In Hip-Hop decades are often associated with the geographic-specific sounds that are thought to have dominated the time period. The 80’s had New York City Boom Bap, the 90’s had West Coast G-Funk, the 00’s had Dirty South Crunk and when the book is written on the 2010’s there’s a chance the dominant sound will be the lo-fi emo rap brought to the masses by a former child actor from Toronto. Obviously, there will be arguments about this (particularly from the Trap scene), but considering Drake’s decade-long cultural dominance, the crossover success of The Weeknd and a steady stream of hit singles by artists like ILOVEMAKONEN and Party Next Door, Toronto’s sensitive party boys are definitely in the conversation.
EverythingOShauN is the newest artist from north of the boarder to try his hand at the sound popularized by his countrymen on his second EP “AlmostEverythingOShauN.” After making some noise with his 2016 release “Until Now” and performances at festivals like A3C, SXSW and Canadian Music Week, Shaun is back with producer XpressakaDJXP to prove it’s still “Everything Over Everything Else.”
The EP is short (6 songs/about 35 minutes) and wastes no time getting to the point, the opening track (“Blind”) starts with the lyrics “I’ve got a molly and a drink in my cup / And I don’t give a f**k about the haters / But I shouldn’t take the molly because I heard that it was dirty / But so is this liquor that I’m chasing” This is pretty much OShauN’s persona summed up, he’s in the club, he’s partying, but he’s not so wrapped up in the lifestyle that he’s immune to things like personal safety, emotional health or the havoc partying can have on relationships (a theme later addressed at length on “Atari”). Over the course of the next five songs he takes us through his version of Toronto’s nightlife including the parties, after parties, hotel lobbies, drinks, drugs, sex and hangover that go along with them.
Musically, the production fits nicely in Toronto’s current niche in the game, it’s moody, atomospheric and transports listeners into his world nicely, fans of this genre will find a lot to like here. On the mic OShauN is a competent singer and rapper and when he peppers his verses with references to the cartoon Caillou, No Limit soldier Mystical and old school video game console Atari (an odd reference considering his age and intended demographic, it seems Playstation 2 would be more recognizable to most of his listeners) he does a good job of mixing pop culture with the club scene.
Whether EverythingOShaun flourishes like Drake or fades like the guy that had the club going up on a Tuesday remains to be seen, but “AlmostEverythingOShauN” is a good start and builds on the momentum he’s built up over the last few years.
Best Songs: Winnebego, Atari, Fruits
Perfect For: The morning after a big night on the town
Score: 7.5/10
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