Some artists reinvent themselves for aesthetics. Others do it because the old version of them simply cannot carry the weight of where they are headed next. Noetiko feels like the second kind. After years of releasing music under the names J.D V and later 97 BRIGHT, the Canadian artist arrived at a hard truth. The work ethic was there. The catalogue was there. The love for the craft was still intact. But something deeper was missing. Making music had become routine instead of

Nobody says 'I make hip-hop' anymore. Or at least, the ones winning don't. The post-genre era is already here, and for Canadian independent artists, it's both a creative and commercial opportunity.