The Toronto rap scene extends deep beyond Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR, and at the vanguard of its late-2010s wave was Bvlly. Born Jahquar Stewart in 1995 in Toronto, Bvlly absorbed a blend of genres alongside the music of local rappers like Thorobread. He didn’t start rapping until 2018, after several months on house arrest inspired him to pick up the pen. One of his first songs, “No Light Bag,” was a local smash, and he parlayed its success into his 2019 debut album, Made in Austria. A melodic spitter who could spin street realities in simple, yet vivid writing, Bvlly amassed a following with hits like the pensive “Ready For War.” Unfortunately, he never reaped the rewards of his wins—on Christmas Eve 2019, at the age of 24, Bvlly was killed in a shooting in the Oshawa suburb. His music, which speaks to the cold, violent truths of Toronto, is forever frozen by this tragedy.