Canada Post has announced it will issue new Black History Month stamps honouring Canadian hip-hop pioneers Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee and Muzion (J.Kyll, Imposs, Dramatik).
The Black History Month stamps will be unveiled at a private event held at the Concert Hall in Toronto on Tuesday, January 27, featuring appearances by Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee, Muzion, Ron Nelson (Canadian DJ, broadcaster, music promoter, producer, educator and performer), Michele Geister (Canadian television producer and director) and Malik Shaheed (DJ, youth advocate and former VJ of MusiquePlus's weekly rap show HipHop).
In a statement, Canada Post wrote, "Each of the artists is recognized for helping to shape the genre of hip-hop and rap in Canada. Maestro Fresh Wes became the first Canadian MC to break mainstream with his monster hit single 'Let Your Backbone Slide' in 1989; whereas Michie Mee exploded onto the scene in the late 1980s and was among the first to bring Jamaican Patois into her rhymes. Montreal-based Muzion, formed in 1996, brought a distinct sound to the world of hip-hop, layering French, English and Haitian Creole into their music."
The stamps will mark the first time Canada Post has celebrated hip-hop artists. The postal operator first began issuing annual stamps in celebration of Black History Month in 2009.
See the stamps below.