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The STREET SOLDIER story begins in the late nineties when founding members LAZEUS and NOX where both attending the same high school (Birchmount C.I.). Along with another artist -that shall remain nameless - they realized their passion for rap and began honing their craft, writing to various instrumentals, rapping in ciphers, and battling amongst rival Toronto MC’s for stripes and for recreation. Times were turbulent in Scarborough at the time –and not much has changed- so it was pretty commonplace to end up in a problem with a rival sect. This was the way of life for NOX and LAZEUS and also a way of life in Scarborough in general. Ironically, it was, on the way to an altercation, in the then infamous Kennedy Station, that the pair would meet with what was to be the final member of the then unnamed rap group. It was there that they would meet their Flemingdon Park counterpart DOUBLE D. LAZEUS recalls the initial meeting: ‘…how it happened was we were on the way to go deal with some dumb shit with a bunch of other niggas, and there was this one dude outside we didn’t know by himself out in the freezing cold, just rapping his ass off… We asked one of our niggas who it was and he introduced us, and since then the bond never broke.’ The three quickly realized their talent together as a collective and from this realization came the birth of the one of the lyrically viscous groups in Toronto, and Canada as a whole. The trio decided that because of their lyrical prowess, or as they would put it, their innate ability to ‘kill a beat’, that the moniker of 187 was more than fitting. (The term 187 is widely used in the hip-hop community and means homicide, or murder) It was under this name that the group began recording mix-tape tracks and later recorded and released their first collaborative effort on an original beat, the underground Scarborough banger, ‘HOT ONES’. ‘HOT ONES,’ was what they thought would be one of the initial stepping-stones on the road to the plateau, which they so desired and were working towards, and for a short period of time, it was. The trio began getting recognition on the streets not only due to the trio’s extra-curricular street activities but more so because of their profound rap skills. Fortune decided that that was not the group’s time. With members of the group facing charges stemming from numerous and random incidents, court and incarceration kept members from fulfilling their obligation to the music. Things really almost went sour when NOX was implicated in an incident involving a shootout and was ultimately incarcerated for what the group then thought was an indefinite period of time. ‘We all been locked before, but that fucked wit us cause at the time these guys (courts) weren’t trying to tell us nothing bout how long it would be or nothing…’ LAZEUS recalls. The remaining duo began to doubt the future of the group, but with the encouragement of the then incarcerated NOX they decided to press on and continue. The remaining duo continued to go the mix-tape route scorching numerous mix-tapes, and increasing the buzz. It was upon NOX’s release some time afterward that the group decided to take music more seriously, and developed what could be perceived as a ‘soldier’ like discipline, and determination towards music. From this determination and discipline they added to their already controversial moniker 187, and became the 187 STREET SOLDIERS.
The three have since then inducted honorary member and lifelong friend of LAZEUS, the Omen and have included him on several tracks. They have been hard at work on their album, working with their in house producers MANIC, and DON JUAN DE MARCO to make what they consider the perfect collection of tracks for their album. They have also continued with the mix-tape route and have been ‘killing’ the mix-tape circuit, with over twenty mix-tape features under their belt, and a handful of successful shows.
The future of hip-hop in Canada was at a time undermined and undecided, but these guys intend to make that change…THE CHANGE IS COMING ARE YOU READY?