LOUWOP
Emerging from the underground hip-hop scene with the solitary force of a complex soldier is one of Toronto’s best freestyle emcees. Louwop: The Dirty General’s soulful hip hop has militant overtones of prophecy, honesty and introspection. With a strong independent vibe, his music hearkens a lost era of hip hop, evoking comparisons to Common, Black Thought (of The Roots), Rakim and Nas.
Bringing his life’s writing to the light in 1994, Louwop first sharpened his emcee skills at open mic nights at Planet Mars, an event similar to New York’s Lyricist Lounge. There he met and joined forces with emcee Phatt Al to lead a live impromptu hip hop band called The Quartertones. After an amicable disbanding, he took a hiatus to return to the field in 2002 with the Dirty General moniker. Louwop met then-unknown producer Catalist and together they recorded the EP Mind Grenade, which was hailed as a classic and quickly scooped by underground devotees.
In 2004, Louwop released the EP Warning Shot, an introduction to the Dirty General and his imminent revolution. He made appearances on Urbnet’s Underground Hip Hop Vol. 2 and was one of eight finalists at the first Rip the Mic freestyle competition in Toronto. Carrying his militant momentum into the next year, Louwop opened for various artists including Kool Keith, The Alcoholics, Jeru the Damaja and Grand Master Melle Mel.
Louwop fielded kudos for his radio single, My Revolution, featuring Juno-nominated soul singer Divine Brown. He is preparing to release a full-length album, which he says gives insight to the everyday man’s innermost thoughts. “We can’t change anything without changing ourselves first, so my revolution is my change from who I am to who I want to be. Ultimately, to be a better man.”
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