The Sorority was a Canadian hip hop group founded in

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 ancho ...

, Ontario in 2016. The group originally comprised

Keysha Freshh Keysha Freshh (born June 28, 1993) born Keisha Fanfair, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter. Keysha is one-third of the hip-hop group The Sorority. Early life Keysha was born in Toronto, Ontario to Guyanese parents. Keysha attended high school ...

, Lex Leosis,

Haviah Mighty Haviah Mighty (born December 17, 1992) is a Canadian rapper from Brampton, Ontario. She rose to prominence in 2016 as a member of the hip hop group the Sorority, before releasing several EPs on her own, most notably ''Flower City'', in 2017. He ...

, and pHoenix Pagliacci. They released their debut album, ''Pledge'', in 2018. Pagliacci left the group in early 2019 to focus on her own R&B project,

TRP.P TRP.P (pronounced "trippy") are a Canadian R&B and hip hop duo from Toronto, Ontario. The duo consists of producer Truss and singer-songwriter pHoenix Pagliacci. The duo released their debut EP, titled ''TRP.P'', in 2017 and their debut album, ...

, while the remaining members continued touring. The trio disbanded after their final show on November 24, 2019 to focus on their respective solo careers. In 2019, they were named one of "Canada's Greatest Supergroups" by ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' magazine. They were named one of

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

's "10 new Canadian artists who ruled 2018" and were profiled as one of ''

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 ...

''s next generation of artists breaking through the Toronto hip hop scene.

History

Formation (2016–17)

The group was formed in 2016, after collaborating on a

cypher Cypher is an alternative spelling for cipher. Cypher may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Cypher (French Group), a Goa trance music group * Cypher (band), an Australian instrumental band * Cypher (film), ''Cypher'' (film), a 2002 film * C ...

for

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

in association with the online hip hop music platform Team Backpack. The group's cypher subsequently went

viral Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). Viral may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...

. This was Team Backpack's first all-female cypher. The original members included four Toronto-area rappers:

, Lex Leosis, Haviah Mighty, and pHoenix Pagliacci. Later that year, the group released their first single, "Undun", and were named one of ''NOW'' Magazine's "Toronto Musicians to Watch" in early 2017. For International Women's Day 2017, The Sorority released "Ladies Night", a tribute to

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

's 1997 song " Not Tonight". The video for "Ladies Night" featured an all-female production crew and cast and was deemed a "must see" by '' Complex'' magazine.

''Pledge'' (2018)

The first single, "SRTY", from their debut album was released alongside a video on

International Woman's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wo ...

in 2018, two years after their formation. The song was positively received, with ''Complex'' denoting it an "anthem". A second single, "On Me", was released later that month. Their debut album, titled ''Pledge'', was released on April 13, 2018. The album was premiered on

's First Play Live, coinciding with an interview that was nationally broadcast on the CBC Radio One program ''q''. The album received favourable reviews, and was named one of CBC Music's "favourite Canadian albums of 2018". After the album release, the group was featured in ''

'' and won the Stingray Rising Stars Award—presented by Stingray Music, Women in Music Canada, and Music Ontario—receiving a $2,000 cash prize. The Sorority subsequently embarked on their first North American tour, with dates across Canada and the United States.

Final tour and breakup (2019)

Pagliacci left the group in early 2019 to focus on her own hip hop project called

. The remaining members continued touring, however. Later that year, The Sorority announced a national tour with the Snotty Nose Rez Kids and released a new single called "Switch". With five shows remaining in the tour, the group announced that they would be breaking up once it was completed, in order to focus on their respective solo careers. Their final show took place on November 24, 2019 in Toronto.

Discography

Studio albums * ''Pledge'' (2018) Singles * "Undun" (2017) * "SRTY" (2018) * "On Me" (2018) * "Switch" (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorority, The Canadian hip hop groups Musical groups established in 2016 Musical groups from Toronto Women hip hop groups 2016 establishments in Ontario