Hope Springs Eternia

It's perhaps telling that almost every write-up I see on Eternia invariably plays up the fact that the Toronto rapper is white and female. That's disingenuous at best. I guess its too tempting for some to automatically assume that she's a novelty act or can't possibly be any good. But her latest album, It's Called Life, manages to call bullsh-t on both theories.

Backed by some stellar production from local cats (Tone Mason, Rude, Collizhun), Eternia's album delivers the goods. But will Toronto headz show her some local love and pick it up?

As I'm wont to do with spanking new Canadian product, I was very skeptical. Well, not so much skeptical but mondo critical. Eternia has dropped some underground singles, collabos and the odd VideoFact video here and there but this is her first full length (15 tracks) "debut." And while one is tempted to dismiss Eternia's husky New York-influenced rap style as over-the-top, upon closer inspection (her deeply personal lyrics, her effortless flow and her passionate wordplay) you can tell that she's
for real. "Not bad," I found myself saying while moving from track to track.

"I write life music," she says in her bio, and I'm inclined to agree. Underlying themes running through this project deal with relationships, hardships, family and finding the inspiration to stay in the hip-hop game. Check out joints like Truth, Family and Understand (If I) for proof.

If her profile on myspace is accurate, it appears that Eternia has left the T-Dot for parts unknown (States?). If that's true, then it's a damn shame. It's tough being an artist in Toronto, regardless of genre, race or gender.

"This time I'm gone for good," she writes. "Perhaps. Maybe I'll come runnin' home before you have a chance to wonder, "where u goin?"

We can only hope.

photo: Che Kothart for Schemata Media