Recently, SiriusXM has decided to formally recognize the talents of black musicians across Canada through the SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards. Working with the SOCAN Foundation, SiriusXM hopes to not only help black musicians with introducing the general public to their music but to provide them a financial bonus of $5,000 as well with the award. These are the musicians that SiriusXM gave awards to during the first SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards.
Tobi
Born in Nigeria, Tobi immigrated first to Ottawa where he then moved to Toronto a short time later. Growing up interested in rap battles and poetry, Tobi took his interests and combined them in music with his first album release, STILL, which was released on Sony Records in 2019. He then later followed up this release just a year later with Elements Vol. 1, an award-winning album that led SiriusXM to choose him to receive this award.
Naya Ali
Raised in Montreal, Naya Ali has been becoming a name to listen out to in the world of hip-hop. With the release of her EP, Godspeed: Baptism (Prelude), Naya Ali combines traditional hip-hop production with the lyricism of someone being fully honest about themselves to the listener. Through the EP, listeners will get a look into the life of Naya Ali when it comes to heartbreak and other emotions she’s faced since rising in the music industry.
Raahiim
Like many others in their teens right now, Raahiim has spent the past couple of years listening to modern-classic albums from artists like The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. These artists have helped Raahiim create his latest EP, ii Knew Better. Raahiim gets listeners on-board through hard-hitting production combined with smooth lyricism. In his music videos, Raahiim likes to combine visuals seen in cult classic movies like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas along with imagery from all types of anime.
Hunnah
At a young age, Hunnah was introduced to music from family friends and getting involved in the gospel at her local church. Hunnah then has been able to take her interest in music to a newer height through the release of modern jazz music that has been compared to influential musicians like Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill. Interested listeners can check out some of her standalone tracks she’s released in the past year or her recent EP, Show You, which was released in 2019.
Dylan Sinclair
Dylan Sinclair is an upcoming R&B artist that’s been able to start making a name for himself through recognition by services like Apple Music where he was named “New Artist of the Week” once. His music is largely influenced by artists like D’Angelo and PARTYNEXTDOOR along with his church that has become a community for him since being a child. Today, Dylan Sinclair has been able to sell out shows around Toronto while just starting to make a name for himself globally.
