IRS, an initialism for Instinctive Reaction to Struggle, was a

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 lar ...

band from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, active in the early 2000s. They are most noted for their 2003 album ''Welcome to Planet IRS'', which received a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nomination for Rap Recording of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2004 The Juno Awards of 2004 were presented on April 4, 2004, at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and were hosted by Alanis Morissette. Singer-songwriters Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan, and Nickelback led the nominations with five nominatio ...

. The group was formed in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

in the late 1990s by rappers Korry "Korry Deez" Downey and Black Cat and producer T.R.A.C.K.S., all of whom had previously been associated with the hip hop crew Monolith."IRS: Welcome To Planet IRS"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', April 1, 2003. They released a number of 7" and 12" singles in their early years, toured as supporting performers for

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall ( ), is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent ...

(appearing on his hit "

Ol' Time Killin' "Ol' Time Killin'" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall featuring Jully Black, Allistair, IRS, and Wio-K, released in 2001. Produced by Mr. Attic, it was the second single from his second album '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. Bac ...

"), and appeared as featured guest performers on the

Rascalz Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop as well as specifically for the Westcoast scene in Vancouver popularizing the te ...

song "Dun Did It", from their 2002 album '' Reloaded''. They signed to

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group (UMG) owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to the UMG official website, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Gra ...

in early 2003, and released ''Welcome to Planet IRS'' on that label in 2003. The album's most successful single was "T-Dot Anthem"."Culture Fest set for Milliken Park". ''

Scarborough Mirror Scarborough (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census 629,941) is a district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in the eastern part of the City of Toronto. Its borders are Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Steeles Avenue (Toronto), Steele ...

'', August 8, 2003. They did not release any further albums as a group. T.R.A.C.K.S. next collaborated with

Saukrates Karl Amani Wailoo (born March 6, 1978), better known by his stage name Saukrates (; "Socrates"), is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer. He is the co-founder of Capitol Hill Music, and lead singer of the hip-hop/ R&B group Big Black ...

in the group Big Black Lincoln;"Big Black Lincoln Very Necessary"
''

'', January 1, 2006. Korry Deez has released albums as a solo artist, although both T.R.A.C.K.S. and Black Cat have continued to appear on them as collaborators.

References

{{reflist Black Canadian musical groups Canadian hip-hop groups Musical groups from Toronto