Words by Jesse Serwer

Hiphop from Toronto has always had a strong reggae/dancehall bent, from the Dream Warriors to Drake—not to mention the yardcore stylings of Kardinal Offishall, Choclair, etc. It is North America’s second yardiest city after NYC, after all. The first rapper from Canada–or anywhere outside the US, for that matter–that I ever came across was a fly Jamaican chick named Michie Mee. I can distinctly remember catching Michie (not to be confused with Michie One of Louchie Lou fame) and DJ LA Luv’s video for “Jamaican Funk–Canadian Style” on Yo! (or was it Video Music Box?) in my parents’ living room around 1990. Michie came across like a foxier version of MC Lyte (she was signed to Lyte’s father Nat Robinson’s label First Priority) but then midway through the song she switched it up and starts chatting in a hardcore deejay style. Madness.