53 Black Canadian musicians

Lillian Allen is a Canadian dub poet, reggae musician, writer and Juno Award winner.

Archie Alleyne was a Canadian jazz drummer. Best known as a drummer for influential jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, he was also prominent as a recording artist on his own and with Canadian jazz musicians such as Oliver Jones, Cy McLean and Brian Browne.

Carl Badwa, better known as his stage name B-Kool and today as Don Carlito, is a Canadian rapper.

Darren Barrett is a Canadian jazz musician who won the 1997 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, and is a professor at Berklee College of Music.

Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright, better known by his stage name Big Lean, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Lean began making music in 2008, two years after his friend and rapper Blits was shot dead as he felt that he should carry on his friends legacy. He gained attention in 2011 being featured on the single "Reality" by DJ Charlie Brown released alongside other Toronto artists P. Reign, Belly and Jahvon. He is independently signed to the label Da Degrees.

Matthew Jehu Samuels, known professionally as Boi-1da, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario.

Cory Bowles is a Canadian actor, director and choreographer. He is best known for his portrayal of Cory in the series Trailer Park Boys.

Paul Frappier, better known by his stage name Bad News Brown, was a Montreal-based Canadian entertainer, musician, and hip hop MC of Haitian origin. He was well known for pairing the sound of his chief instrument, the harmonica, with hip-hop beats and rhymes. Frappier started out busking in Montreal, taking his signature sound as a teenager to the streets and subway stations. He later toured and opened for many well-known hip hop acts or as background musician. He also appeared as an impromptu host in Music for a Blue Train, the 2003 documentary about busker musicians in the Montreal Metro subway train system. In 2004, he signed a management deal with E-Stunt Entertainment Group. In 2009, he established his own record label Trilateral Entertainment Inc and released his debut studio album Born 2 Sin. Brown was found murdered in an alley near the Lachine Canal in Montreal on February 11, 2011. Police said "there was evidence of violence at the scene". The long feature film BumRush featuring him in a leading role premiered posthumously on April 1, 2011.

Jeri Brown is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and professor.

Mel Brown was an American-born blues guitarist and singer. He is best remembered for his decade long backing of Bobby Bland, although in his own right, Brown recorded over a dozen albums between 1967 and 2006.

Matthew Raymond Burnett is a Canadian record producer, musical director and manager from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who has worked with a number of major recording artists in various genres from R&B to soul, hip hop and rap. Burnett has produced for the likes of Daniel Caesar, Drake, Eminem, Nas, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Childish Gambino, Ellie Goulding and Snoh Aalegra to name a few. He has also musically directed Daniel Caesar, Charlotte Day Wilson, Jessie Reyez, Willow Smith and Queen Naija and currently manages both Caesar and Wilson alongside longtime music partner, Jordan Evans. Matthew Burnett's work has earned him two Grammy Award nominations and five Juno Award nominations. In 2018 he took home a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for Caesar's debut studio album, Freudian.

Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, better known by his stage name Cadence Weapon, is a Canadian-American rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Pemberton released his first album, Breaking Kayfabe, in 2005 with positive reviews. He subsequently signed with the American record label ANTI-, releasing the albums Afterparty Babies in 2008 and Hope in Dirt City in 2012. In 2009, Cadence Weapon was named Edmonton's Poet Laureate. His first book Magnetic Days was published by Metatron in 2014. Cadence Weapon released a self-titled album in 2018. His fifth studio album, Parallel World, is set for release on April 30, 2021.

Jahmarie Adams, known professionally as Jazz Cartier, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his mixtapes, Marauding in Paradise and Hotel Paranoia.

Jason Quenneville, professionally known as DaHeala, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter managed by SAL&CO. He has produced for artists such as The Weeknd, Halsey, Lil Uzi Vert, and Belly, among others. He was nominated for three Grammy Awards for his production work on The Weeknd's 2015 album, Beauty Behind the Madness. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with producers like Max Martin, Daft Punk, Rick Rubin, and Metro Boomin.

