Get back to work!

If you've been living in Canada and haven't had your head up your ass for the past 8 years, you're undoubtedly aware of Vancouver's Sweatshop Union. What I'll be slightly more forgiving of is if you simply weren't aware that they have a new album out entitled, Water Street. This is not necessarily to conclude that your head is indeed safe from your colon... you may wish to consult a doctor to be safe; I just write about music.

There's been something I've always noticed about Canadian hip hop. Granted, to every rule, there will be exceptions, however, as a whole I've noticed that rappers on the north side of the border have a lot more to say. Personally, I just find there's only so much to be said about bitches, guns and whatever the fuck riding dirty means (Yes, I'm very obviously white). Again, the US has still garnered a lot of my respect with the likes of Tribe, Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, and of course The Roots.

In Canada though, it seems the majority of MCs have a message to deliver. In my opinion, no group embodies this better than Sweatshop. My cousin turned me onto them back in 2002 with their first release Local 604. Since then, they've put out 3 more LPs, each one being more catchy, thought provoking and enjoyable than the last.

I've only had a chance to hear tidbits of Water St., but so far it seems this huge crew has put forth another body of work worthy of their ranks. Check the video below, and also take a minute to listen to the track Gold Rush on their myspace.



-You wanna marry a music man? Please understand; I ain't no music man