Artist: Michie Mee And L.A. Luv, Album: Jamaican Funk - Canadian Style, Song: Jamaican Funk Canadian Style

Michie Mee is a Jamaican born artist that was raised in Toronto.  She received a big career boost in 1985 when Boogie Down Productions brought her on stage to perform at one of their Toronto shows.  She would team up with DJ L.A. Luv and in 1987, they would be featured on a Canadian hip hop compilation produced by BDP's Scott La Rock.  The duo would sign with a subsidiary of Atlantic Records known as First Priority Music and drop their debut album, Jamaican Funk-Canadian Style, in 1991.  The album is noteworthy for a couple of reasons.  One, Michie Mee became the first Canadian female MC to be signed to a major label.  Two, the album/song was nominated for a Juno in two consecutive years.  In 1991, it was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Recording but lost out to Simply Majestic and B. Kool.  Then, in 1992, it was nominated for Best Rap Recording but again, lost out to the Dream Warriors (see blog 7/27/10).  Coincidentally, King Lou from the Dream Warriors was one of the producers on this album and L.A. Luv would later leave Michie and join the Dream Warriors.  Often dubbed, the queen of Canadian hip hop, Michie was as equally talented as her peers south of the border.  Namely, Monie Love, Salt n' Pepa, MC Lyte and Queen Latifah.  She has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in Hip Hop.  She is a true original who continued to push her own as well as the genre's boundaries.  Aside from appearing in film and television (see Solitair Drop The Beat blog 3/20/11), she also fronted a band in the nineties called Raggadeath, that was a mix of hard rock and reggae.  Today, Michie has her own multi-media promotions company that seeks to aid local talent and guide them in their careers in music.  Michie released her sophomore album in 2000 and recently released a new single in 2009.  You can follow her at http://www.myspace.com/michiemeemedia.  You can watch the original video for the song, Jamaican Funk Canadian Style, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqLwv7UtP8&feature=related).  The album, Jamaican Funk-Canadian Style, is a difficult find today.  At the time of this blog, there were copies trading on Amazon between $11 and $50.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!