Slakah the Beatchild

Bridging the underground hip-hop sound of J Dilla and Pete Rock with the neo-soul of artists like Dwele and Raphael Saadiq, Toronto-based producer/singer Slakah the Beatchild first appeared around 2007, producing Canadian R&B and hip-hop artists like Arabesque, Ayah, and G. Stokes. Entering the business through audio engineering, Slakah earned respect with his hard work ethic, gaining the trust of artists along the way. Suggesting a lyric here and there at first led to his becoming a songwriter, but he kept some songs for himself. The best of these numbers appeared on Soul Movement, Vol. 1, his debut album released by the BBE label in 2008. With the lyrics mentioning artists like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, the album's soulful single "What's This Feeling" explained the old-school spirit Slakah was striving to capture. Digital versions of the album came with a 22-minute interview with Slakah dubbed "Producer Commentary." A sequel, featuring appearances from the likes of Glenn Lewis and Ayah, followed on BBE in 2014. ~ David Jeffries