Spotlight: Nomadic Massive

Nomadic MassiveToday we’re sharing 10 fun facts about Nomadic Massive, the Montreal-based hip-hop collective bringing their global beats and socially conscious lyrics to Levitt AMP St. Johnsbury this afternoon at 3pm. Comprised of musicians from across the globe, the six-piece activist group busts rhymes in English, French, Haitian, Creole, Spanish and Arabic, melding multiculturalism and hip-hop together for an explosive live performance. Learn more about this worldly hip-hop supergroup in the fun facts below:

  1. This year marks Nomadic Massive‘s 15th anniversary. The group came together in 2004 for what was supposed to be a one-time performance at a hip-hop festival in Havana. However, upon their return to Montreal, they put together some local shows and released The Canada-Cuba Get Down (2004), a mixtape about their experiences in Cuba.
  2. Staying true to their “nomadic” reputation, the group has performed all over the world, including the International Montreal Jazz Festival in Quebec (2015, 2018), Rudolstadt TFF Festival in Germany (2015), Paléo Festival in Switzerland (2018), Say It Loud Festival in Spain (2017) and Grand Performances in Los Angeles (2012).
  3. After their 2017 tour of France, the group began creating albums collectively from scratch. This new approach led to Miwa, their 2018 EP.
  4. The hip-hop supergroup has shared the stage with Wyclef Jean, Guru and Somali artist, K’naan.
  5. Nomadic Massive guitarist/rapper, Waahli, is also a soap maker and owner of an organic soap shop, WyzahMusk Soap.
  6. Before signing a distribution deal, the band sold more than 4,000 copies of their first EP, Nomad’s Land (2006), thanks to the strength of their live shows.
  7. In 2007, several band members came together to form No Bad Sound Studio—a community-oriented studio that gives aspiring young musicians free access to tools, resources and a space to learn, explore and express themselves through music. The studio is located just underneath Nomadic Massive’s rehearsal space—in one of Montreal’s most culturally diverse boroughs.
  8. Nomadic Massive mentored Strange Froots, No Bad Sound Studio’s first all-girl hip-hop group. The girls’ second EP, Blossom This Froot For Thought (2016), topped Canadian hip-hop charts on campus and community radio.
  9. The band teaches people across the globe how to use hip-hop as a tool for education and social change, leading workshops in classrooms, Ted Talks, community centers, NGOs, prisons, festivals and more.
  10. This summer, Nomadic Massive released their third full-length album,Times. Check out the music video new album’s title track below!

If you happen to be in Vermont this Sunday, head over to Dog Mountain to experience Nomadic Massive’s globe rocking hip-hop beats at Levitt AMP St. Johnsbury!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *