Rellik
What: Hip-Hop/Rap
Where: Edmonton, AB
CM Issue: March – April 2013
Visit: www.thisisrellik.com
Edmonton’s Rellik is a genre-bending hip-hop group fronted by group namesake Billy “Rellik” Leblanc alongside R&B vocalist Andrew Decorby and DJ Sean Joyner. The eclectic project is sometimes joined live onstage by four-piece backing band 3 Days Per Diem.
Mixing live instruments with classic hip-hop turntablism, crew vocals, and inclusive lyrics, Rellik summons the best parts of ‘90s revivalists Jurassic 5 or Talib Kweli, and has performed alongside the latter. The group’s lyrics also highlight the adversity experienced by Leblanc while growing up native in low income housing and going through a custody battle for his two sons; however, Rellik attempts to be inclusive in his music, saying, “While still in touch with our aboriginal roots, I feel the need to write material that all hip-hop listeners can relate to, regardless of their ethnic background or experiences.”
Rellik released their first album, Mighty Mouth, in 2011 as well as a remix of the album in early 2013 with contributing producers from across Canada. Despite having just one album under their collective belt, Rellik has played hundreds of shows in the Edmonton area and abroad. The upcoming release of Cut From a Different Cloth, the band’s sophomore LP due in late spring 2013, should ensure that the number of pins on the map continues to grow.