Notes To Self

Canadian hip-hop outfit Notes to Self originated through the joint work of MCs Swamp Donkey, Bronze One, and Roshin together with DJ Dopey and writer/illustrator Elicser. Drawing inspiration from golden-age crews such as De La Soul and Hieroglyphics, the members pursued both solo projects and group efforts across multiple releases, opening with Bronze One’s 2003 EP Just Add Water. Early standouts included a widely circulated online tribute to the late J Dilla in 2006 and a 2007 song that placed second in Toronto’s 175th Anniversary City Anthem competition, all while the collective built visibility by performing alongside Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, and comparable headliners. The Warning Shots EP came before the 2009 debut album A Shot in the Dark; both projects earned strong reviews and solid college-radio placement. In the following years the group expanded its output with visual components, among them a T-shirt line and an array of colorful videos and short films. During the same period several singles spread rapidly online, broadening the crew’s reach further. Their next full-length album, Target Market [Recoil], arrived in early 2013.