Ghetto Concept is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
hip-hop duo from
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, composed of
Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo.
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
*Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group)
Infinite ( ko, 인피니트; stylized as INFINITE) is a South Ko ...
, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of the group.
History
Kwajo Cinqo (Kwajo Boateng) and Dolo (Lowell Frazer) formed Ghetto Concept in 1992, hailing from the
Rexdale and
Lawrence Heights neighbourhoods of Toronto.
Infinite (Desmond Francis) also joined the group as their DJ and eventually contributed to its music as a rapper.
Their first single "Certified" was released in 1993 by independent label Groove-a-Lot Records. In 1994, they released their second single "E-Z On Tha Motion". "Certified" and "E-Z On Tha Motion" would go on to win the group
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
s in 1995 and 1996 respectively. 1995 also marked the departure of Infinite from the group, who, following the murder of his brother, pursued a solo career as a musician afterward.
He would be known in later years for contributing vocals to the soundtrack of the video game ''
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike''.
Ghetto Concept, now the original duo of Kwajo and Dolo, created 7 Bills Entertainment Inc. in 1996 and released the single "Much Luv", which featured past member Infinite. The duo released their self-titled debut album ''Ghetto Concept'' in 1998, along with the singles "Krazy World" and "Precious Metals";
Sticky Fingaz
Kirk Jones (born November 3, 1973), better known by his stage name Sticky Fingaz, is an American hardcore rapper, record producer, and actor best known as a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx.
Sticky Fingaz was discovered by Jam ...
was featured on the remix of "Heavy Metals". In 1999, they received gold certification for their single "Too Much", which was featured on The Baby Blue Soundcrew's "Private Party" album. In 2001, Ghetto Concept signed a licensing deal with
BMG Music Canada. That same year, they released a remix of "Too Much" (entitled "Still Too Much"), which featured
Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, in line with the ubi ...
,
Kardinal Offishall,
Red-1, Ironside, and
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet ...
. On March 19, 2002, they released their next album, ''Ghetto Concept Presents...7 Bills All-Stars: Da Album''.
On February 21, 2004, Ghetto Concept's longtime manager, Elliott Reid-Thomas, was murdered. That same year, the group changed the name of their label to G7 Records Inc. During this time period, they recorded music in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta. In the years since, they made their catalogue of music available on all major music platforms.
Ghetto Concept performed on March 29, 2011 at
CBC's Hip-Hop Summit, along with fellow Canadian artists
Maestro Fresh Wes
Wesley "Wes" Williams (born March 31, 1968) is a Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes (formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes) or Maestro as a musician, and is credited by his ...
,
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
CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards ...
. Additionally, the event and Ghetto Concept themselves were also highlighted in ''Love, Props and the T.Dot'' a documentary which was hosted by
CBC Toronto's
Dwight Drummond.
In 2018, three of Ghetto Concept's pictures were featured in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario, which also hosted portraits from the legendary Group of Seven.
Discography
*''CERTIFIED (Single)'' (1993)
*''EZ on the Motion (Single)'' (1994)
*''Much Luv (Single)'' (1996)
*''Crazy World (Single)'' (1997)
*''Ghetto Concept (Album)'' (1998)
*''Still Too Much ft Maestro Fresh Wes, Kardinal Offishall, Red-1 (Rascalz), Ironside, Snow (Single)'' (2001)
*''Ghetto Concept Presents...7 Bills All-Stars: Da Album'' (2002)
*''Here We Go Again ft Lil' Flip (Single)'' (2004)
See also
*
Canadian hip hop
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 l ...
*
Music of Canada
The music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has also subsequently been ...
References
External links
Official Website*
*
*
{{Authority control
Black Canadian musical groups
Canadian hip hop groups
Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year winners
Musical groups established in 1989
Musical groups from Toronto
1989 establishments in Ontario