Shades Of Culture
Encyclopedia
Shades of Culture is a Canadian
hip hop
trio based in Montreal
. The trio was started in 1991 and its members are known as DShade, Revolution, and DJ Storm. They are regarded as one of the pioneers of rap music in Montreal and the province of Quebec
.
After having won the Big Break competition in 1992, they proceeded to record several demo tapes and arrange multiple Canadian tours with several U.S. and Canadian bands. They have toured with Bad Brains, (The Almighty) Trigger Happy, SNFU, Ten Foot Pole
and several other popular underground and mainstream acts. After averaging at least three shows a week over a span of three years, the trio finally recorded an EP
entitled Paying Rent. This three song demo also included a video which aired regularly across Canada.
After completing their fourth tour across Canada, the trio released their first full length CD
entitled Mindstate. Following the release of this CD, several 12" singles
with such artists such as Mr. Len, and DJ A-Trak
. They also released a self-titled "Mindstate" single featuring Desi DiLauro. Backed with the support of Muchmusic
, MusiquePlus
, BET
and MTV
their video aired regularly. The trio band subsequently took several "mini-tours" around Quebec with pop group The Backstreet Boys. They also opened for musicians such as: Eminem
, Gangstarr, KRS-1, The Beatnuts, Ben Harper
, Onyx
and Jurassic 5
.
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
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
trio based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The trio was started in 1991 and its members are known as DShade, Revolution, and DJ Storm. They are regarded as one of the pioneers of rap music in Montreal and the province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
After having won the Big Break competition in 1992, they proceeded to record several demo tapes and arrange multiple Canadian tours with several U.S. and Canadian bands. They have toured with Bad Brains, (The Almighty) Trigger Happy, SNFU, Ten Foot Pole
Ten Foot Pole
Ten Foot Pole is an American punk rock band, formerly on Epitaph Records.-History:Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 as Scared Straight.Scared Straight was a Nardcore Punk band from Simi Valley, California...
and several other popular underground and mainstream acts. After averaging at least three shows a week over a span of three years, the trio finally recorded 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 Paying Rent. This three song demo also included a video which aired regularly across Canada.
After completing their fourth tour across Canada, the trio released their first full length CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
entitled Mindstate. Following the release of this CD, several 12" singles
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
with such artists such as Mr. Len, and DJ A-Trak
A-Trak
A-Trak is a Montreal-born DJ, turntablist, and owner of the record label Fool's Gold.- Career :...
. They also released a self-titled "Mindstate" single featuring Desi DiLauro. Backed with the support of Muchmusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
, BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
their video aired regularly. The trio band subsequently took several "mini-tours" around Quebec with pop group The Backstreet Boys. They also opened for musicians such as: Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, Gangstarr, KRS-1, The Beatnuts, Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
, Onyx
Onyx (band)
Onyx is a hardcore hip hop group from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. The group consists of Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr and Sonsee . The late Big DS was also a member, but left after the group's debut album.-Early career:...
and Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
.
Other works
- DMC Competition Judge - '98 & '99
- Appeared in the movie: "Hang the DJ"
- Worked on Wesley Snipes' movie - "Art of War" (sound effects & music score)
- Appeared in THE SOURCE (article on hip hop scene in Montreal.)
- Sponsored by Numark
- Seminars for Numark products across Canada
- Appeared on FOX Network's Popular Mechanics for Kids. ( a segment on scratching).
- Seminar on scratching and sampling at "Les Rencontres."
- Were on the first cover of Vice Magazine (then called Voice of Montreal)
Discography
- Payin' Rent (EP) (1996)
- MindstateMindstate (Shades of Culture album)-Track listing:#"Intro"#"First Things First" '#"Think Twice" '#"The Island I'm From"#""#"Do the Math"#"Main Objective"#"The Revolution"#""...
(1998) - A Little Bit About UsA Little Bit About UsA Little Bit About Us is a tape anthology by Shades of Culture released on CD in 2000.-Track listing:#"Who's That" – 3:28#"A Little Bit About Us" – 4:16#"Eye Out" ' – 5:04#"Trapped in a Maze" – 5:12...
(2000)