Backxwash performs for Kuumba after a wildly successful year culminating in a 2020 Polaris Music Prize win for God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It. This Montreal-based rapper-producer’s sound will challenge your concept of hip hop – and we’ll all be better for it.


Presented in Partnership with Wavelength Music.

Artist: Backxwash 

“Although chances are that you may have first heard of Backxwash from the many music critic co-signs, culminating in her Polaris Music Prize win in October 2020, no one deserves credit for the success of God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It but the rapper-producer herself. Across a scant 22 minutes, the Montreal-based, Zambia-born musician manages to pull together a hefty and unlikely range of sounds, influences and moods, coming off compellingly dark and gothic on “Into the Void,” expertly melding a Black Sabbath sample into the album’s potent title track, and sharing the spotlight with a variety of expertly curated guest stars. God Has Nothing to Do with This is a sonically raw, emotionally honest and starkly creative piece of art that completely blows minds, challenges how we think about the art of hip hop, and – most importantly – stands on its own merit.” – Daniel Sylvester, Exclaim (album of the year) 

Event Partner: Wavelength Music 

Wavelength Music is a curated concert series designed to champion creativity, co-operation and collaboration in the independent music and arts scenes. Established in 2000, we are a non-profit arts organization that puts artists and the community first. A cornerstone of the Toronto music scene, Wavelength Music has championed literally thousands of emerging artists during its two decade-plus run.