IRS, an initialism for Instinctive Reaction to Struggle, was a

Canadian hip hop The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained l ...

band from

Toronto 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 anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, active in the early 2000s. They are most noted for their 2003 album ''Welcome to Planet IRS'', which received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2004. The group was formed in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

in the late 1990s by rappers Korry "Korry Deez" Downey and Black Cat and producer T.R.A.C.K.S., all of whom had previously been associated with the hip hop crew Monolith."IRS: Welcome To Planet IRS"
'' Exclaim!'', April 1, 2003. They released a number of 7" and 12" singles in their early years, toured as supporting performers for

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the countr ...

(appearing on his hit "

Ol' Time Killin' "Ol' Time Killin'" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall featuring Jully Black, Allistair, IRS, and Wio-K, released in 2001. Produced by Mr. Attic, it was the second single from his second album '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. Backg ...

"), and appeared as featured guest performers on the

Rascalz Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop as well as specifically for the Westcoast scene in Vancouver popularizing the ...

song "Dun Did It", from their 2002 album '' Reloaded''. They signed to

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

in early 2003, and released ''Welcome to Planet IRS'' on that label in 2003. The album's most successful single was "T-Dot Anthem"."Culture Fest set for Milliken Park". ''

Scarborough Mirror Scarborough (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census 629,941) is a district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated atop the Scarborough Bluffs in the eastern part of the city. Its borders are Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Steeles Avenue ( ...

'', August 8, 2003. They did not release any further albums as a group. T.R.A.C.K.S. next collaborated with

Saukrates Karl Amani Wailoo (born March 6, 1978), better known by his stage name Saukrates (; "Socrates"), is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer. He is the co-founder of Capitol Hill Music, and lead singer of the hip-hop/ R&B group Big Black L ...

in the group

Big Black Lincoln Big Black Lincoln was a Canadian rhythm and blues musical group from Toronto, Ontario, active in the mid-2000s.Amanda Parris"From the Weeknd to Big Black Lincoln: R&B for Canada 150" CBC Music, July 4, 2017. Led by rapper Saukrates, the group inc ...

;"Big Black Lincoln Very Necessary"
'' Exclaim!'', January 1, 2006. Korry Deez has released albums as a solo artist, although both T.R.A.C.K.S. and Black Cat have continued to appear on them as collaborators.

References

{{reflist Black Canadian musical groups Canadian hip hop groups Musical groups from Toronto