TLDR: HBRFleezy4’s The Influence gets an expanded Deluxe Edition as the Ottawa South veteran reflects on street life, heartbreak and the environment that shaped him.
For HBRFleezy4, influence isn’t something measured in streams or social media numbers. It’s written into the streets of Ottawa South, where a decade in the game has given the rapper plenty of stories about survival, pain and the complicated relationship between where you come from and who you become.
Released Aug. 14, The Influence Deluxe Edition expands on The Influence, which arrived June 12 and marked HBRFleezy4’s first project on DSPs since his five-track Life Story EP in 2023. The title itself came from those watching his moves.
“This album was named The Influence because the name was given to me by many of the younger generation, especially the ones doing relatable music for the streets!” HBRFleezy4 explains.
That street perspective runs throughout the project. HBRFleezy4 doesn’t romanticize everything that comes with the environment. He talks about broken hearts, pain and the realities that follow street life, while recognizing how those same experiences can build resilience and character.
It’s delivered through a voice and cadence that have become unmistakably his. As one listener put it under a recent video, “Nobody sounds like Fleezy unique and fire.” Another offered perhaps the most Ottawa South review possible: “This is the most south side track I ever heard.”
The latest visual, “Holding Back“, leads a growing collection of videos from the album that also includes “Jumpin Part 2“, “Lord Forgive Me” featuring Rammzyx10 and BG, and “2Pac N Kobe.”
Those roots stretch back through Ottawa’s Southside and his connection with the late Lito, including their collaboration “Fairlea Story,” named after the neighbourhood they came from. Earlier this summer, HBRFleezy4 returned to his community with free pizza, snacks, music and a gathering aimed at giving local kids some positive memories of their own.
For more background on his story, check out HBRFleezy4’s 2025 interview with STVicky.
Along with Rammzyx10 and BG, The Influence Deluxe Edition also features guest appearances by Losses, JBordenz, KARENZI, SVDVM, Twiggy EBK, and Schemoh. You can stream the album now on Spotify and various other digital streaming platforms.
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