Kaytranada, Shay Lia. "Leave Me Alone." 99.9%, XL Recordings, 2016.
Hot off the heels of a big win at this year's Polaris Music Prize -- a seriously vaunted award in Canada -- Kaytradana has created a masterpiece, introducing a younger audience to that Haitian kompa vibe and its dangerously danceable percussive rhythms.
Here's a #TBT for you...
I first met Kevin Celestin (aka Kaytra) five years ago when he and his brother, Louis, nervously registered to perform at Hip Hop Karaoke in Montréal. Looking a spitting image of Kid 'n Play with their backpacks and snapbacks, as soon as they stepped on stage, you could tell these kids were destined for greatness. Their nerves dissipated, raw stage presence took over as they fed off the crowd's energy, and I can only imagine they were hooked from there on out.
The self-styled "Celestics" returned to perform at HHKMTL several times (throwback videos below, pardon the audio quality) sometimes as a duo, other times a solo act, and often with their larger crew.
In the years to follow, the Montréal beats scene, affectionately called "PIU PIU music," took off (check the documentary), Kevin would proceed to work his ass off, make killer beats, tour the world, meet some legendary folks in the music industry, and produce one of my favourite -- and now, award-winning -- albums of the year with 99.9%.