Sweatshop Union
is a Canadian hip hop collective formed in 2000 when four politically-minded rap acts—Dirty Circus, Creative Minds, Innocent Bystanders, and solo artist Kyprios—came together "to create a powerful, distinctive voice" [1], and to produce their first album, [2] which was published in 2001.
Known for an inventive and socially-conscious sound, [3] Sweatshop Union's music focuses on being "honest"—commenting on issues ranging from the war in Iraq, the plight of the poor and working-class, to the negativity and misogyny of mainstream hip-hop. [4] Speaking for the group, Mos Eisley put it as:
[T]o me, politics aren’t a choice you make; they’re just a way of life. [...] In that sense, I am trying to be more positive than political, because I’m already political to begin with...
I think that, at the same time as there’s a lot of money being put into hip hop that could be deemed negative or misogynistic or self-destructive, by the same token there’s a lot of guys who are coming up trying to be positive and rebel against that, [and] putting their careers on the line.
The band signed with Battleaxe Records in 2002 and their self-titled debut album was re-released as Local 604
. The group also began touring North America with a number of other rap and hip-hop artists, including their label-mates Swollen Members.
Their 2004 album Natural Progression
led to a Juno Award nomination [5] and three Western Canadian Music Award nominations. [6] [7] They have been called part of "Vancouver's hip-hop renaissance" [8], and had their music featured in CBC Radio's "Make Some Noise" documentary. [9] They have expanded their touring to the east coast, hoping to increase awareness about their music. [10]
The band's most recent album, Water Street
, was released in 2008. In early 2009, Sweatshop Union's Oh My
won in The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song. [11]
Current members of the group include Kyprios, Metty the DertMerchant, Mos Eisley, DJ Itchy Ron, Mr. Marmalade, Conscience, and Dusty Melodica. Like other hip-hop collectives such as the Wu-Tang Clan, the members of Sweatshop Union continue to work, perform and produce separately in addition to their work with the band.
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SWEATSHOP UNION TICKETS
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