Toronto-based hip hop artist Tim North has just released his latest track, the summer anthem "Idle Hands," and its cinematic music video. The track has infectious beats and the smooth flow of North's lyrics, partnered to create a sound that begs to be played on the radio. We sat down with North to discuss the inspiration behind his work, and what he listens to personally!
1. “Get It Together” - Beastie Boys feat. Q-Tip
"Growing up listening to punk music, Beastie Boys' Ill Communication album made it into the rotation because of their punk tracks on here 'Heart Attack Man' and 'Tough Guy' - but letting this album play beyond the fast punk tracks was my true introduction to hiphop. I love this track for a reason that is specific to hiphop culture - the feature; this was the first time I really heard another artist featured on a track, the legendary Q-Tip, which opened the doors for Tribe, any artist they featured and so on and so forth. "
2. “Ransom” - Drake ft. Lil Wayne
"Witnessing the Toronto rap scene pop off from the inside-out is something I will forever be grateful for. At the time when this track came out, the scene was bubbling and there were a handful of rappers a few years older than me that were really starting to bubble/push the boundaries of what we had been done in the scene. We all knew Drake was at the front of that pack, he had dropped with Little Brother/9th Wonder etc. But when this track dropped, with Lil Wayne - the hottest rapper in the world at the time - and not only a feature but a wild back and forth with some of the hardest Wayne bars. I’ll never forget realizing the magnitude this Drake guy was capable of. Maybe the wildest part is that even the most far-fetched ideas of what a kid from Toronto could do with an alley-oop from Wayne, were superseded over and over. This track still goes hard."
3. “I Fall Apart” - Post Malone
"I’m not going to go into tons of detail on this, as it’s a super emotional song for Post and I’ve never heard him speak on how it was created - but I was lucky enough to witness this song come to life in person. To see him perform it every time now and smash the guitar as his signature move is super wild. Forever grateful for this. Shoutout Dre."
4. “Dance Tonight” - Lucy Pearl
"Really I gotta give it to the whole Lucy Pearl album, but I’ll toss it up to the single if I gotta choose one. This album is instrumental in my love for music, as well as a big piece of life for my family. Absolute front-to-back non skipper."
5. “Sound System” - Operation Ivy
"The california punk scene shaped everything about my musical foundation, so I gotta give it up to Op Ivy who started it all. I will forever feel like in an alternate universe I was a kid at all the shows at Gilman street in Berkley."
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