Wikipedia

Draft:MC Shadow

MC Shadow
MC Shadow in Toronto, 1989.
MC Shadow in Toronto, 1989.
Background information
Also known as
  • Shadow
  • White Shadow
  • JUST Me
Born
Kory Neely

(1970-06-30) June 30, 1970 (age 55)
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
  • Canadian hip hop * hip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper * Music producer * Actor * Writer * Executive producer
Years active1985–present
LabelsEast Park Productions
Websitemcshadow.ca

Kory Neely (born June 30, 1970), known professionally as MC Shadow, is a Canadian rapper, producer, actor, and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as a founding member of the Toronto group Get Loose Crew, identified by The Canadian Encyclopedia as "the first Canadian rap group to produce a mini-LP on their independent label East Park Productions, and the first to achieve international record sales."[1] The group’s independently released EP also appeared on a list of "the top 10 most collectable Toronto albums of all time."[2]

Neely later recorded solo material under the name JUST Me before returning to release new music in 2015 through his independent label, East Park Productions. Writer Colin Gillespie noted that Get Loose Crew "featured MC Shadow, the first recorded Canadian white rapper, second nationally only to the Beastie Boys," describing the landscape of Canadian hip hop during the 1980s.[2]

Early life and musical beginnings (1970–1985)

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Neely was born in Toronto and raised in the Flemingdon Park neighbourhood.[3] He attended Valley Park Junior High, where he began writing rhymes and performing in informal lunchtime rap battles accompanied by classmates tapping percussion patterns on desks and windows.[3]

In the mid-1980s he adopted the stage name White Shadow, inspired by the American television series The White Shadow, and co-founded the Def Force Sound Crew with DJs Chris Jackson (later DJ Jel) and Len Grant-Stuart (Mix-Master Len). The crew performed at local school dances and community events, providing Neely with an early platform as an MC and lyricist.[3]

Get Loose Crew (1986–1989)

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In 1986 the Def Force Sound Crew evolved into Get Loose Crew, with Neely performing under the name MC Shadow alongside Chris Jackson (DJ Jel) and Len Grant-Stuart (Mix-Master Len). Neely performed as the group’s frontman and lead MC.[4] Their demo Licence to Slice received early airplay on CKLN-FM’s Fantastic Voyage, hosted by Toronto DJ Ron Nelson.[4]

In a 1988 StreetSound magazine interview, Neely described the expectations for emerging Canadian hip-hop performers at the time, emphasizing the need for organized, polished live sets.[5] In the same article, he discussed the limited support available to Canadian rap artists seeking label backing, a circumstance that contributed to the group’s decision to establish East Park Productions.[5]

Facing limited label support in Canada, the group created East Park Productions and released the four-track Get Loose Crew EP in 1988.[4] The record included "Wannabe", "Get Loose Crew", "Rap Vigilante" and "Protocol of Rap".[6] The single "Wannabe" reached No. 5 on Canada’s CHEER Music Pool "Backfield in Motion" DJ chart in May 1988.[7]

Get Loose Crew performed at Toronto’s Concert Hall during the Shock Out ’88 – Caribana showcase, held at the historic venue later noted for its pivotal role in Toronto’s early hip-hop scene.[8][9] They also appeared on CBC’s youth program Switchback—one of the earliest national television appearances by a Canadian hip-hop group—and were profiled in StreetSound, a Canadian national dance-music magazine.[10][5]

Canadian interviewer Nardwuar the Human Serviette has highlighted the historical significance of the group in multiple interviews. In a 2008 discussion with Maestro Fresh Wes, he presented the group’s EP and asked whether it was “the first hip hop record to come out of Canada” and if it predated Maestro’s debut; Maestro confirmed, stating, “Yo, definitely this came out before me,” and added, “Yeah, this is big right here.”[11]

Get Loose Crew disbanded in 1989, and Neely later formed the duo Double Trouble with Carl Badwa (MC B).[4]

Solo projects and JUST Me (1990–1994)

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After Get Loose Crew split, Neely began performing under the moniker JUST Me, recording a series of hip-hop and R&B tracks in Toronto with vocalist Kaye Sargeant. Sessions in the early 1990s produced the singles "What I’m Sayin’" and "Do a Little Dance".[12][13]

The singles were issued commercially in 1994 by MIRGIN/UKA Records and later reissued digitally.[12][13]

Later career and recognition (2015–present)

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In 2015 Neely released the singles "Resurrection", "Lost" and "Lullaby of Pain" through East Park Productions, working with producer Frank "Tekniq" Morell at BTown Sound in Burlington, Ontario.[14][15][16] "Resurrection" entered the national !earshot campus radio hip-hop chart at number five and remained on the chart for six weeks.[17] A review in The Voice Magazine described the accompanying video’s aesthetic as having a "cinematic scope", commenting on the project’s narrative style and visual presentation.[18]

In June 2017 Neely appeared at the Los Angeles premiere of the comedy series Front Men at the Downtown Independent Theatre, where several of his songs were used across multiple episodes and in closing-credit sequences.[19][20] East Park Productions confirmed that "Doin’ It All Night", "Played Out", "Resurrection", "88" and "Lost" were included in the series.[21] Each work is registered with SOCAN under Neely’s authorship and the East Park Productions label.[22]

