THE ARTIST
1998: SILVER SURFER
This self-produced classic was Solitair’s debut as a solo artist and introduction to Toronto’s burgeoning Hip Hop scene.
1999: ICE COLD
At the age of 23, Solitair made his mainstream musical debut on Choclair’s first major label album, ‘Ice Cold’, producing 4 songs and featured on several others. The album went Gold (50,000 units sold) in less than 30 days.
2001: BAKARDI SLANG and EASY TO SLIP
Though he saw great success in his previous releases, Solitair’s breakout came in 2001 when he released two iconic Canadian Hip Hop songs:
‘Bakardi Slang’ by Kardinal Offishall - produced by Solitair with his unique style combining island music sensibilities with Hip Hop’s gritty urban soundscape
‘Easy to Slip’ by Solitair - a song he wrote as an ode to fallen friends, which continues to be hailed as one of Canada’s greatest Hip Hop songs and received a Juno nomination for Best Rap Recording.
**See also this music video for ‘Easy to Slip’.
2001-2002: BABY BLUE SOUND CREW
As a producer, Solitair has collaborated on projects with many of Canada’s elite artists, as well as artists from around the world.
In 2000 and 2001, Solitair’s production and songwriting were featured on Baby Blue Soundcrew’s DJ albums, ‘Private Party Vol. 1 & 2’. This included two singles that went on to receive Juno nominations for Best R&B/Soul Recording:
‘Only be in Love’ by Glenn Lewis
‘The Day Before’ by Jully Black
2002-2003: PRODUCTION & SONGWRITING
Solitair came into prominence as a highly sought after producer through his work on albums by a number of Canadian heavyweights, including:
‘Memoirs of Blake Savage’ and ‘Flagrant’ by Choclair
‘Firestarter Vol. 1’ by Kardinal Offishall
‘This Is Me’ by Jully Black
‘Joyful Rebellion’ by k-os
‘Ever Since’ by Maestro Fresh Wes’
‘Brown’ by Ivana Santilli
‘Reloaded’ by The Rascalz
He was also solicited to produce the Canadian remix for the single ‘Dy-na-mi-tee’ by UK artist Ms. Dynamite, featuring Kardinal Offishall.
Music video for ‘Streets on Fire’ by legendary director, RT!. Click the image to view.
2002: LISTEN (single)
2004:
RETURN OF THE SILVER SURFER (full-length mixtape/album)
STREETS ON FIRE (single)
JET SETTING
In the few spare moments between working on projects with Cipha Sounds in NYC and on his own material in Toronto, Solitair travelled around the globe with Kardinal Offishall to perform as part of his world renowned live stage show. The two have been performing together since high school, which explains their impeccable stage chemistry, energy, and crowd communication.
2010: COME TRUE
After taking a hiatus from releasing new material, he returned in 2010 with a bold new musical direction, crafting the pop-influenced, alternative smash ‘Come True’, which once again paired him with Kardinal as the featured mc. The song instantly reminded listeners of his diverse abilities as a producer and songwriter. The song was nominated for a Juno award for Best R&B/Soul recording of the year, a nod that placed him in the rare company of artists who’ve been nominated for Juno awards in more than one music genre.
2014: 4Sound Media Group
As a natural extension to Solitair’s musical path, in 2014 he and three other producers partnered up to purchase the recording studio, 4Sound Media. Since taking the reins, he’s been recording, mixing, mentoring, and collaborating with many of Hip Hop's most talented emerging artists, and continues to work on adding more great songs to his musical legacy.
