An oral history of ‘Northern Touch’ at 20

Tyrone Callender and Jesse Kinos-Goodin for q:

“‘Northern Touch’ helped bridge the gap between Canada’s scattered hip-hop scenes, bringing together artists from Ontario and British Columbia, but it also did so much more. For Canadian rap fans, it became an instant anthem, and for young aspiring rappers across the country, it served as both inspiration and an invitation to carve out their own spot. “Northern Touch” went into heavy rotation on radio, the video went to the top of the Much Music countdown, and it was played on BET in the U.S., turning the largely unsigned artists into stars.

“‘Today, it stands as one of the most important rap songs in Canadian music history.’”

I was thirteen when this song came out. It connected with me before anything by the usual list of Great Canadian Artists did, making me think homegrown music could be just as good as anything from the States.

In other words, I am extremely here for this.