Okay City
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Okay City

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Band Hip Hop R&B

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"Shad wows crowd with songs from new album OkayCity, The Runaway, and Relic complete Shad's release party"

Every once in a while, you come across a live show that pulls you in so many directions you feel dizzy, disoriented and exhilarated all at once.

Anyone at Shad K’s album release party Friday night at Call the Office can attest to the power of word and presence exhibited by the artists who spoke — lyrically and instrumentally — while on stage.

The Runaway, the first hip-hop act, began its set with a packed house eager for a night of hip-hop. Runaway’s poetic lyrics, complemented by a talented band and female backup, set a chill tone for the evening. Tracks delved into subjects like women’s rights and there was even a catchy cover of Cindy Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

Next, OkayCity amped up the crowd with its raw, energetic set. Its sound was reminiscent of Swollen Members at its most angry. OkayCity pulled off this style with ease.

Then Relic and crew took the stage with a socially aware, heavy beat to draw the crowd into the headlining act.

When Shad K took the stage, acoustic guitar and live band at the ready, it was evident the audience was in for a treat. He exuded humble confidence as he and his band played a relaxed track from his first album, complete with a beat boxer to round out the rhythm.

Shad K and his band knew instinctively when to tweak the melodies or stop for an adlib. Although this was likely rehearsed, the seamlessness of these intervals was impressive.

Midway through the show, Shad K freestyled about his roots in London and his family here — including his parents who were present at the show. His genuine appreciation for his hometown, relatives and friends was clear in his words.

Shad K’s lyrics deliver a socially conscious message; from living at home with no money to the diluted nature of commercial hip-hop, his words hit home on a number of levels. This made it easy for the audience to immerse themselves in the lyrics.

Toward the end of the show, Shad offered the spotlight to 2007 DMC Canada Supremacy Champion, DJ TLO. TLO blasted through a mash-up of genres, including old school hip-hop, electronica and jazz.

If there’s one thing that makes Shad K stand out from other hip-hop artists, it is his overwhelming stage presence. His sense of humour and tendency to break out into huge grins while rhyming show his genuine love for performing.

(original text)
http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=Arts&articleID=1760 - Kate Davis


"Okay City and Hilltop Hoods Tour"

Okay City, which consists of Bill Maka and Ray Black, is the freshest thing hitting the Vancouver hip-hop scene. Quickly becoming known for their high-energy live performances and hard hitting sound. Any group that starts off with an introduction sampled from Back to the Future is just swell in my books. The guys originally started out in Ontario, connecting through the well known music industry arts program at Fanshawe College. Eventually making the move out west to broaden their horizons and touring with the likes of Sweatshop Union and opening for Swollen Members. Expect to see these guys starting a dance party on stage or spitting while walking on top of the bar. Their performance and ryhmes have already caught the attention of the crazy popular Australian hip-hop group, Hilltop Hoods, and Okay City will be accompanying them as their opening act for the majority of their west coast tour. This along with upcoming collaborations with Shad, means you will be hearing a lot more about Okay City in 2010. Check out the myspace for tour dates. Don't miss it.

The Whistler show with Hilltop Hoods is already sold out I'm pretty sure. The village being like 90% Australian and all... you may not realize how bananas this show will be. If you can find some tickets do it.

Okay City's track 'Potency', which the boys were so kind to contribute to BTA, is a laid back groove with a catchy string melody accompanied with a nice little Biggie Sample. Get it below.

http://bridgingtheatlantic.blogspot.com/2010/01/okay-city-hilltop-hoods-west-coast-tour.html - Bridging The Atlantic


"The Return of Okay City"

Published: Monday, April 06, 2009

Music Industry Arts graduates Will Maka and Ray Black who make up the hip-hop duo OkayCity came back to London last Thursday for a performance at Fanshawe College; the place where they first met and began collaborating.

Although they took Fanshawe and London by storm, getting their singles on 106.9 fm, and doing shows at the Out Back Shack, they ended up having to collaborate long-distance once they left college and found jobs on different continents.

