Song: Wasiu – “Snow Mexican” (prod. by Tibe) [co-prod. by Dear Lola]

The Canadian Artist Personifies The Fears of Donald Trump and Sucka Emcees Alike in the First Single from the Upcoming MTLiens 2, Premiered by VIBE

04.10.2017

Critical Praise for Wasiu:

“Wasiu is the hip-hop voice of Montreal.” – i-D

“The young Montreal rapper has been working steadily to make a name for himself and it looks like he’s on the right track.” – Pigeons & Planes

“Wasiu is another one to look out for this year.” – Complex

“Many rappers twice his age would be wise to take notes…” – Okayplayer

“Wasiu is pretty much the embodiment of Montreal’s cultural shift.” – Noisey

“Wasiu has exhibited a desire to creatively tackle a variety of topics, and he raps about them in a way that proves he’s a more-than-formidable emcee.” – HYPETRAK

The Song:

Coming out of the cold with some fire bars, Montreal’s Wasiu has plans to invade the American rap scene. Methodically rhyming over a wintry array of synthesizers, Wasiu annihilates wack rappers on “Snow Mexican,” his latest single. After teasing us with a pastoral intro, the Tibe and Dear Lola co-produced beat drops to reveal a sinister undertone for the MTLien to reassert his dominance over the harsh weather conditions of his home country: “Frostbite on my ring finger/guess I’m married to the cold.” With a title referencing a fake (yet believable) Donald Trump tweet about Canada, “Snow Mexican” is Wasiu’s first new song since last year’s ode to then-Canadiens defenseman “P.K. Subban.” Premiered by VIBE, “Snow Mexican” is a brilliant opening salvo from Wasiu’s upcoming project, MTLiens 2.

Wasiu had the following to say about the single:

“‘Oh, you thought it was some sweet shit?’ MTLIENS 2 simply continues expressing my attitude found on my debut project. I’m back with the same aggression, invading the music industry and taking what’s mine by force. They’re scared of Mexicans taking American jobs. However, America should fear us Snow Mexicans (aka Canadians) topping their music charts, nominations, and winning more awards than ever before. I guess they kept their guard down, while we crept up from behind… That nice white snow turned into an ugly dark ball of slush real quick (kinda like the intro of this song). Frost bite on my ring finger… guess I’m married to the cold. There’s a saying in Montreal: ‘This weather is bipolar,’ Mother Nature is a cold bitch… She teases us with some warm weather right before a blizzard (kinda like the intro) We’re nurtured to be some psychos. Shit’s stressing… It’s only right I take it out on those south of the border while on my mission to conquer the American rap world.”

A strong conceptual thinker and rhyming technician, Wasiu is perhaps known best in his homeland for his commercials for Kijiji, Canada’s answer to Craigslist. Viewed by over 4 million people, the commercials showcase Wasiu’s charisma and prodigious skills behind the mic. In the past year, Wasiu performed at SXSW, The Montreal Jazz Fest, POP Montreal, and Canadian Music Week, and opened for Little Simz, Jazz Cartier, BadBadNotGood, Grandmaster Flash, Dead Obies, Sean Leon, and others. His single “P.K. Subban” garnered over 150k plays on Spotify, contributing to a combined 1.2 million total. Look out for MTLiens 2, hitting stores later this year.

Listen to “Snow Mexican”: https://soundcloud.com/afrowasiu/snowmexican30

Check out the VIBE Premiere: http://www.vibe.com/2017/04/premiere-wasiu-snow-mexican-song/

Please contact Michelle or Dharmic if interested in talking with Wasiu.

Wasiu Background:

For Wasiu, being a pariah has always been a constant. A child of divorce from a Nigerian Muslim father and Haitian Protestant-Christian mother, he was torn between worlds, seen by both communities as impure, and a “mixed breed”—not entirely Haitian, not quite Nigerian. Even though he’s Québecois (a Québec native), his immigrant parents tainted his claim to the province. Raised by his mother after his father moved to Toronto, he felt obliged to fit in with her side of the family. Resentments towards his father’s beliefs and culture led him to drop his father-given middle name—Wasiu—so that he wouldn’t be teased in his predominantly white school, where he battled black stereotypes by pushing his intellect past expectations.

Overcoming adversity and using those lessons as lyrical fuel is Wasiu’s strongest suit. He is preparing his debut album which funnels his life experiences into a culturally defining opus that balances both optimistic and pessimistic perspectives on human themes. “I’m showing what people view as both the good and the bad,” he says, “and how without the bad, you can’t have the good, and so you start to appreciate the bad… for the good.”