JellyTooFly

Toronto, ON – In just a few years, Toronto emcee JellyTooFly has garnered the respect in the rap scene from both her male and female peers. On the heels of her February mixtape release, Queen, she headlines Rancho Relaxo this Thursday; marking the first time in the city’s history a hip-hop show features an all girl lineup. - HipHopCanada

Over at That New North, JellyTooFly performed a dope set on a whim, captivating not only the crowd but every bit of this footage. - Erin

It’s depressing how hip-hop events can still sometimes remain a boy’s clubs, even in 2015. With all the strides female artists have been making in the genre, most underground rap shows remain handicapped by men dressed in their finest Tumblr, who can rhyme “versace” with “givenchy” over a jacked Soundcloud trap beat.

So it was a breath of fresh air to close out the week-long mishmash of shows known as Canadian Music Week with a rap show whose roster featured exclusively women. Punch Records’ Toronto Meets the Best of U.K. show, hosted by BBC 1Xtra’s monthly resident DJ Melody Kane, began Sunday night at The Drake Hotel and brought a compelling showcase of rising Toronto talent together with representation from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Hometown heroines bizZarh started the night with moody and magical blue hues. Playing instrumentals straight off an iPhone in airplane mode, their performance evoked a DIY aesthetic to the Sunday night affair soundtracked by an infectiously, smooth score. Following biZzarh, Jessie Reyez came armed with an acoustic guitar and band to belt out songs about having to “regulate” when your beau is getting macked on. Her voice—and guitar skills—enveloped the venue, proving that King L always knows what he’s talking about.

The first U.K. act of the night was Cleo, who performed cuts off her recent Beauty for Ashes EP, an emotionally-driven, contemporary R&B project that hints at Internet-friendly future bounce production that translated very well live. Her voice rose higher still, matched with energetic sing-rap sensibilities. Next was local emcee Lola Bunz, dropping her own remix over Zaytoven’s “Versace” beat and bringing a familiar, Toronto rap show feeling of exuberance to the night. Continuing that sentiment was JellyTooFly, a statement-making rapper that just completely obliterated. It’s rare for any rapper nowadays to start off with an acapella freestyle, but she did it hauntingly powerfully.

Then North London’s Lady Lykez energetically stormed on with a complete gear-switch, recalling deeply British grime-rap production while engaging with her super-fans in the front. Running through tracks like “Eurgh” with authority was the highlight of the night, as her style, a mixture of Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes filled the room. Between Lykez’s just plain dope energy, her persuasive empowerment and aura received a big reception from the female-majority audience. Toronto’s Staasia Daniels ended the night with a lively R&B set, complete with a costume change, and a few tracks from collaborator Oshaun. - Eric Zaworski

Toronto rapper Jelly Too Fly opened up for Mobb Deep on Nov.6th at the Guvernment night club.
The group was conducting their Canadian tour and asked Jelly to perform before they went on stage. It was one of Jelly’s biggest performances in Toronto with approximately 1000 people. Fans, friends and family bought tickets to show support for Toronto artists; the concert was sold out. People filled the club and enjoyed themselves as they listened to the nostalgic songs of the popular rap group.
This performance amongst others has gained recognition in Jelly’s career as an underground hip hop artist.
“It felt really good being on stage with Mobb Deep and at the same time it’s just another stepping stone for me”, Jelly said.
It was Jelly’s first time performing with celebrities from North America. It was not her fist time meeting them however.
“I’ve performed at Yonge and Dundas before but that’s completely different in comparison to an environment that’s a bit smaller and more intimate, like a club,” Jelly said. “In a club you hear everything more clearly; you hear boos, you hear the yays. There’s a lot more attention on you.”
Presently Jelly Too Fly is finishing up her mixed tape called Executive Decisions. It will be made available for her audience in the beginning of the year in 2015.
“There are a couple of names on the mix tape that people are going to be surprised to hear,” Jelly said. “I’ve been going through a lot of changes and a lot of different things from when I first started until now and I’ve realized that sometimes in this game you got to make executive decisions to better yourself as an artist.
Fans of Jelly Too Fly can expect to hear seven new songs on the mix tape. With her new style and cutting edge; Jelly is ready to take her music to the next level. You can keep up to date with all of her hits by going to her website at www.jellytoofly.com.
“I remembered to not take in the negative things other people were saying when it came to my music because that will not take me anywhere. As an artist, I’ve learned to work for myself by practising the things that I want to do,” Jelly said.
Stay tuned Toronto for more hits by Jelly Too Fly; Toronto’s underground hip hop artist. - HAWWII GUDETA