Ottawa has always had an incredible hip-hop scene. Since the days of Brokenbridge and Organized Rhyme, to current artists like Belly and Dax, the nation’s capital has always set the bar high. That vast pool of talent has manifested itself once again with the group of Eazy El Dee, Quest, ChRIS KEEZ, and Fortunato.
Nicknamed the Quaranteam because of their online collaboration during the lockdown, the contingent has just released their second single “Poppin’,” shot and produced by Quest from Dreamland Studios. “Poppin’” is featured on the Welcome To Dreamland Chptr 2 EP which dropped on June 30, 2020.
Scene from the “Poppin’” video
Fortunato may not be from Ottawa, but his history in the city’s hip-hop scene goes back to battling Charron at the Run 613 freestyle tournament and opening for MOP at Ritual.
“I’ve always felt a deep connection to the city,” said Fortunato.
“So when I got invited to host House Of Paint I was honoured. That’s how I met Eazy, Quest, and Keez.”
Eazy El Dee, who has also worked with artists like DL Incognito, Aspect Medoza, and D-Track, fell in love with the art of DJing at a young age.
“I was probably 14-15 years old writing raps and going to record a my friends studio where he had a DJ set. I would scratch the isshhh out of records after our recordings.”
ChRIS Keez also has a long history with the Quest and Dreamland, and originally recorded his first solo project at Quest’s studio.
“I actually met Quest for the first time around 10 years ago,” recalled Keez. “He had recorded a track for one of my buddies and I was featured on it, back when Quest had his studio at his parents place. In 2018, we met up to work on my solo project and it’s been Dreamland ever since.”
Scene from the “Poppin’” video
Quest has been a audio/video production powerhouse in the Ottawa region, building with artists such as Dip Black, Hevve, and Timal Garnier.
“For the visuals, the inspiration came from the backpack Cypher with DJ Premier and Eminem,” Quest explained of the video’s concept.
“I loved the black and white street urban look of it so I wanted to tribute that in a way. Found the location and once again everyone was on board. Fortunato came down from Toronto and Eazy from MTL. And just that pure dedication, passion, and work ethic made me even wanna collabo more with this beautiful quatuor. Expect a lot more to come because we are doing this for the culture.”
You can find the new single on various digital streaming platforms including Apple Music and Spotify. “Poppin’” is HipHopCanada’s Song of the Day. Check out the video below.
You can follow @im.Quest, @ChrisxKeez, @iamFortunato, and @EazyElDee on Instagram.
