There’s a splurge of talent in the city of Toronto (and surrounding GTA), and I feel as though this post is long overdue (no excuses), but there’s always a right time and place for everything.

At the beginning of 2012, I saw John River perform at one of The Known Unknown’s events and prior to his introduction, the host said that he had a voice that was very distinctive and you’d be able to tell who it is right off the bat. Little would I know that it would be reminiscent of J.Cole, but at the same time, for such a young kid, to have that hunger in his voice and his flow sounding like it does, I was mightily impressed. His story is a unique one, and it wasn’t until the ending days of summer where I got the chance to meet him formally at RISE Poetry in Scarborough where he performed, and the host (Randell) shared a story of determination and perseverance that was quite inspiring and admirable. Below is the full story presented by The Come Up Show. Aside from the personal, he can flat out rap. His debut mixtape The Calm has been out for almost a year, and has been  the foundation that hopefully he can build from. Check out an excerpt of the story below, and check the rest of it afterwards.

That’s My Word & It STiXX

Sometimes in life we are faced with adversity and we struggle with getting over, around and through the obstacles we find in our lives. I could have cried when I got the news that something so life changing had been taken away from me in the matter of seconds. I almost did, but at that point I decided I was going to rap for Ibrahim, the President of Dreamville Records that day or I would die trying. – Read More