Maritimers Show African Edge

TORONTO‹A handful of African-Nova Scotian musicians have made their mark in Canada over the years.
Cy McLean led a popular Canadian band in the 1940s. Other, more recent, notable acts include legendary Canadian jazz tenor saxophonist Charles (Bucky) Adams and guitarist Nelson Symonds, as well as the a cappella vocal quartet Four The Moment and gospel groups the Gospel Heirs and the 63-member Nova Scotia Mass Choir.
One of the first signs of Nova Scotia's emerging R&B scene was the compilation album "Underground Presents A Traditional East Coast Album," released locally in Halifax by Chocolate Thunder Productions in September 1997. The album features R&B singer Jamie Sparks and hip-hop acts Papa Grand, Shy Love, and Bonshah.
"The perception of [Atlantic Canada] is Celtic and alternative [musics], but there's now a lot of hip-hop coming from here," says Mike Greatorex, store manager at Sam the Record Man in Halifax.
"Who's to say that [only] fiddle music is Maritime music?" asks the compilation's producer, Stacey Perry. "Why can't there be hip-hop-styled Maritime music?"