Welcome to Real Talk of the North — powered by WeSeeHipHop. 🇨🇦
Host ShenTakeOver sits down for a raw, unfiltered conversation about the real foundations of the GTA underground — from Brampton warehouse parties and early videography, to booking shows, pushing artists, and surviving when there was no platform, no labels, and no safety net.
In this episode, we break down how the underground scene was really built — before the industry paid attention. From booking Pressa during his earliest tour days, navigating police shutdowns, and working alongside names like Houdini (RIP), Top5, Yung Bino, and others — this is a firsthand account of what it took to make noise in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, and beyond.
This conversation dives into music, hustle, leadership, sacrifice, and survival, touching everything from house party culture, videography, freestyling, touring, and industry politics, to why so many artists quit — and why a few kept going.
What’s inside 👇
• 🧭 Origins: Brampton come-up, warehouse parties, and creating platforms from nothing
• 🎥 Before the Music: Videography, visuals, and building artists when no one would book them
• 🎤 Pressa Early Days: First tours, police pressure, and proving the industry wrong
• 🕊️ Houdini (RIP): Early movement, Toronto energy, and lost talent
• 🚧 No Platform Era: Why artists were labeled “delinquents” instead of investments
• 🎶 From Camera to Mic: First studio sessions, freestyling, and finding a sound
• 🔥 Live Performance: Crowd energy, standing on speakers, real stage presence
• 💰 Big Money Mindset: Sacrifice, funding projects, and putting the scene before self
• 🌆 Toronto vs Brampton: Culture differences and why unity still hasn’t happened
• 🧠 Leadership Talk: What’s missing from the GTA scene — and who needs to step up
• 🎙️ Games + Performances: CC Layup, Big Money, Rapid Fire & Fact or Cap
This is not industry talk.
This is street-level history, told by someone who lived it.
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#TorontoHipHop #GTA #CanadianHipHop #Pressa #Houdini #ShenTakeOver
Real Talk of the North documents Canadian hip-hop culture as it really is — the wins, the losses, and the stories that don’t make headlines.
00:00 Intro
02:10 Brampton house parties & early promotion
06:45 Linking with Charles & booking gigs
10:30 Pressa early tour days
15:40 Police pressure & venue shutdowns
20:10 Houdini & the Toronto movement (RIP)
25:30 Videography before music
31:00 First studio session
36:45 Freestyling & creative process
42:10 CC Layup performance
47:30 Big Money performance
53:00 Touring stories & sacrifice
58:20 Toronto vs Brampton culture
1:04:30 Leadership & industry talk
1:10:45 Rapid Fire
1:15:20 Fact or Cap
1:19:30 Final message
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