Although hip-hop has always had "hip" in its name, a surprising amount of geekery has made it into rap. Lupe Fiasco released an album called 'The Cool' but has popularized manga, self-consciousness and asthmatic-sounding breath control. And since MF Doom's and Kool Keith's entire outputs are the hip-hop equivalent of Comic-Con, we've ...

Andy Kim has lived a life steeped in songwriting. The expat Montrealer began his career in New York in the 1960s, penning hits like 'Sugar, Sugar' and 'Rock Me Gently.' Since then, he's sustained a career that led him to Toronto, where hometown artists like Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies, Broken Social Scene and Ron Sexsmith have embraced his ...

Seattle's Mudhoney have survived rain, flannel, Mother Love Bone and major labels to become one of the longest-lived bands of their era. After 22 years, eight albums and little commercial success -- despite a loyal following -- the band remains active and will play a pair of shows as part of NXNE. Somewhat hard at work on the follow-up to 2008's ...

Chamillionaire, the "Mixtape Messiah," has chosen to inaugurate his reunion tour with his longtime friend Paul Wall at this year's SXSW. Chamillionaire has just released 'Major Pain,' his latest in a series of acclaimed mixes, and has launched this tour in support of his new album, 'Venom,' due out later in the year. In an exclusive interview, the ...

With a sound comparable to hornets stinging a skinless elephant, Toronto's the Endless Blockade are easily one of the most abrasive acts at SXSW 2010. Formed in 2003, the band has sustained a sound that combines split-second songs with guttural vocals, tempo shifts and violent riffs, earning themselves a reputation as one of the few remaining ...

Toronto's Saffron Sect are a band that switches things up -- instruments, influences and sounds. Veering between pounding electric psych sets and mellower acoustic shows, it's possible to witness the band in several modes, its tone set by band founder (and former member of Flashing Lights and garage revivalists the Satisfaction) and musical time ...

Windsor-cum-Toronto trio Elliott Brood are an increasingly celebrated addition to the alt-country genre, having traveled Canada, Europe and the US in an effort to spread their 'death country' gospel. Set to perform at the Pickathon Festival in Oregon later this year, and fresh off a trip to Sundance, where 'Grown Up Movie Star' (a film they ...