Protest
Brampton born, Toronto based Haviah Mighty is indisputably one of the hardest rappers out of Canada.
Mighty is both her real name and her energy: since making history as the first Black woman and first hip-hop artist to win Canada’s prestigious Polaris Prize for her 2019 album ‘13th Floor’, Haviah has doubled down on her steady rise and defiant fight against apathy. With a strong start as a member of rap collective The Sorority in an exploding Toronto rap scene and a talented family including sister, singer Omega Mighty and brother, producer Mighty Prynce, Haviah has piled on the accolades for her unstoppable live act, including her acclaimed freestyle on Sway in the Morning and shoutout as “one of the most exciting new rappers out there” by BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders. ‘Protest’, featuring South London’s Yizzy arrives at the crest of a wave of five singles from her upcoming mixtape ‘Stock Exchange’, dropping this fall.
’Protest’ was written during the boiling point of the 2020 protests, inspired by Haviah’s experience marching and the subsequent misconstrual of protesting in the media. Arriving just after the one-year anniversary of the death of Regis Korchinsky-Paquet, the Toronto woman killed during a mental wellness check by police just two days after the death of George Floyd, ‘Protest’ serves as a reminder that the movement that galvanized protesters a year ago is far from over. A cinematic ride that veers through highs and lows, Young Dreadz’ drill-inspired production on ‘Protest’ showcases Haviah’s range from dark, hard-spat bars to stripped back beat poetry to sung verses.
The visuals, directed by Kit Weyman and Chris Lowe and executive produced by Taj Critchlow and Director X, feature Haviah in symbolic high style: a Black Panther inspired leather fit with BLM lapel pins; surrounded by dancers in Cloré Beauty; and sporting a t-shirt with a target design. The video adds layers to Haviah’s searing callout of Canada’s history of oppression, pairing the lyric “started in the 60s with the ‘Scotians” with a visual of a track runner wearing a shirt representing ‘Africville,’ a segregated community razed by the government in the 1960s. Haviah purposefully worked with Yizzy on the track to add his unique perspective and to highlight commonalities and differences between the UK and Canada, underscored by a dynamic change in production and samples unique to his verse.
The track is a stylistic journey, but all ups and downs lead back to Haviah’s core message: “better see the mandem at the protest.”