Listen to Derek Wise’s Chilling New Track ‘LXVE’

Toronto has quietly served as a hotbed of new musical talent these past few years. But while you may associate the Canadian capital with crooners like The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and, most recently, PARTYNEXTDOOR, you'd do wrong to sleep on T. Dot's MCs. And no, I'm not just talking about Drake.

20-year-old Derek Wise is leading the pack of Toronto's next potential hip-hop breakouts. Opting out of co-signs and collaborations to help him climb the ladder, Wise has let his music speak for itself. Striking a balance between dark, street-orientated wordplay and melodically-pleasing simplicity, his sound is astutely aware of aesthetics. Picture A$AP Rocky without all the weed references.

On the heels of his sharp 'CLAYCO' video, which earned placement on XXL, Nah Right and 2dopeboyz, Wise returns with another sample of his upcoming project, 'Mom's Basement.' Regular producer Cristo Meth cooks up the eery, Mike Jones-sampling backdrop on 'LXVE,' which finds Derek delving further into familiar lyrical territory. His deliberate vocal straining makes things even more sinister.

Derek Wise's recent 'VACAY' LP is available here; 'Mom's Basement' is due out later this summer.