Toronto rapper Jimmy Yitty set to release first album in five years

Five years since the release of his last album, Toronto-based rapper Jimmy Yitty is back at square one – but with some newfound knowledge and more resources behind him.

Now, the prolific East End hip hop artist, who once performed more than 100 shows in a year, is preparing to release It Feels Like Hell with at least a dozen new tracks.

“You’re going to hear some triumphant themes,” Yitty says. “Now I actually feel like I have a chance s

ince I’ve gotten rid of certain habits or certain people who were holding me back.”

He’s already released two singles from the project, “Finesse Demons” and his latest, “Bleach.” The former was inspired by the everyday negativity we experience in life, with a message to not let “these demons, the evils in the world or people who have bad minds or an evil eye towards you” keep you from being a good person, Yitty says.

“Don’t let them take you out of your character and take you out of that position you’re in,” he says.

And “Bleach,” which already has tens of thousands of streams, addresses relationship problems and mistrust while allowing Yitty to take back the power he feels he lost in a bad relationship.

Overall, the upcoming album is a retrospective project where Yitty reflects on the loss of a friend to gang violence and his trials and tribulations growing up.

“A low income family, mother over here and father over there and running around with the wrong crowd but having loyalty and love for these people,” he says.

But some of those friends he grew up with turned out to be more like “demons finessing me out of my position,” he says.

“Another part of that theme is me getting into this relationship now and still feeling like I’m going through these demons and things that are holding me back like mistrust and having no hope, losing a close friend,” he says. “Not having a lot of income, the challenges we face. That’s why the album is called It Feels Like Hell because it’s more or less talking about all the things I could be better or how I could be a better person.”

Musically, Yitty blends industrial and trap music on songs like “Bleach,”, but his primary influences include hip hop classics like Mobb Deep, Nas, Raekwon, Kool G Rap and Big L. His musical style has evolved to include influences like ScHoolboy Q, Chief Keef and Playboi Carti.

He’s also getting into the pop scene with his record label Soda Money Records, which came about because Canada’s hip hop scene lacks some of the infrastructure that exists in America.

“We want to make money off our music and the best way to make money in music when it comes to Canadian artists is doing pop records,” Yitty says. “One of our slogans is Bridging the Gap, Putting Money in Your Pockets. We do international shows and we are constantly building these bridges in different markets across the globe. Some people are very talented but they just don’t have the resources and knowledge that we now possess. It’s very community based and trying to bridge the gap between Canada and other places.”

Make sure to stay connected to Jimmy Yitty on all platforms for new music, videos and social posts.

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