MC FÜBB (pronounced “emcee foob”) is a Toronto born hip hop MC. Having written his first poem at the age of 9 (and hundreds more since then), MC FÜBB demonstrated a natural talent for writing at a very young age. As he grew up and began listening to hip hop music, FÜBB’s poetry writing evolved into writing rhymes and he began rapping at the age of 15. Being introduced to hip hop by his oldest brother (whose tastes in hip hop music ranged from KRS-ONE to OutKast to Wu-Tang, just to name a few), MC FÜBB was inspired and spent much of his time educating himself about hip hop and the art of emceeing, subsequently falling in love with hip hop as an idea, a culture, an art-form, and a mode of self-expression.

Since embarking on his journey into the world of hip hop, MC FÜBB has gone through tremendous transformations as an artist and an individual, which are reflected in the lyrical content of his music. He raps for the love of hip-hop, for creative self-expression, and most of all to carry a conscious-minded, (overall) positive message to those who take the time to listen. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science, majoring in both psychology and philosophy. While at U of T, he became president of a student run organization called “Hip Hop Headz” which was dedicated to the expression and proliferation of hip hop culture on the university campus. MC FÜBB has chosen to put his degree on the shelf, taking what he’s learned from his years in academia, and pursue his passions via his career as a professional hip hop artist. He hopes to create a positive difference in the world through his music – one listener at a time.

Past performances include sharing the stage J-Live, Frank Nitt (of Frank ‘N Dank) and Illa J (brother of the late great J Dilla), self-promoted shows and release parties for his albums, dozens of open mics around the city of Toronto, professional hiring for private functions such as weddings and parties, and various other shows, many of which he organizes and promotes himself. In an effort to bridge the gap between the origins of hip hop music and its current manifestations while also pushing the boundaries of hip hop as an art-form, FÜBB has begun to perform with the Metro Big Band (http://www.metrobigband.com). While he is committed to his own career as a hip hop artist, MC FÜBB is also devoted to hip hop culture and music itself, seeking to contribute to the hip hop community whenever and wherever possible. A recent development on this front has been his founding and formation of the Hip Hop Headz (H3) community (borrowing the name from the university organization that he was once a part of and has since been dissolved), whose mandate is to engage in the “manifestation of hip hop in all of its various forms” (www.theh3.com). With the aid of H3, MC FÜBB has also recently begun organizing and hosting an event called “The Cypher” in the core of downtown Toronto at which hip hop MCs/rappers from all over the city are invited to come out, pass around a microphone, and showcase their talents and skills (www.thecypher.ca). FÜBB is also a co-founder at Coachtastic, which is a website designed to bridge the gap between people who need help and people who have the expertise to provide it (www.coachtastic.com).

MC FÜBB’s debut release, the EP album Foundations, in which FÜBB pushes the boundaries of conventional hip hop through the use of a live band and various styles of rapping, is now available for purchase globally. He released his second project, the Blue Collar Worker mixtape, which is comprised of dubs over instrumentals by famous producers such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and J Dilla, in May 2010 and is available for free download at mcfubb.com. He recently released his second official album, a collaborative project with producer Noyz, entitled: In the Face of No Agremeent (ITFONA). For more information and links to music, please visit www.mcfubb.com.

Hip hop is a part of life; for some hip hop is life. The same is true of the solitary hip hop head as it is for any other human being. One hiphoppa may have immense talent and creative potential, but this potential will go largely unrealized at the level of the individual. It is only in the context of a like-minded community that one’s ideas can fully be actualized in the material world. Without the community that creates it, hip hop has no real power. Without the listener, even the dopest rhymes in the world will fall on deaf ears. A lone MC cannot form a cypher or move a crowd. Without those who take the time to watch, the illest b-boy is just some guy doing back-flips in his basement. Hip hop can and will survive without community, but it will only be able to do that – survive. If hip hop is to achieve the potential it has to actually be at the source of transformations in the world, then the cohesiveness of the hip hop community is absolutely vital.