Steve 'Flash' JuonThe Posterz have seemingly been dubbed the “it group” to come out of Montreal and take over hip-hop. Their press kit bubbles over with critical praise ranging from urging Drake to bring them under his wing to comparing them to Stanley Cup champions. The problem there is that the Habs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1993, so in my view the hockey analogy is a bit ill-advised. That doesn’t stop the accolades from rolling in though – the Huffington Post put them on a “Top 10 Artists to Follow” list for 2014 and Complex said they “put Montreal on the map.” Amazing they have all this buzz and no Wikipedia page, but I digress.
Beat maestro Joey Sherrett and rappers Husser and Kris the $pirit make up the three legs that this new group stands on. Sherrett seems inspired by the OFWGKTA styles of production, creating gritty and atmospheric tracks that aren’t afraid to inject a little rock ‘n roll into the mix for flavor. The style reaches its peak on “Ben Up,” which almost seems like a typo on listening since they’re not saying “Ben” like “Ben 10” but “been” like “I been on already – you ain’t know?” Another thing the song has in common with the experimental Odd Futurites is that they’re not afraid to go out of bounds, taking the track to 6:09 and constantly challenging you to figure out what direction they’re taking it. Several natural ending points for the song come and go, most notably at the 4 minute mark.
“Want It All” seems to be the choice for a lead single, since it’s the only Posterz track on the EP that includes a remix (a “Chopped ‘n Screwed” take on the track). It feels like a Freestyle Fellowship in the most positive use of that comparison. The flows go where they want, riding with the beat but never ON it, going anywhere the creativity takes them. There’s an adolescent rebelliousness to the song, complete with an admonition not to jack the beat for your own instrumental, talking over what would otherwise be a quiet portion to ruin what would be an ideal loop. The group dropped a video for this song just under a week ago.
Initial skepticism aside, I have to admit that the Posterz seem to have something going on, though I’m not willing to crown them the greatest thing since sliced bread just yet. There are times that the vocal delivery could have been a little cleaner (such as “Bulalay”) and times that group seems to be mimicking their American counterparts as opposed to giving a uniquely Canadian Montreal perspective (such as “Rumble”). There’s definitely a reason to keep your eye on Posterz going forward, but this EP is only a glimpse at untapped potential, not the means with which to herald their arrival as the next big thing.