Candy Coated Killahz were a Canadian musical group from

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, known for their blend of hip-hop, R&B, and electronic styles, a sound that the group termed "Ghettotronic".
The KW Record."Candy Coated Killahz Have Got The It Factor"
Chart Attack, May 6, 2008. Hailed by ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' as one of the bands responsible for Toronto's emergence as a "music capital",
The Globe and Mail. original group members Tasha the Amazon, Tasha Dash and Icon the Anomali released their debut album ''It Factor'' in 2008 after becoming a staple in Toronto's Queen West music scene, and soon came into national visibility in 2009 with their debut single "Playboy". Following the single's success at radio and its appearance in

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

's blockbuster movie, '' I Can Do Bad All By Myself'', CCK added DJ Danthrax, the third member, and together the group wrote and produced the second album, ''Neon Black'' (released July 2011). Singles include "Neon Black" (remixed by

DJ Green Lantern James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for S ...

, Che Vicious, and Bonjay) and "Light Up This City".

Band and history

Band formation

Band members Icon the Anomali and Tasha Dash met while working at a downtown Toronto restaurant in their late teens. At the time, both were working on solo projects which were put on hold after the two began writing together. With Tasha as producer, the group's sound quickly evolved from street hip hop to a sound the group has termed "Ghettotronic" a blend of hip hop, old school dance, and electronic."Gettin' "ghetto-tronic" with Candy Coated Killahz?"
''Sway'' Magazine, Fall 2008.

Band members

Tasha Schumann

One of the industry's few female music producers, Tasha Schumann, was the band's producer, co-writer, and front woman. A classically trained pianist, and multi-instrumentalist, she sometimes performs under the stage name "Tasha Dash". Originally from Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, she grew up playing in rock bands and moved to Toronto after high school because of a lack of "opportunities to do hip-hop and electronic" in her hometown. The German-Jamaican musician often cites groups such as Outkast, TLC, 2Unlimited, and No Doubt as influences for her production style.
Inside E (cached page).

Michael "Icon the Anomali" Akinlabi

Nigerian-born, Michael Ayodeji Akinlabi, is CCK frontman and performs under the stage name Icon the Anomali. Also a comic book creator, and video-game designer, Icon has cited Michael Jackson as a major inspiration.

Discography

Studio recordings

* Neon Black (2011), MapleMusic Recordings & Hot Steam Records *It Factor (2008), Hot Steam Records (Independent) *Bloodsugar: The Mixtape (2007), Hot Steam Records (Independent)

Singles

* "Light Up This City" - Written by T.Schumann, M.Akinlabi, D. Hartrell, Produced by D. Hartrell & T. Schumann * "Neon Black" - Written by T.Schumann, M. Akinlabi, D. Hartrell, Produced by T. Schumann & D. Hartrell * "Playboy" - Written by T.Schumann & M. Akinlabi, Produced by T. Schumann

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Candy Coated Killahz Black Canadian musical groups Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups from Toronto Canadian electronic music groups 2007 establishments in Ontario