And my love affair with Canadian hip hop continues. The Real Frequency was a radio show that started in 1993 at York University in Toronto. It moved from there to Ryerson University, and then to commercial radio in 2004, becoming Canada’s only underground hip hop show on commercial radio. The show finally ended its run this year with the sale of the station, but this compilation helps preserve the impact that it had. The New North was a segment on the show that evolved in 2008, which moved from bringing in artists for interviews to getting them to record new songs at the station. One listen to this compilation and you’ll understand what a success it was.

Any compilation is going to have it’s ups and downs, but The New North spends most of its time at the top. There aren’t any failures, only a few songs that don’t work as well as others. In most cases, this means an R&B chorus that takes away from the rest of the track. There are only a few artists that I already knew, namely Shad and D-Sisive. The rest are new to me, so much of this album was a pleasant surprise. The album opens with a collaboration between IRS and Promise, who just got signed to Duck Down Records. It’s reminiscent of mid-‘90s hip hop, with a rolling synthesized bass line and sung chorus of “We just want to rock for you,” being juxtaposed by the line “Let me give it to them raw - straight, straight no chaser.” These could be throw away lines, but they are being paired with really smart rhymes in the verses. JD Era drops “Change,” which could be a Kanye-John Legend collaboration, except I don’t know if we’ll ever see Kanye try that hard to be smart and political ever again. There is variation amongst the tracks, but it flows well, with intelligent lyricism the key ingredient throughout. I know I’m a bit biased, but I still have to say the standout track is Shad’s “Flawless,” which does a great job of creating tension with a simple bass line and then adds horns to compound the tension before releasing it. Plus, Shad is one of the most talented emcees working today, which always helps.

Rarely does a compilation come along with as few low points as The New North. Add to this the important historical document that the album serves, and you’ve got one of the best “Various Artists” album to come out this year. And yes, I’ll continue to sing the praises of Canadian hip hop in the States.