Canada has had quite a few high profile hip hop artists on the charts over the past couple of years, the latest being Drake of course. But, way back, when the music form was relatively new and there weren't that many Canadian artists in the genre, let alone women, pioneers like Michie Mee were paving the way for so many more to come.She was the first Canadian hip hop artist to be signed to a U.S. label and is still involved in the music scene today, although she has also branched out to work as a radio host and film and t.v. actress.
Her real name is Michelle McCullock and she used her Jamaican background to blend a dancehall style flow with New York type lyrical dexterity. During rap battles, she often switched to Jamaican patois to baffle and beat her competitors. She had her first big break way back in 1985 and has opened for acts like Will Smith, Salt n Pepa, Heavy D and LL Cool J, and Queen Latifah, as well as the infamous Public Enemy. Not to restrict herself however, she diversified and performed with the likes of Sinead O'Connor and even formed a metal band called Raggadeath. Michie Mee has been nominated for several Juno awards and was recently inducted into the Stylus Awards Hall of Fame.
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