Nathan Shelby is an emcee, producer and drummer based in Saanich British Columbia Canada. His background started in sound reproduction as a teen, experimenting with electronic music production as a means to build better sound systems. Hip hop has always been his favorite genre, and Nathan started participating in the local “Outright Cypher”. This was a proving ground for new and touring hip hop artists alike where rappers would hone their craft with freestyle sessions in the park.
In his early 20 he picked up a drum kit from a garage sale and started putting his passion to work in his first musical project, which led to self-recording his band to tapes soon after. After 4 years of playing venues and festivals in the local scene, his home recording took a leap forward with a weekly studio session at the Hidden Gem Studio, the Victoria Ska and Reggae Society’s HQ. With 8 years of practical songwriting, performance, recording and production experience since, he’s studied artists and producers past and present across genres to curate his musical taste and production style.
With the support of the Victoria Conservatory of Music, he plans to break down and share the lesser understood mechanics of Rap flow in a musical context, and teach hip hop-based composition, recording and production techniques. As a complement to theory, he aims to put emcees, musicians and producers in a collaborative environment to learn from each other while tapping into the spirit behind why people play and listen to music.