Not since the appearance of Pharcyde and Souls of Mischief has a rap crew emerged with such a dynamic combination of lyrical ability, flow and melody. The Lytics joyful sound gives meaning to the words “sick music.” Once they’ve been exposed, listeners can’t help but catch the illness. Listeners find themselves singing their anthems as they walk to work and when they leave for the day. A Lytic cycle – in scientific terms – is the process of viral replication that results in the destruction of the infected cell. With the release of their first full-length album, expect The Lytics to go viral and destroy all expectations for what can be achieved in hip-hop music.

The Lytics have become legends in their hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba for their memorable live shows, addictive melodies and perfect cadence. In their short time on the scene they have shared the stage with artists such as Charlie 2na, K’Naan, Naughty by Nature, Comeback Kid, Cancer Bats, Kid Sister and Buck 65 to name only a few.

The Lytics are a rap crew composed of three brothers: 20-year-old Anthony, 22-year-old Andrew, 29-year-old Alex and their adopted brother 25-year-old Mungala Londe with renowned DJ Lonnie C on the wheels of steel. With recent sold out shows at CMW, West Coast Music Awards and a showcase at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics they’ve developed a reputation for one of the most exciting rap shows in the business. With a sound that combines Pharcyde and De La Soul with the soulful singing of Raphael Saadiq, The Lytics are the next big thing to come out of Canada.

The Story:

A discarded broken microphone was carefully put back together and plugged into an XLR cable. The miracle wasn’t that it worked, but what it would give birth to. Mungala Londe began his relationship, with what would become his family, by hitting on Andrew Sannie’s ex-girlfriend. Instead of fighting, the two high schoolers bonded over their shared love of hip hop.

Andrew’s older brother Alex made beats for rappers all across Winnipeg, and had his own ad hoc studio in his room. When he went out, Mungala, Andrew and Anthony (the youngest Sannie brother), would take over his studio and play rapper. Soon they were making songs over Alex’s beats.

At 17, Mungala had family troubles and moved into the Sannie household. Without a word, Mungala was adopted into the Sannie family. The songs started sounding better and they leaked a few tracks online. The response was huge. They decided it was time to make an album. When the mixes came back they sounded horrible. Their older brother Alex was in the background jotting notes. With each mix, he had more notes, until they had the album just the way they wanted.

The Lytics played their first show at the legendary Pyramid Cabaret and sold out the venue. Afterwards they sold crates of CD’s to a room of friends and new fans. Soon the brothers were playing shows every weekend, at parties and bars all around Winnipeg. The only problem was that none of them could sing. Alex did the choruses on the album and he wasn’t in the group. Slowly that began to change. It started with Alex singing on a few songs at the beginning of their set and after awhile he stopped leaving the stage. As their success grew the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. Alex joined his brothers and became a member of The Lytics.

Now The Lytics, having become hometown heroes in Winnipeg, are being flown out to play in festivals in Greece, when they had rarely left Winnipeg. What began with a broken microphone has become the voice of the next generation of Canadian hip-hop.