I often think about what it means to represent Montreal. In our little Hip Hop corner this is a huge goal. The idea is that via our platforms we can become a voice to represent the city. Another version is that via our clout and relevance we shall put the city on the map.
A lot of the time when I hear the local scene’s music, I don’t feel the Montreal element. The stories told may take place in this city, but I don’t often hear that much music that really speaks for or to our city (at least in English).
There’s definitely a lot of New York in our music though.
What is Montreal?
This may sound like a dumb question, it’s relevant though. Montreal is an island made up of a lot of boroughs, each with its own unique history. Some of those are Montreal proper, some like Cote St. Luc, are not technically part of the City of Montreal. The Greater Montreal Area includes Laval and the South Shore so it adds even more to the equation, but no one here would call Longueuil, Montreal.
Demographically our city is in flux. We grow via immigration at such a rate that pretty much the entire demographic breakdown of Montreal is shifting. 39% of NDG is made up of immigrant population as an example. Only 37% are old school English speakers.
Depending on where you come from in the city you will feel differently about what Montreal is. I imagine growing up in Rosemont was very different from my Cote St. Luc based younger days.
Beyond demographics there are a lot of political and cultural elements that make up Montreal. Bike lane wars and Orange Juleps. Mont Royal crosses and language police. We also have a really fun nightlife.
Everything I said is stuff about Montreal but I don’t think it really captures what Montreal is. You aren’t getting an answer to that in this blog. I don’t know the answer yet.
Montreal is a lot of people
In order to capture the imagination of our city, we need to actually speak for them. That’s my theory at least. When I look around Montreal I see a lot of office workers. Back in the day Montreal was a blue collar experience. It’s pretty white collar these days. That being said some sectors have a way denser population of blue collar workers and others are more office based.
While there are versions of this city where the shit gets really real, most of us live in soft and safe realities. This is not to discredit the suffering of the people who are going through it. There is still poverty and homelessness. Those things may actually get worse over the next few years.
Most people, at a nominal level, are doing well. They can pay their bills and they can live to see another paycheque. They may be paid unfairly in an evil capitalist system where landlords & the government are taking away lease transfer rights, they are still doing pretty good compared to, like, the planet.
A lot of people, 315’000 in 2023 don’t make a “liveable wage”. Montreal has a population of 1.8 Million people. 1 in 6 people not making good money is a problem. That struggle is still not felt by 5 out of 6 people.
When we are looking to connect with the greater population I think we lose sight of who that is. Until I did Uber Driver there were entire neighbourhoods of Montreal I had never been in. This city has a lot of flavours and we often use our limited scope to paint with broad strokes.
This is why market research matters.
One time I curated this playlist:
There are over 300 English Montreal artists on this playlist. I think I’ve heard a good 600 artists in the city now. With everything I’ve heard, it’s still a fraction of the greater music scene at large. In the defence of the lazy, there is not an easy way to find more Montreal artists. That’s why I made that playlist, I may even update it again soon one of these days.
Listening to a lot of music helps you start to craft something that sounds a bit different. For me I can explore subject matter that I don’t hear in music that I would like to hear more of. In order for me to have confidence there is no other “Lose Weight” or “i don’t like pickle chips” I had to consume a butt load of music.
I stopped along the way. One day I’ll get back into music curation. I’m trying to get back on the radio waves so that I force myself to listen to new music again. I want to come back in 2024 with the best music I’ve ever made. Something I feel speaks for the people in my neighbourhood.
To answer questions like how do I rep my city properly, I need to be a part of my city. You’ll see me doing a lot more NDG-centric city politics stuff over the year. I want to understand where I live and who the people are. Beyond the little pockets of life I am exposed to.
It may take me the whole year but I am slowly grinding the gears towards a better understanding of where I live. I encourage you to do the same so we can compare notes and scheme.
I’m going to leave this one with a question, “What does Montreal mean to you?”
Live Long and Prosper Everyone