It’s always kind of weird living where I live. I live closer in proximity to Vancouver, B.C. than I do Seattle, WA, yet the border that separates the U.S.A. and Canada always makes it feel like a somewhat different world up there regardless of even my Canadian family and friends or how much time I have spent up there.
The reason I bring this up is because hip-hop is known for it’s different sounds depending on the location they come from. The cities that dominate the genre like Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and Detroit are usually pretty easy to tell apart if you are at least somewhat well versed in the hop-hop world. More recently though, acts such as Macklemore have popped up from Seattle and been the subject of harsh criticism just as much as they are celebrated it seems. More recently I was turned onto an artist from my northern neighbor city by the name of SonReal and if you visit this website frequently, you would know that I have been a fan ever since.
Regardless of Vancouver’s distance from Seattle, SonReal’s sound couldn’t be more different from what we’ve heard out of the Emerald City. His swagger stems more from his sense of humor and the confidence that comes along with it than anything else and his brand of hip-hop/R&B is – in my opinion – is unique to anything I’ve heard before.
SonReal’s brand new EP, The Name is straight up great music! Like a hip-hop Buddy Holly, SonReal hiccups and woops through tracks like “Can I Get a Witness” and “No Warm Up” and then shocks listeners a bit with his vocal chops in more R&B/pop inspired tunes like “All I Got” and “Hot Air Balloon”. The EP finishes up with his latest single “Soho”, a track that embodies SonReal’s personality perfectly.
I am not sure how much of the world has caught onto this guy yet, but those of you who haven’t are truly missing out. SonReal is – in my opinion – one of the freshest acts that I have come across this year. Not only is he giving listeners something enjoyable, he’s giving the city of Vancouver a sound to be proud of.
