Before They Were Cool – Transit | The Ubiquitous Gentlemen

Alright folks, it has been a long while as you have noticed, but now Before They Were Cool is back with a fresh new coat of paint along with the rest of the website. From now on, instead of reviewing an album and dishing out my opinion of it I figured I would try something a little new. Every week I am going to review a new artist instead of a new album! My goal for this is to try and take a look at some lesser known artists, or even artists that are fairly well known, but I feel deserve a shout out. A very simple change and hopefully I can open you up to a world of new and exciting music!

Artist: Transit
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: Unsigned

Dan Bennet, known by his stage name Transit is a Candian hip hop artist who works out of Calgary, Alberta and originates from Victoria, British Columbia. Here is a little excerpt taken from his bio on Facebook and points out one of the things I love and respect about Transit as an artist:

“In 2010, Transit and long time collaborator Dave Wallace created a video titled “The 8 Hour Challenge.” In the video, Transit and Dave film themselves creating a top 40 pop song from scratch to prove how easy it is to be “radio friendly.” After creating the viral Youtube video, Transit and Dave were approached by KISS star Gene Simmons who was interested in the sound Transit and Dave had created. Rather than pursuing Gene’s invitation to set up a showcase for his record label, Transit decided to stay independent in order to maintain his artistic integrity.”

Those last two words. “Artistic integrity.” They say so much about Transit, he is a true artist. His music breathes those words and his dedication towards music is incredible. This man loves what he does and won’t sacrifice what he believes in for fame and fortune. His lyrics are truthful and powerful and lead a different direction then many other hip hop artists.

Personally, I am not much of a fan of hip hop. Transit has opened my eyes to this genre, making me want to take a deeper look. The first time I heard his music was at a hardcore musical festival in Saskatoon last year called “Mazzfest.” He performed during a break in the day and I was blown away. He carried himself well and put on a helluva show. The interactivity with the crowd was excellent, he felt completely in tune with his audience. By midway through the set I was hopping around with the crowd singing along to the lyrics I caught on to and by the end all I wanted was more.

The music is catchy and full of heart. His songs stick in your head, but unlike some poppy top 40 hit, you want that music to stay there. There is a tasteful amount of lyrical wit, and keep a nice balance between serious and fun.

Two weeks ago (January 3rd, 2013) his latest album “Stale” was released. Last I checked it had reached #4 on the iTunes hip-hop chart #60 on the iTunes chart for all genres and #2 in Canada. Incredible for an unsigned artist, he continues to prove that you don’t need to sell out what you believe in to achieve something great.

Take a look at his facebook and check out his music.