Saukrates, Soxx, Big Soxx – he’s a man of many names, and with that, comes many talents. Behind the mic and boards alike, the forefather of Toronto hip-hop defined the sound of a region with the rejection of major labels and a blast from the underground (read: The Underground Tapes). Upon claiming his rightful throne, he quietly aligned his heir apparent via the introduction of Drake to OB OBrien – the pop and rap landscape hasn’t been the same since those two connected, and with that, the waves of Saukrates’ influence can be felt across decades.
That being said, I’ll try to not minimize Saukrates’ talents to so few words as I digest his newest creation: Season 2. The man is a storyteller who weaves tales of romance and heartbreak (“Fever”), pride and probity (“Jays Fitted”), all into a potent mixture of bars and wonderfully sung vocals. He’s adept with each word he spits, turning lines into pure poetry with vivid imagery attached to each and every syllable: “You think your bitch is bad, my lady such a sweet disaster.” As always, Soxx also has a finger on the pulse of old heads and new heads alike as he taps Kardinall Offishall and SonReal respectively for a set of hometown features that make the record feel like a true Toronto celebration.
On Season 2, the golden era of hip-hop, past present and future, is alive and well. Big ups to Big Soxx.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-keQZPNiDA]