Moka Only

One of Canada's most active B-boys, Moka Only has built a reputation as a remarkably prolific Vancouver-based MC and producer. Active on the hip-hop scene since the early '90s, he issued more than a dozen full-length cassettes of original material on his own. Widespread notice arrived only after a lengthy period, sparked by a guest spot alongside fellow Canadian Len and by the arrival of his first official album. As a teenager he began trading rhymes at house parties alongside Prevail, later traveling to San Diego in 1994 where he connected with Mr. Brady and other kindred artists. Back in Vancouver the following year, he joined Prevail and local MC Madchild to establish the Swollen Members crew, all while continuing to circulate his own cassette releases. That independent work eventually opened the door to his contribution on Len's 1999 debut You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, a multi-platinum effort from the Toronto outfit whose sound echoed the Beastie Boys. In 2001 he issued Lime Green on Battleaxe Records, the imprint he had co-founded, marking the release of his long-awaited official debut. The project paired introspective, occasionally abstract rhymes with melodic, jazz-inflected production reminiscent of De La Soul or A Tribe Called Quest, confirming that his earlier flood of material had not exhausted his creative reserves.