Citizen Kane (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hip hop music |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Scarborough, Toronto , Canada |
Key people | Jeff "J-Spade" Duke, Rob "Blye" Paris, Adrian Perry (manager) |
| Products | The Epic (1997), Deliverance (1999), Scartown Unreleased Classics (2012) |
Citizen Kane was a prominent Canadian hip hop duo active between 1995 and 2005, recognized for their significant role in shaping the Canadian hip hop landscape during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They received two nominations for the Juno Award in the Rap Recording of the Year category: one for their 1999 EP The Epic and another for their 2000 album Deliverance.
Hailing from Scarborough, Toronto, the duo consisted of rappers Jeff "J-Spade" Duke, a first-generation Canadian, alongside Rob "Blye" Paris, who is a Black Nova Scotian. Their manager was Adrian Perry. Before forming the group, Duke worked as a dancer for Michie Mee and Dream Warriors.
Their initial release was the single "Soul Survivor" in 1995, followed by multiple singles leading up to their 1997 EP The Epic. The release of their 1999 album Deliverance encountered difficulties in gaining commercial success and critical acceptance within the Canadian hip hop market at that time. This promotional journey was captured by Duke’s sister Alison in the National Film Board of Canada documentary Raisin' Kane: A Rapumentary (2001).
Following several more singles after Deliverance, the pair disbanded without completing a second album. In 2012, TopLeft Recordings released the mixtape Scartown Unreleased Classics, which compiled tracks recorded from 2001 to 2005 intended for their unreleased follow-up project. Notable singles including "Soul Survivor," "Black Rain," and "Raisin' Kane" were reissued in 2018.
Discography
- The Epic (1997)
- Deliverance (1999)