This week's hottest brand new act...

KEY TRACK: Southside

LABEL: New Gen
MANAGEMENT: Midtown Music Management
TWITTER: @lil_berete

WHO: Lil Berete is a 17-year-old rap talent who’s been amassing all kinds of plaudits of late.

WHAT: The rapper’s nasal bars bounce and skitter around bass, autotune and electronic gloop. Check out his debut mixtape, Icebreaker.

WHERE: Lil Berete lives in Toronto’s Regent Park, the city’s oldest public housing neighbourhood.

MOVE OVER DRAKE…

Berete is a world away from Drake’s emotional streaming dynamite, but his star is expected to rise high. Now, XL imprint New Gen have sniffed out his refreshing sound.

REFRESHING IS GOOD

Quite. Lil Berete is a mouthpiece for his neighbourhood, which has a troubled history, and his emergence could spark an explosion of talent from Toronto’s underground.

WHAT SHOULD I PLAY?

Icebreaker, which transitions from the desolate likes of No Love to straight up party cuts like What’s Up Now.

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