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FYI

Rochester: Balance

The highly-touted rapper is off to a flying start with this new cut, racking up impressive streaming numbers. He delivers thoughtful lines with authority, while subtly inventive production lends a soothing ambience.

Rochester: Balance

By Kerry Doole

Rochester - "Balance" (Blocktrade Music Inc.): This Toronto-based rapper has been tipped as one to watch on the Six scene for a while now. He certainly has peer respect, as shown by the earlier collaborations with Kardinal Offishall, Fito Blanko, and Grammy-winning producer Boi 1da (Drake, Kendrick Lamar).


His 2016 EP Cowabunga was well-received, and new cut "Balance" deserves serious attention. Rochester delivers lines like "how do you know it's sweet if you've never tasted sour. You've just got to find a balance" with vigorous authority atop well-selected beats.

It is the inventive production that grabs the ear here. The sounds of piano and mellow jazzy guitar are audible under the beats, lending a soothing ambience to proceedings. An ideal balance indeed.

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Rochester explained in a recent interview with HipHopCanada that "I wrote the song when I was overwhelmed with everything going on in my life. I was trying to find the balance between my music and my family, and it’s challenging to keep up with all of life’s demands when you demand so much of yourself for a better future. I hope listeners feel inspired and motivated by my message in the song – find the balance and keep moving.”

The single broke 100K+ streams in just under a week of its release and is listed on many top-performing playlists on Spotify and Apple Music. Word is the emcee is recording new music in LA. We eagerly await the results.

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Kesha
Brendan Walter

Kesha

Chart Beat

Kesha Brings 'Holiday Road' to The Billboard Canadian Hot 100

The newly independent pop singer's cover of Lindsay Buckingham's 1983 song from National Lampoon's Vacation was first released as a Spotify exclusive for the holidays. Michael Bublé's Christmas, meanwhile, remains at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums chart.

Kesha has brought an under-appreciated holiday gem back to the charts. Her version of "Holiday Road" debuts on this week's Billboard Canadian Hot 100 (dated Dec. 28, 2024) at No. 83.

"Holiday Road" was originally released in 1983 by Fleetwood Mac legend Lindsey Buckingham and serves as the propulsive opening theme to the Chevy Chase-starting classic comedy road trip film National Lampoon's Vacation.

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