Candy Coated Killahz

Candy Coated Killahz were a Canadian musical group from Toronto, Ontario, known for their blend of hip-hop, R&B, and electronic styles, a sound that the group termed "Ghettotronic".^[1][2] Hailed by The Globe and Mail as one of the bands responsible for Toronto's emergence as a "music capital",^[3] original group members Tasha Dash and Icon the Anomali released their debut album It Factor in 2008^[2] after becoming a staple in Toronto's Queen West music scene,^[3] and soon came into national visibility in 2009 with their debut single "Playboy". Following the single's success at radio^[4] and its appearance in Tyler Perry's blockbuster movie, I Can Do Bad All By Myself,^{[citation needed]} CCK added DJ Danthrax, the third member, and together the group wrote and produced the second album, Neon Black (released July 2011).^[5] Singles include "Neon Black" (remixed by DJ Green Lantern, Che Vicious, and Bonjay) and "Light Up This City".

Candy Coated Killahz
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Urban, Electro, Ghettotronic
Years active	2007–2011
Labels	MapleMusic Recordings, Hot Steam Records (Independent)
Members	Tasha Dash (Producer, Vocalist) Icon the Anomali (Vocalist) Danthrax (DJ, Co-producer)
Website	candycoatedkillahz.com

Band and history

Band formation

Band members Icon the Anomali and Tasha Dash met while working at a downtown Toronto restaurant in their late teens.^[6] At the time, both were working on solo projects which were put on hold after the two began writing together. With Tasha as producer, the group's sound quickly evolved from street hip hop to a sound the group has termed "Ghettotronic" a blend of hip hop, old school dance, and electronic.^[7][8]

Band members

Tasha Schumann

One of the industry's few female music producers, Tasha Schumann, was the band's producer, co-writer, and front woman. A classically trained pianist, and multi-instrumentalist, she sometimes performs under the stage name "Tasha Dash". Originally from Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, she grew up playing in rock bands and moved to Toronto after high school because of a lack of "opportunities to do hip-hop and electronic" in her hometown.^[9] The German-Jamaican musician often cites groups such as Outkast, TLC, 2Unlimited, and No Doubt as influences for her production style.^[10]

Michael "Icon the Anomali" Akinlabi

Nigerian-born, Michael Ayodeji Akinlabi, is CCK frontman and performs under the stage name Icon the Anomali. Also a comic book creator, and video-game designer, Icon has cited Michael Jackson as a major inspiration.^[7]

Discography

Studio recordings

• Neon Black (2011), MapleMusic Recordings & Hot Steam Records
• It Factor (2008), Hot Steam Records (Independent)
• Bloodsugar: The Mixtape (2007), Hot Steam Records (Independent)

Singles

• "Light Up This City" - Written by T.Schumann, M.Akinlabi, D. Hartrell, Produced by D. Hartrell & T. Schumann
• "Neon Black" - Written by T.Schumann, M. Akinlabi, D. Hartrell, Produced by T. Schumann & D. Hartrell
• "Playboy" - Written by T.Schumann & M. Akinlabi, Produced by T. Schumann

References

1. The KW Record.
2. "Candy Coated Killahz Have Got The It Factor"^[usurped]. Chart Attack, May 6, 2008.
3. Toronto is ‘Electric City' at the Wayback Machine (archived 2009-10-21) The Globe and Mail.
4. Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine Billboard - Canada, Chart: Emerging Canadian Artists, April 3, 2009.
5. Free MP3 Download: Candy Coated Killahz "Neon Black" (Remixes)^{[permanent dead link‍]}, Arjan Writes, June 2011.
6. "New, schoolin’", Montreal Mirror, September 8, 2008.Archived 2008-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
7. "Gettin' "ghetto-tronic" with Candy Coated Killahz?", Sway Magazine, Fall 2008. Archived 2009-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
8. Pound Magazine Archived 2010-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, July 2008, (article in print only).
9. The Record.
10. ^{[dead link‍]}Inside E (cached page). ^{[dead link‍]}