Wasiu

Born and raised in Montréal, Québec, the 24-year-old has endured marginalization in nearly every aspect of his life—family, race, education, class—that has, in effect, enhanced his ability to interpret the universal themes of the world around him, and infuse them into forward-thinking narratives for the everyday human. A child of divorce from a Nigerian Muslim father and Haitian Protestant-Christian mother, he was torn between worlds, seen by both communities as impure, and a “mixed breed”—not entirely Haitian, not quite Nigerian. Even though he’s Québecois (a Québec native), his immigrant parents tainted his claim to the province. After penning down his own rhymes during the height of the 50 Cent and Eminem era, It wasn’t until he graduated from high school that he took rapping seriously, and soon realized the red tape strung across Québec. As a format, rap radio is almost entirely non-existent; a roadblock for any anglophone-MC, and the province itself is the only one in Canada where the laws and official language are French. He is preparing his debut album, which funnels his life experiences into a culturally defining opus that balances both optimistic and pessimistic perspectives on human themes.