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Vancouver’s Rising Stars Set to Breakout

It is officially the inauguration of Breakout Festival this weekend - Vancouver’s first exclusively Hip-Hop and R&B festival. Bringing international household names to these shores such as Lil Pump, Trey Songz, Migos, Juice Wrld and more! It’s no wonder tickets are >90% sold out.

The tastemakers behind Breakout, the Crescendo1 team, have been coordinating events for the local community since 2015 and as such they’ve laced the line-up with plenty of up and coming BC acts. It's an amazing opportunity for champions of the YVR scene to showcase their talents on an unparalleled platform. Here’s a look at some of the acts from our home turf that we reckon you’ll dig;

Fusing R&B melodies with a nonchalant style that delivers impactful lyrics, Brevner has been at work for years upping his antee. A quick dive through his YouTube channel goes to show just how strong the artist’s penmanship is. Check out the visuals for Somebody like me below:

We first came across Manila Grey after the summer of 2017. Since then, the two have gained wuthering momentum with performances scheduled all across Canada as well as awesome visual releases for their breakout hits Youth Water & Timezone (both sitting at over 600k views). Gaining traction in YVR has always been the final frontier for many acts, but last week saw a packed out Fortune Sound Club for the two mavericks' showcase.

There isn’t too much out there from McEvoy on first glance apart from a couple of Youtube videos, one dating back to 2016 and the other released at the tail end of 2017 as well as a collaboration with ILLYMINACHI (more on him later) until you quickly realize he produces all his projects and has an unbridled reputation amongst the creative circles of Vancouver. The haunting grooves of Go Now speak of flippant moods and frustration – a feeling all too common.

Withinroots occupies a lane of his own outside of the artists mentioned from Saturday’s line-up. Subdued intimate lyricism teamed with spaced out percussion and bass-heavy tracks make us excited for the live rendition. We suspect not many will be able to resist a soporific sway as his crooning voice echoes around the PNE.

ILLYMINACHI

Having made his festival debut already at this year’s AMS Block Party, ILLY is scheduled to make this his breakout year. With a solid discography of hits peppered across YouTube on various channels such as Rap Nation and Crescendo1 – it’s no wonder his unique flow has been causing waves. We've mentioned him before here. Check out the visuals for Figure Four Leg Lock below:

Chances are you’ve seen this don rocking customs he crafts himself. AC’s wordplay and iconic delivery makes him one to watch for the future as his caliber reaches newer heights with every drop. With an active SoundCloud, the young gun has been releasing unruly heaters consistently. The creative has been busy cooking up heat with producers 3mshyne and Aidan so expect to hear some unreleased bounce rhythms during his set.

Known for his legendary shutdown set at Breakout’s last event where the police showed up, DaamCP is guaranteed to get the crowd moving early. His most played song on SoundCloud, U.M.N.B.S?, sits at a respectable 35k plays and the club hit Gatorade is currently at 16k. No other act brings the energy that DaamCP.

NB at the time of posting this, DaamCP just released a new video; here's your first look.

Last but by no means least, 2Hunnit rounds off the YVR’s Breakout takeover. Correct us if we’re wrong, but no other artist has released such a steady stream of visuals accompanying their singles. We recommend searching 2Hunnit on the tube and just watching the first 4 videos. 2Hunnit has been flourishing as an artist and sets to capitalize on this opportunity off the back of opening for Bhad Bhabie at Venue. Check out the awesome video for Dragon Tales shot by KBkutz featuring Baedu:

After a turbulent year for BC’s festival scene – the flop that was Pemberton, fires that ravaged land and line-ups – it’s great to see them bounce back in such a dramatic way. Not only is it a comeback, but massive appreciation is due to the heads over at C1 for lacing the bill with plenty of local talent. This is exactly what the city's scene needs - creatives and fans coming together to support each other.

Be sure to cop your tickets for the all ages event here!

Penned by Darc Jacobs - of the people, for the people and by the people.

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