Choclair

Ontario native Kareem Blake, known on stage as Choclair, issued the single “21 Years” in 1997 and received a Juno—Canada’s equivalent of the Grammy—for those initial recordings. The next year brought a second Juno for “Northern Touch,” followed in summer 1999 by the Urban Music Association of Canada’s Artist of the Year honor.

Such recognition lay far ahead of the mid-eighties, when the teenage Blake began freestyling at house parties. He soon moved on to school performances and talent shows, eventually linking with fellow Canadian artists Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, and Jully Black. Those connections led to his becoming the first Canadian rapper signed to a major U.S. imprint, Virgin’s Priority Records. Early in 2000 he delivered his debut album, Ice Cold, which quickly climbed the charts.