A rapper-producer whose beats connected Toronto hip hop to Wu-Tang Clan
Saukrates
Saukrates built a dual reputation as both a rapper and a producer in Toronto's 1990s hip hop scene, working with members of the Wu-Tang Clan and helping raise the technical bar for Canadian hip hop production.
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Saukrates, born Amani Wailoo, built a dual career in Toronto's hip hop scene through the 1990s as both a rapper and a producer, a combination that gave him influence on the sound of the city's hip hop beyond his own recorded output. His technical production work helped raise the bar for what Toronto hip hop could sound like at a time when the scene was still working to build the same level of polish major American labels expected.
A connection to Wu-Tang
Saukrates developed a notable working relationship with members of the influential New York hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, collaborating with rapper Killarmy and other Wu-affiliated artists, a connection that gave a Toronto artist real credibility within one of American hip hop's most respected extended crews. That relationship, combined with his own catalogue as a rapper, made Saukrates one of the more musically respected figures within Toronto's formative hip hop generation, even without achieving the same mainstream commercial breakthrough as some of his contemporaries.
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