It’s all Something Good

Markit and Boy-ill are close. They’ve been friends for over a
dozen years, following each other throughout HRM’s schools, basketball
teams and later forming the hip-hop group Fax 4 with fellow MCs Spesh K
and Quake, as well as being roommates. Their latest collaboration,
Something Good, sees them working more closely together despite the
fact that they’re separated by geography (Markit attends university in
Montreal). Just Add Water, the group’s debut album, is some of
the best work the pair has done.

The group has gone from a simple set-up—two MCs with a DJ, Y-Rush,
and a producer, Focus Aside—to including live musicians Oliver Cluett
and Alex Meade. The new members joined for a tour in Ontario, including
the Stewart Park Festival in Perth. According to Boy-ill, “We thought
that just going up with a DJ and two rappers might be too much for that
crowd—sit-down afternoon—so we decided we needed to get some
instruments.” “It’s way more of a dynamic experience for the audience
as opposed to just having the music come through the system,” says
Markit. “When you can see people actually playing it, it’s much more
enjoyable.”

Something Good, w/DJ Zack Shave, QuakeSaturday, August 22,10pm, Coconut Grove, 1567 Grafton Street, $8

This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2009.