John River w/Keys N Krates, Grandtheft, Okay TK Friday, October 21, 11pm The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street $15
John River was born and raised and still lives in Mississauga, Ontario, a place he speaks of with the love and fervour his GTA neighbour Drake is known for showing Toronto (“If Drizzy is the poppa of Toronto then I’m the baby,” River raps on the viral hit “Hope City II”). Born Matthew Johnathan Derrick-Huie, he released his first mixtape, The Calm, at 17 and his second, The Storm, last year. (He’s all of 21 now.) He’s currently cultivating an early-Weeknd-like mystique, avoiding most press; his Twitter account is locked up with the bio “saved for if John river ever wants it back.” See for yourself, then.
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2016.