghetto Concept (1998)
- Ghetto Concept Presents...7 Bills All-Stars: Da Album (2002)
See also
- Canadian hip hopCanadian hip hopThe Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly 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...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...