Todd Googoo, AKA Shift From Tha 902
SHiFT FROM THA 902, LP, Independent, shiftfromtha902.bandcamp.com
Cape Breton Island’s Todd Googoo is at odds with himself. He doggedly reps for his home turf — We’koqma’q First Nation — but his gaze is focused forward and outward, his thoughts repeatedly turning to the future and to “getting out.” His style clashes with expectations, too: piano, guitar, and orchestral flourishes mingle with thumping beats and deck scratches. His lyrics follow current trends in hip-hop — like wearing vulnerabilities on your sleeve — but remain firmly rooted in old school motifs, like “chillin’ all day” (and smokin’ all night). Through all the contradictions, he’s adamant about one truth, “Life is such an uppercut.”