I’m often fascinated by music that I organically discover, as opposed to music forced down my throat. As fun as commercially viable big-budget music can be, there’s something so motivating about an artist that creates because—well—they have to. It’s in their DNA.
This is true for a young MC named WizTheMC, who just over a month ago began plastering the blocks around my office with simple black and posters. I didn’t even catch them at first; they were incredibly none eventful. Then the volume and frequency picked up. So I stopped, read one, and proceeded to give the URL a view.
What I discovered was a German kid—by way of Cape-town—with a cadence and flow that resembled a mash-up of K’Naan and Chance The Rapper. He was in the 6 now and had no desire to leave. It was this story that drew me in. Why had he decided to come to Canada? Why Toronto?
“To be honest, I’m not sure why Toronto,” he told me over a text message. “I just wanted to leave Germany after I graduated from high school, which was three months ago. I had Canada in my head for some reason, so I Googled it, and Toronto popped up. I read a little about the music scene, and just from word of mouth, I heard that Canadians were very nice people, so I got intrigued.”
“And another reason,” he continued, “was that a found a cheap flight which didn’t make me think twice.”
While in the city he’s managed to connect with some local artists, as well as film a few videos.
“It’s the vibe when I walk through the city,” he explains when I ask him what it is about the city that draws him in. “A lot of people are more awake, more conscious. I can tell just by the way they walk, look, and act/react to certain situations. People here are lovely; Everywhere I go, I tell them I’m from overseas, and they say WELCOME TO CANADA. I feel like Canadians—maybe especially Torontonians—love the Country and are proud of it.”
He also noted the comradery on the music scene. “Talented artists are intrigued to help each other out and show love — which is rare in Germany if you don’t already know the right people. People smile for no reason here, that’s an awesome thing to see. I never experienced so much love in three months.
This new passion he’s found is culminating into a project this coming New Year entitled Overseas. However, he has a colorful catalog of music that I highly recommend. Start with his 11-song Painting Picture project, and go from there.
“I think I’m gonna be here ‘forever,’ but eventually I wanna be everywhere,” he says. “But, Toronto is my third hometown next to Cape Town, South Africa, and Lüneburg, Germany.”
Follow your heart, artists. Take a page from WizTheMC’s playbook.
The original version of this article was edited in August 2020 as the videos and music embedded were no longer available online.
