The future is now and it needs to be addressed as such. Toronto has the juice and more artists are taking advantage of the platform that they are presented (well, at least I hope they are, but it seems to be the case). Devontée is one of those artists that I’ve been waiting to hear new music from since I heard Bare Tings, which really has all that you need when it comes to a Toronto anthem, and I’m aware that word (anthem) is used a lot, but in this regard. Yes. Yes it is. It turns out that it would be just one song of many that would be presented on his sophomore project. District Vibe captures the essence of the inner city neighbourhoods which many people connect with but aren’t fully represented musically in a way that isn’t a knock-off trap version of something that’s been heard repetitively. There’s originality that comes with it that provides infectious hooks and an impressive showing of lyrical ability throughout (including a surprising feature from Joey Bada$$). There are many different conversations about just what our sound is, and there’s still no concise answer although what’s being dominated is gloomy & bass driven. What Devontée brings to the table is much of that, but he still manages to stand out so it doesn’t sound generic. That’s the importance. Likely the first time you heard the word ‘WOE’ came from Drake, but Devontée is an OG, so pay your dues.