Robert Nathaniel Dett, often known as R. Nathaniel Dett and Nathaniel Dett, was a Canadian-American Black composer, organist, pianist, choral director, and music professor. Born and raised in Canada until the age of 11, he moved to the United States with his family and had most of his professional education and career there. During his lifetime he was a leading Black composer, known for his use of African-American folk songs and spirituals as the basis for choral and piano compositions in the 19th century Romantic style of Classical music.

Alpha Yaya Diallo is a Guinean-born Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter. He incorporates Guinea's rich musical tradition into his original compositions. Diallo has won two Juno Awards, shared a third, and was nominated another three times.

Jay Douglas is a Canadian musician, based in Toronto. He is a long-time member of the Toronto music scene.

Aaryn Élan Doyle is a Canadian actress, singer, rapper, songwriter, dancer, model, and voice actress. She is best known for her role as Lola Scott in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock. In 2008, Aaryn was signed to the Ford Modeling Agency, but is currently represented by IBIS Talent Management. Doyle has represented brand lines such as Diesel and Nike, as seen in Camp Rock red carpet shots. According to media insiders, Aaryn is to embark upon a new Marketing endeavour in business as well as in entertainment in 2015 with a full music media campaign in the works in order to take advantage of Aaryn's vocal talents and songwriting capabilities.

Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur. A prominent figure in popular music, Drake is credited for popularizing the Toronto sound. He first gained recognition by starring in the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2007); pursuing a career in music, he left the series and released his debut mixtape Room for Improvement (2006). He released two additional mixtapes, Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009), before signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment.

Mubarik Gyenne-Adams known professionally as Emay, is a rapper and record producer from Hamilton, Ontario.

Jonathan Whyte Potter-Mäl, known by his stage name Jonathan Emile, is a Jamaican Canadian singer, rapper, record producer and cancer survivor. In October 2015, he released his debut studio album, The Lover/Fighter Document LP, which incorporates elements of hip hop, reggae, jazz, R&B and electro-pop. The independent album features collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Murs, Buckshot and others. His debut reggae album, Spaces-in-Between, was released in January 2020 through his label MindPeaceLove and Tuff Gong.

Rasquiz Alfred Johnson, better known by his stage name, Raz Fresco, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Brampton, Ontario. He is a member of the hip hop collective Bakersclub, with whom he has released four mixtapes. Raz is currently working on his "Magneto Was Right" project that is currently on its fifth issue.

Carl Harvey is a Jamaican born Canadian guitarist and record producer who recorded as a member of Crack of Dawn and The Aggrovators in the 1970s, and later became guitarist for Toots & the Maytals.

Oliver Theophilus Jones, is a Canadian jazz pianist, organist, composer and arranger.

Jason Drew Harrow, better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's "hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country's best hip hop producers, and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip hop.

Louis Kevin Celestin, known professionally as Kaytranada, is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, and original music projects beginning in 2010 under the alias Kaytradamus. By 2013, and under the moniker Kaytranada, he began gaining wider recognition and, the following year, signed a deal with XL Recordings, with whom he would release his critically acclaimed debut studio album 99.9% in 2016. In 2019, he released its follow-up, Bubba, for which he won two Grammy Awards including Best Dance/Electronic Album. Celestin is one half of the hip hop duo The Celestics, along with his brother Lou Phelps.

Al-Hajj Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr, was an African-American/Canadian saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist and composer. He toured internationally with Dizzy Gillespie from 1983 to 1987, appearing alongside Gillespie in the feature films A Night in Havana and A Night in Chicago. He is the only person to perform all saxophone parts consecutively in the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Keinan Abdi Warsame, better known by his stage name K'naan, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He rose to prominence with the success of his single "Wavin' Flag", which was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Besides hip hop, K'naan's sound is influenced by elements of Somali music and world music. He is also involved in various philanthropic initiatives.

Matthew Sean Leon is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is the founder of the IXXI Initiative, formed in 2012 in Toronto. In July 2013, Sean released his debut mixtape Ninelevenne, the Tragedy followed by his second project Narcissus, the Drowning of Ego on January 22, 2014.

Larnell Lewis is a Canadian drummer, composer, producer, and educator. He is most well known for playing drums with the Brooklyn-based jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy.

