Sonreal
from Vancouver BC
With a number of successful releases under his belt, SonReal began 2012 with the release of the final two singles from 2011's Where's Waldo?. Both reaching 100,000 views within their first few weeks online, SonReal kept the buzz alive with the release of an 18 track mixtape titled, Words I Said in April 2012. Directed at the promotion of his summer release, Good News, Words I Said spread across the Internet quickly. With support from some of the largest hip hop blogs such as, 2dopeboyz.com, NahRight.com, HipHopDX and more, Words I Said developed an awareness and anticipation for SonReal's upcoming Good News. “Up Up Up” was the first single from Good News and the driving force leading into it's release. A video accompanied the single and was an instant smash once Much Music awarded it "heavy rotation" on their TV network. Good News was released July 25th and has been labeled the largest stepping stone in SonReal's career.
After turning many heads in the industry, the Vancouver rapper signed a recording deal with the independent label, Black Box Records responsible for emcees, Shad and Classified. His first release via Black Box would be a collaborative project with fellow Canadian rapper/producer, Rich Kidd. The Closers was recorded in seven days in a private Hollywood studio. SonReal and Rich Kidd had united East and West and made an 11 track album the country could stand behind. Fans did exactly that. October 16th, The Closers debuted at #3 on iTunes Canada's hip hop charts, next to Macklemore and Kanye West. The Closers then went on to be nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2013 Juno Awards. SonReal and Rich Kidd celebrated their newfound success by embarking on a nationwide tour in promotion of the project and shared stages with such artists as, Down With Webster, Mac Miller and more.