Thunderheist

Thunderheist, the Canadian electronic rap duo consisting of MC Isis and producer Grahm Zilla, fuses an affinity for classic hip-hop with rhythms rooted in synth-disco, electro, and booty bass, yielding fashionable party tracks that sidestep hipster irony while staying playfully unpretentious. In 2006, after mutual friends connected them, Zilla—real name Graham Bertie, Montreal resident, son of an Olympic wrestler, and an emerging producer crafting J Dilla-inspired beats as Metrix—reached out via MySpace to Nigerian-born, Toronto-raised Isis, whose underground rap work was beginning to attract notice under her full name Omalola Isis Salami. Early track exchanges yielded little until Bertie accidentally forwarded her a Spank Rock remix made under his dance-focused Thunderheist alias, a file meant for someone else; Isis responded enthusiastically, and the core of their joint sound took shape. The pair stirred blog interest in 2007 with the Eurythmics-sampling “Suenos Dulces,” yet rumors of major-label attention prompted them to emphasize touring and audience growth instead of rushing a full album, releasing well-received singles “Bubblegum” in 2007 and “Jerk It” in 2008 along with a self-titled, self-released EP. During this period “Jerk It” landed on the soundtrack to Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, and Isis added vocals to a track on MSTRKRFT’s Fist of God. When Big Dada issued Thunderheist’s self-titled debut in spring 2009, most of its songs had already existed for several years, though a handful of cuts signaled a shift toward a less rap-centric approach.