The Posterz, a young rap group from Montreal that dreams of shaking up the industry, are headed to Ottawa as part of Arboretum Music Festival on Aug. 23.
The alternative hip-hop trio describe themselves as “something unexpected from a city you never expected.”
Rappers Nate Husser and Kris the $pirit along with producer Joey Sherrett first came together as the “Posterboiiz,” teens who made music in a youth community centre studio in Little Burgundy. Now in their early 20s, they’ve left the “boiiz” moniker behind and have released an EP, Starships & Dark Tints.
“To be honest, we’re pretty bored with hip hop, at least nowadays,” Sherrett said. “It’s all just trap.”
He said the Posterz are influenced by a wide range of music, anything from ‘80s electronica to Rage Against the Machine.
“Sometimes we’ll be listening to an album and we’ll be like, ‘Why don’t we bring this into hip hop?’ and we try all sounds and vibe it out and see if it’s cool,” he said. The versatility of their sound can be heard in the two singles off Starships & Dark Tints, “The Bass Song” and “All I Know.”
The Posterz are focused on spreading their creative vision and pushing far beyond the boundaries of a city not recognized for its hip-hop acts, Sherrett said.
“The hip-hop scene in Montreal is either really small or kind of non-existent. The French rap scene is bigger,” Sherrett said. “And we’re not French rap.”
While Montreal’s producers have risen to prominence, the hip-hop scene continues to lack a voice, he said.
As for where The Posterz find themselves amid their efforts to break their city’s cultural molds, he said the group stands on its own.
This summer, The Posterz performed on NXNE’s Bruise Cruise and at the Montréal International Jazz Festival as one of the few hip-hop acts on the bill.
The Posterz said they have a second EP in the works, expected to drop late September, and will be touring in Europe for the first time this winter.
Sherrett said The Posterz ultimately strive to become a big-name rap group by bringing forth new concepts in hip hop culture, and they don’t expect anything to stop them from achieving their goal.