Neely and members of Get Loose Crew appear in the 2023 Canadian documentary Drop the Needle, directed by Rob Freeman, which chronicles the history of the Toronto record shop Play De Record.[23] An archival photograph of the group appears during a segment discussing early DJ and studio setups in Toronto’s hip-hop scene, and they are credited collectively in the film’s cast and crew.[24]

In 2023, the University of Toronto’s Hart House and York University presented The First 50 – Toronto’s Hip Hop Architects, an exhibition honouring early contributors to Toronto’s hip-hop scene between 1980 and 2000. Neely and Get Loose Crew were among those recognized.[25][26]

The following year Neely appeared in A Great Day in Toronto Hip Hop, a large-scale group photograph by Patrick Nichols for the Art Gallery of Ontario that assembled more than 100 DJs, MCs, producers and other participants from Toronto’s hip-hop community.[27] The image was later incorporated into the AGO exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century.[28]

On January 1, 2025, Neely entered into a five-year publishing and administration agreement with Gemini Music Group, covering administration of his East Park Productions catalogue and future releases.[29][30] Gemini maintains international distribution and publishing affiliation with Warner Music Group’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) and Warner Chappell Music.[31]

Discography

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With Get Loose Crew

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  • Get Loose Crew (1988, East Park Productions)
    • "Wannabe"
    • "Get Loose Crew"
    • "Rap Vigilante"
    • "Protocol of Rap"

Singles

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  • "What I’m Sayin’" (feat. Kaye Sargeant) – Single (1994, MIRGIN/UKA Records)[12]
  • "Do a Little Dance" (feat. Kaye Sargeant) – Single (1994, MIRGIN/UKA Records)[13]
  • "Resurrection" – Single (2015, East Park Productions)[14]
  • "Lost" – Single (2015, East Park Productions)[15]
  • "Lullaby of Pain" (feat. Sarah Beatty) – Single (2015, East Park Productions)[16]

References

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  1. ^ Nazareth, Errol; D’Amico-Cuthbert, Francesca (May 2, 2012). "Urban Music". The Canadian Encyclopedia. McClelland & Stewart. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Gillespie, Colin (September 21, 2014). "The top 10 most collectable Toronto albums of all time". BlogTO. Zoomer Media. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Biography – MC Shadow". MC Shadow official site. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Williston, Robert. "Get Loose Crew". Citizen Freak. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Adams, Johnbronski (June 1988). "CAN-CON Canadian Rap Update". StreetSound – Canada's National Dance Music Authority. No. 16.
  6. ^ "Get Loose Crew – Spotify artist page". Spotify. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  7. ^ "CHEER Music Pool Chart – May 1988". Citizen Freak. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  8. ^ Campbell, Janiece (June 7, 2017). "An oral history of hip-hop shows at the Concert Hall". NOW Toronto. NOW Magazine. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  9. ^ "Shock Out '88 – Caribana Concert Flyer". NOW Toronto. NOW Magazine. August 1, 1988. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  10. ^ "GLC appears on CBC's "Switchback"". East Park Productions. March 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  11. ^ "Nardwuar vs. Maestro Fresh Wes". Nardwuar.com. Nardwuar the Human Serviette. June 27, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2025. Is this the first hip hop record to come out of Canada… the Get Loose Crew? ... Yo, definitely this came out before me. ... Yeah, this is big right here.
  12. ^ a b c "What I'm Sayin' (feat. Kaye Sargeant) – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c "Do a Little Dance (feat. Kaye Sargeant) – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Resurrection – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Lost – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Lullaby of Pain – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  17. ^ "!earshot – The National Campus and College Radio Report". October 27, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  18. ^ Stevens, Samantha (October 23, 2015). "Music Review – MC Shadow". The Voice Magazine. Athabasca University. Archived from the original on April 13, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  19. ^ "Recording artist Kory 'MC Shadow' Neely arrives for the premiere of 'Front Men and Like Them'". Getty Images. Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images. June 15, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  20. ^ Grajqevci, Gentrit (June 2017). Front Men Episode 4 – On-screen credit for MC Shadow's song "Played Out". East Park Productions / Front Men. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  21. ^ "Played Out – Song in Front Men Episode 4". East Park Productions. June 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  22. ^ "SOCAN Repertoire – MC Shadow Works". SOCAN Repertoire Database. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  23. ^ "Drop the Needle (2023) – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  24. ^ "Drop the Needle (2023) – Photo Still of the Get Loose Crew". IMDb. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  25. ^ "The First 50 – Toronto's Hip Hop Architects". University of Toronto. September 22, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Patrick Nichols on his photographs of Toronto's hip-hop scene". CBC Arts. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  27. ^ "A Great Day in Toronto Hip Hop – AGO event page". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  28. ^ "The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  29. ^ "Gemini Music Group – Publishing Agreement (2025)". East Park Productions Archives. January 1, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  30. ^ "Gemini Music Group – Rights Management Overview". Gemini Music Group. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  31. ^ "Warner ADA – Alternative Distribution Alliance". Warner Music Group. Retrieved November 1, 2025.[dead link]
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Authority control

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Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century Canadian male musicians Category:20th-century Canadian rappers Category:21st-century Canadian male actors Category:21st-century Canadian male musicians Category:21st-century Canadian rappers Category:Canadian hip-hop record producers Category:Canadian male rappers Category:Rappers from Toronto

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