Project Wyze was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
rap metal
Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables.
History Origins and earl ...
band active from 1996 before breaking up in 2003 to pursue their side-project
Dead Celebrity Status
Dead Celebrity Status is a Canadian rap rock group originating in Sudbury, Ontario. Rappers Yas Taalat and Bobby McIntosh, both former members of the nu metal band Project Wyze, teamed up with onetime DMC World Champion DJ Dopey to form Dea ...
.
History
Emcees
Yas Taalat and
Bobby McIntosh started out as a
hip hop duo under the name of Project Wyze in 1988 when they were teenagers in
Sudbury,
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 ...
.
[Much Music Dead Celebrity Status
] While attending high school, Project Wyze established a reputable image in the underground hip-hop scene by opening for acts such as
Dream Warriors,
Maestro Fresh Wes
Wesley "Wes" Williams (born March 31, 1968) is a Canadians, Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes (formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes) or Maestro as a musician, and is cred ...
and
Michie Mee
Michelle McCullock (born November 1, 1970), better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actress. Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.
Early life and career
McCullock was born i ...
.
[Sweets Lyrics
] They were also one of the first Canadian groups to open for the
American hip-hop group,
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
.
[
The pair subsequently moved to ]London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
after high school. In 1995, Yas and Bobby were invited to perform with a punk rock band.[Much Music Project Wyze]
The two groups decided to merge. The hip-hop group Project Wyze evolved into a rap rock band including members Adam Arsenault (guitar), and Tye Thomas (bass). The band started writing new music and they released their first EP, '' Trapz of Poetic Poison'', on an indie label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
in 1996.[ Project Wyze toured the United States in 1998, performing with artists like Papa Roach and the Step Kings.][
After the success of the first EP, the band enlisted the talents of Sasha Kosovic (guitar), Brad Dean (drums) and Elie Abdelnour (bass) to round out the line-up. In 2000, with the new band established, Project Wyze released a longer sophomore EP, ''Only If I Knew''.][ Growing record sales and an expanding fan base grabbed the attention of major labels.][ They subsequently signed to ]Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
and released their major label debut, '' Misfits.strangers.liars.friends'', in 2001. That album spawned the Canadian hit singles "Nothing's What it Seems" and "Room to Breathe". Their major label debut, '' misfits.strangers.liars.friends'', was released in 2001.[ That year the band performed at Edgefest II in Toronto.][. ''Chart Attack'', August 27, 2001. Review By Keith Carman]
After internal conflicts, members of the band started to disband. Yas and Bobby formed Dead Celebrity Status
Dead Celebrity Status is a Canadian rap rock group originating in Sudbury, Ontario. Rappers Yas Taalat and Bobby McIntosh, both former members of the nu metal band Project Wyze, teamed up with onetime DMC World Champion DJ Dopey to form Dea ...
as a side project. It later became a main project in which both of the vocalists devote their time to.
Discography
* '' Trapz of Poetic Poison – EP'' (1996)
* ''Only If I Knew'' (1999)
* '' misfits.strangers.liars.friends'' (2001)
References
External links
Project Wyze at MuchMusic.com
Project Wyze at Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Project Wyze
Musical groups established in 1988
Musical groups disestablished in 2003
Musical groups from Greater Sudbury
Canadian hip hop groups
Canadian rap rock groups
Rap metal musical groups
1988 establishments in Ontario
2003 disestablishments in Ontario
Canadian nu metal musical groups