Shades of Culture
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, Hip hop |
| Founded | 1991 in Montreal, Canada |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
| Products | Music albums, EPs, singles |
History
Formed in Montreal in 1991, the group began as a trio. They secured victory in the Big Break competition in 1992 and produced multiple demo recordings.
Shades of Culture embarked on Canadian tours alongside both American and Canadian acts such as Bad Brains, (The Almighty) Trigger Happy, SNFU, and Ten Foot Pole. After three years of live performances, they released an EP titled Paying Rent, which included a music video broadcast throughout Canada.
Their debut full-length album, Mindstate, was launched in 1998 following their fourth nationwide tour. Alongside the album, they issued several 12" singles featuring collaborations with Mr. Len and DJ A-Trak. The track "Mindstate" included vocals by Desi DiLauro. Their music videos enjoyed consistent rotation on channels like MuchMusic, MusiquePlus, BET, and MTV. Additionally, they toured Quebec with the Backstreet Boys and served as opening acts for Eminem, Gang Starr, KRS-One, The Beatnuts, Ben Harper, Onyx, and Jurassic 5.
In 2000, one of their tracks was featured on the compilation State of the Union.
Shades of Culture acted as judges for the DMC Competition during 1998 and 1999. They appeared in the film Hang the DJ and contributed to both sound effects and the musical score for Wesley Snipes' film Art of War. The group received coverage in The Source magazine highlighting Montreal's hip hop community and were featured on FOX Network’s Popular Mechanics for Kids segment focusing on scratching techniques.
In 2003, they opened for The Roots during their concert in Montreal.
The trio also led a workshop on scratching and sampling at "Les Rencontres" and graced the inaugural cover of Vice Magazine, which was formerly known as Voice of Montreal.
Discography
- 1996 Payin' Rent (EP)
- 1998 Mindstate
- 2000 A Little Bit About Us
- 2002 Unbreakable/D.I.Y (double single)