In fact, their show on campus last week was their first live show together in several months, and is the start of a new chapter. After this show they plan on both moving to Vancouver to get more serious about their art, and “bring their hustle out to the west coast” where they say artists are extremely talented but more laid-back, and lack the drive that eastern hip-hop artists like themselves demonstrate. Although they are quick to point out that there is a lot of fake and soulless hip-hop artists out there with no heart like G-Unit and Lil’ Wayne, who just regurgitate poor lyrical content and lack originality, OkayCity maintains that real hip-hop is coming back in a big way, and that it’s getting a lot easier for good hip-hop to get out there with digital technology and the internet.

They also predict that real hip-hop will return to its roots while “top 40-style pop rap is just going to develop into it’s own genre of music and become known as something completely separate from hip-hop.”

OkayCity is still an independent unsigned hip-hop group, and has no real plans for signing or starting a label of their own in the near future.

“What we’re doing right now is working” said Black, referring to the fact that you don’t need a label to get your music out there or book shows.

Maka also maintains that they aren’t in it for the money, but for the love of hip-hop, and that “as long as I’m doing what makes me happy, I don’t care if I’m making money.” You can check them out at myspace.com/okaycityhiphop

(original text)
http://www.fsu.ca/story.asp?ibangYear=0809&storyID=938&sectionID=3&issueID=28 - Darius Mirshahi


Discography

Okay City - Tocsin B LP 2010

Ray Black - Fresh Air 2010

Okay City Sampler EP 2009

Bill Maka aka MadMak - Whatever Happens Happens 2006

Ray Black - Cruise Control 2006

Photos

Bio

Welcome to OKAY CITY

After recently being hand selected by Australia's biggest hip hop group, The Hilltop Hoods, to be their opener for their first Canadian headlining tour, and performing with Sweatshop Union, Swollen Members, Talib Kweli and Mickey Avalon Okay City have big things planned for 2010.
Hailing out of Vancouver, British Columbia by way of London, Ontario the hip-hop duo Okay City is the always hard-working, always entertaining collaborative effort of Ray Black and Bill Maka. Armed with an unquestionably good sense of music and a hip-hop swagger all their own, the two young emcees have been steadily building a name for themselves writing and performing across southwestern Ontario since mid-2006. Sharing a similar vision, Bill Maka, 23, and Ray Black, 22, bring to their audience two distinct styles. This blend of Maka’s explosive and edgy delivery and Black’s laid-back smooth flow, along with their eclectic soundscapes, are what make Okay City unique and places them among the brightest of the new generation of Canadian music acts.

Bill Maka, born William Makrigaini, was raised in Kitchener, Ontario on a musical diet of rock spanning from the early days of rock n’ roll to the classic rock of the 1980s. It wasn’t until his late teens that Bill discovered his talent as a rapper. Through his skill, performances, tireless efforts and self-promotion Bill quickly garnered local success and notoriety as Kitchener’s premier rap act.

Ray Black, born Raymond Anthony Black, similarly came of age in one of Ontario’s small townships. Growing up listening to his parent’s jazz, reggae and Motown records in Oakville, Ontario Black developed a desire to write lyrics at an early age. Like many in his generation, hip-hop had left an indelible mark on his life and Black soon began writing rhymes. After honing his skill and deciding on a career in music, Ray left Oakville for London, Ontario, where he would cross paths with his future rhyming partner.

The fall of 2005 found both emcees independently releasing solo debuts while also pursuing a seat in the nationally renowned Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College. After hearing each other’s music Maka and Black quickly developed a bond and found common ground not in rap-style but in a desire to entertain and a love for the live show. Shortly thereafter the two began performing together and within a year Okay City was born.

Fast forward to the present and we’ll find Okay City residing in Vancouver, BC. Now well known for their high-energy crowd-moving live shows, Okay City is steadily building their name on Canada’s west coast performing material from their 2009 EP, appropriately titled, Sampler. The full length as of yet untitled LP, currently being recorded, will contain production from an array of young Canadian musicians, beat makers and DJs. Matching true school lyricism with their mainstream sensibility hip-hop’s odd couple is poised to deliver a classic album.