Lunice Fermin Pierre II, better known by his stage name Lunice, is a Canadian record producer and DJ from Montreal. He is one half of the duo TNGHT along with Hudson Mohawke.

Wesley Williams, better known as Maestro or Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author. One of the earliest Canadian rappers to achieve mainstream success, he is credited as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop". His debut album, Symphony in Effect (1989), was the first certified platinum album by a Black Canadian artist.

Barbara Mamabolo is a Canadian actress and singer.

The Mighty Pope is a Jamaican-Canadian singer.

Haviah Mighty is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. She rose to prominence in 2016 as a member of the hip hop group The Sorority, before releasing several EPs on her own, most notably Flower City, in 2017. Her first album, 13th Floor, was released in 2019, and won the 2019 Polaris Music Prize.

Andy Milne is a Canadian jazz pianist, who records and performs both as a solo artist and as the leader of the ensemble Dapp Theory. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and raised in Kincardine and Toronto. One of ten siblings, he studied music at York University, where he was a student of Oscar Peterson.

Mocky is a Canadian singer, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer.

Big Sugar is a band formed in Toronto in 1988 by Gordie Johnson, who serves as the band's lead singer, lead guitarist and main songwriter. Between 1996 and 2016, Big Sugar was among the top 80 best-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 25 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.

Daniel Denton, better known by his stage name Moka Only, is a Canadian underground hip hop artist. He has won 3 JUNO Awards, 5 MuchMusic Video Awards, and has been nominated for 11 Western Canadian Music Awards.

Leslie Seaforth, better known by his stage name More Or Les, is a Canadian rapper, DJ and producer. He is a founding member of the Canadian hip hop crew Backburner. He currently resides in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario.

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, was a Canadian jazz pianist, virtuoso and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, simply "O.P." by his friends, and informally in the jazz community as "the King of inside swing". He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and received numerous other awards and honours. He is considered one of history's great jazz pianists, and played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years.

Poizunus is a Canadian beatboxer.

Samito is a musician and overall creative whose growing work is entrenched in an unwavering enthusiasm for sounds and all-embracing conversations of the now. Samito is also the founder of Fezihaus, a Montréal-based creative company he started in 2020.

Curtis Santiago is a Canadian dance-rock musician, originally from Sherwood Park, Alberta, now based in Toronto, Ontario. He was previously signed to Finger Lickin' Records.

Shadrach Kabango, better known as Shad or Shad K, is a Canadian alternative hip hop recording artist and broadcaster. He has released six studio albums since 2005. Four of his albums have been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize and he won a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2011. In 2013, CBC Music named Shad the second greatest Canadian rapper of all time. Shad hosted Q on CBC Radio One from 2015 to 2016 and hosts the International Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution on HBO Canada and Netflix.

Floyd Chester Sneed is a Canadian drummer, best known for his work with the band Three Dog Night.

Sheldon Pitt, better known by his stage name Solitair, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is a founding member of the now defunct Black Jays record label and production team. Solitair has been producing hip hop and R&B for nearly 20 years, and has produced for Nina Sky, Glenn Lewis, Cham, Maestro, Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall, Ivana Santilli, Jully Black, Choclair, and Sugar Jones among others.

Tyler Joseph Stewart is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies.

Wesli is the stage name of Wesley Louissaint, a Haitian Canadian musician. He is most noted for winning the Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019 for his album Rapadou Kreyol.

William Andrew White, III, was a Canadian composer and social justice activist, who was the first Black Canadian to run for federal office in Canada.

Wilfred Kanu Jr., professionally known by his stage name Freddy Will, is an American Canadian author, philanthropist and hip-hop recording artist. He is the author of three self-published books published with accompanying hip-hop albums.

Denzel Spencer, better known by his stage name Roy Woods, is a Canadian singer, rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his song "Jealousy". Woods is signed to OVO Sound, the record label co-founded by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, record producer Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib. Woods is also the founder of his own collective, Unlock The Underground.

d’bi.young anitafrika is a Jamaican-Canadian feminist dub poet and activist. Her work includes theatrical performances, four published collections of poetry, twelve plays, and seven albums.