Ottawa’s own Belly along with French Montana, CMDWN, Murda Beatz, and 2 Chainz helped close-out this year’s Canadian Music Week with charged performances and guest appearances.
This past Friday, Belly delivered an intensely energetic performance to a hyped-up crowd at Rebel in Toronto as part of iHeart Radio Fan Fest; performing a selection of singles and tracks from his latest album, Mumble Rap.
Given the lineup of the show (other acts included indie and pop artists like Allie X, Shawn Hook, and Mariana’s Trench), the crowd was definitely a diverse mix of music fans. But despite the fact that some people in the venue may not have even heard a Belly track, he managed to raise the energy level in the room and get every single body jumping, dancing, and mumbling along. Belly is a powerful performer and this show was a great example of that. His stage presence and energy are contagious enough to invigorate any crowd.
French Montana (Photo: Max Maher)
French Montana followed-up Belly’s performance with a set that was a highlight reel of past hits and covers. Baka Not Nice made a brief appearance on-stage with French, performing “Live up to My Name” before French closed-out with a highly-anticipated performance of his hit, “Unforgettable.”
Murda Beatz and the Murda Gang (Photo: Max Maher)
Last night, CMDWN performed on the last night of Canadian Music Week before Murda Beatz showcased a mixture of his produced tracks, including “Nice for What.” Toronto’s Smoke Dawg and Jimmy Prime made a brief appearance on-stage as well.
2 Chainz (Photo: Max Maher)
And, despite being held at Canadian Customs for what appeared to be several hours, per 2 Chainz’s Instagram Stories posts, the rapper arrived (albeit one hour late) to close out the evening and Canadian Music Week with a high-calibre performance. The Atlanta-rapper was on-stage for about an hour performing popular tracks from his lengthy catalogue and from his latest album, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music.
In honour of Mother’s Day, he shouted-out “all the mamas” with a performance of “PROUD,” off his upcoming album, Rap or Go to the League.
2 Chainz (Photo: Max Maher)
Over the years, the music event has beefed up its urban offering with more hip-hop/rap and R&B acts, as well as conference sessions focused on discussing subject matter connected specifically to the urban music and entertainment scene. More of that please, Canadian Music Week.
French Montana (Photo: Max Maher)
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Written by Maricel Joy Dicion for HipHopCanada
