Toxic Slime is a rap duo composed of two sneaker heads/rap connoisseurs, R.two and Kris Blade. The group is based in the Vancouver area and have performed in venues like Fortune Sound Club, River Rock Hotel & Casino and various night clubs in Vancity. Now new and improved, Toxic Slime is ready to take it to the next level with the release of their debut album, “Dope Product”.
The group entered the rap scene in 2007 with their debut mixtape, “Poisonous Wayz” which features Toxic Slime in their rawest form. A year later, Kris Blade released his introduction mixtape called “Preem Rock” The Boom Bap Mixtape. With beats exclusively by DJ Premier and Pete Rock, the mixtape caught a lot of buzz and was featured in Glean Magazine’s 2008 fall edition. The mixtape, co-hosted by R.two, features artists such as Cliché, Dagamuffin, Stahz Grandson, Ayex Bathan, Carlo Sayo and Mildred German. “It was a fun process working with all these unique individuals, they made Preem Rock so much better than I expected”, says Kris
In 2009, Toxic Slime teamed up with Cliché to release their third mixtape called “Google This”. The highly circulated mixtape proved that Toxic Slime has evolved in to something new and has recreated a unique modern sound fit for the rap scene in city. Their song “Good Times, Bad Times” caught a lot of attention which eventually led to the group’s first music video.
In the making of Google This, Toxic Slime formed “Toxic Slime Clique” (TSC), a super rap group which includes R.two, Kris Blade, Cliché, Audacious and Dela Dope. Since then, the artists have been working extensively with each other resulting to a whole bunch of mixtapes set to be released this year. TSC’s sound collaboration represents the unity in hip hop by combining mcs, coming from different backgrounds, to create a melting pot rap fusion. Just A Lil Hype, one of the most modern online magazine in Vancouver, featured Toxic Slime Clique in their 10th issue, December of 2009.
You can see a major difference on Toxic Slime’s recent live performances compared to before. Toxic Slime has improved their shows performing their most up-beat songs and making them interactive to the audience. Also, their fashion sense and mentality as artists have been polished-up to prepare them for the next generation of hip hop heads. “I’m loving the new ‘Swag” that we have…It’s unexplainable… you just got to go to the shows to know what I’m talking about”, says R.two.
After three years of hard work and grind, Toxic Slime is in its best form and is ready to make more noise in the rap scene in Vancouver. Kris Blade and R.two have matured as artists dedicated to providing the people with entertaining, informative and interactive songs. With Dope Product on the way, the groups new look and sound will change the definition of Vancouver rap. Follow Kris Blade and R.two as they embark a new journey filled with challenges, adventures and new music to look forward to. Watch as they spread the positive music to hip hop heads around the globe and hopefully do a world tour in the future.
R.TWO
Better known for his stage name R.two (R2), Raff Rivera III (born April 12, 1982 in Manila, Philippines) is a Canadian rapper from Vancouver known for his activist lyrics and incomparable rap flows. At the age of 15, he and his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia where he was exposed to a diverse Vancouver music scene. In high school, he met a young fellow named Kris Blade, who introduced him to the world of hip hop. Now he uses his experiences as a young Filipino-Canadian living in a first-world country to teach his younger audience the lessons, struggles, and unique perspectives of a young man growing up in Vancouver. “As a member of the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance, my activism has influenced the way I write songs. It was this activism that gave me the opportunity to stumble into books that shaped-up my way of thinking. Now I take the stories of my people and share them to my audience through my songs.”, R2. All of this work led to the creation of R.two’s first mixtape entitled “Voice of the People” soon to be available online.
KRIS BLADE
Like the ancient Filipino weapon, Kris Blade (KB) (born December 17, 1983 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines), is as sharp as a kris blade when he delivers his raps. Growing up amidst poverty and hardship, he discovered rap music through listening to Francis Magalona and Andrew E. His music is inspired by Wu Tang, Mobb Deep and the whole east coast rap renaissance in the early 90’s. Influenced by his dad’s record collection, Kris is a hardcore music fan/collector who lives and breathes music in a day to day basis. “I never played any instruments growing up but I always found myself discovering new records to listen to. All those records helped me with the music that I create now. I’ve always had a natural connection with hip hop culture, especially with the visual art of graffiti”, KB. His new work is showcased on his new mixtape project called “I Had to Do It”, to be released November, 2010
