New Music: $ha Drops "TINGS DEM" + Short Interview

Toronto’s Sha Hustle— who simply goes by the name $ha— drops a super grimey tune titled “TINGS DEM” produced by Ashley Scott and STRETCH. $ha’s musical influence on the underground world goes deep. His previous mixtape combined $ha’s psychedelic rock influences with traditional trap sonics to create a smoky, nostalgic vibe but that is not the only style he is known for. His ability to produce and rap a variety of flows and vibes has become a lot more ambigious over time which helped him gain the respect of many.

From crafting amazingly catchy hooks to keeping a fine balance of singing/rapping, $ha confidently shows the junior artist how it is done. His most contagious release to date, “TINGS DEM” carries all of the known elements that we have come to expect from the OG rapper and more. Double-time rapping over the hard body instrumental is uniquely Toronto whilst borrowing sonically from the 140bpm world of Garage and 4×4 that influenced Dubstep and Grime.

When we asked him about his process and journey so far this is what he had to say:

“After the Skepta show I got crazy feedback and it just motivated me. I was conversing with the crew and I simply started saying which man talking greezy, youngins pull up with the tings dem and Ashley started building around it. My background is Jamaican I be speaking patrois all the time to my crew, cracking jokes”

We talked with him about his journey thus far and his input on the Toronto underground.

RESPECT.: Do you have another EP coming out?

We got a lot of stuff coming but the “Don’t Worry” video is definitely the focus; the song was featured on OVO Sound Radio. I’m just creating new material, mentoring artists as we go into preparation for the video. But I got a few projects on deck, instrumental tape and a few collab tapes with fellow members of the crew such as Lyfe Harris.

RESPECT.: The Toronto underground, what do you make of it?

It’s been lit, I mean there are rough times. But I guess that’s a part of the game, got to break the barriers and work with talented people around you but through that I’ve met a lot of amazing artists who I have had a chance to work with, some I haven’t, but I feel blessed that they’ve reached out. I can inspire them and we still connect, that’s what I love.

RESPECT.: How do you move between fashion and music?

Since the 90s fashion has been complimenting music, ever since the times I used to watch electric circus with my mom, it was just about the most stylish people listening to cool music, and me growing up watching the OGs in the hood wearing certain things, or they had a cool hair style that stood out. It stuck to me as I grew and I find from time to time it inspired me to explore even more. People like Pharrell and Kanye were also a big influence to me, they made fashion and music cool. Because of that they set a new standard for a artists such as myself. My music and fashion sense compliment one another. It’s all art to me, and it all just comes naturally.

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