Toronto hip-hop/electro phenomenon Don Cash is greeting the new decade in style, as his critically acclaimed 2009 LP “Freshy Fresh” is being
remastered and rereleased (with several brand new songs) in March 2010
by Urbnet Records, the pre-eminent independent Canadian rap label.

“I’m really excited about this partnership with Urbnet,” Cash says
from his apartment in the Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale. “I’ve
traveled around the world and had records released in Europe and Asia
but this is the first time I’ll have a proper LP release in North
America. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time and I think it
will be the beginning of big things for me.”

Cash, who initially gained international notoriety by releasing CD-Rs
on his private Stereoeagle label, says he hopes the new deal with
Urbnet will allow his records to be played on Canadian radio stations
and his videos shown on the country’s TV networks.

“I started out underground, and that’s still a big part of who I am,”
Cash says. “But even when I was putting out CD-Rs, I met people in the
industry who felt that my music had huge pop potential. Naturally, as
an artist, I was initially suspicious, but as I improved as a producer
and a songwriter, I realized that in order to reach my ultimate goals,
I would at least have to make the attempt to succeed within the music
industry.

“It took a bit of time to find the right situation and last year’s
credit crisis didn’t help, as several deals fell through because the
companies I was talking with either lost their backing or couldn’t get
loans. However, once Urbnet reached out to me, I realized this was an
opportunity I couldn’t afford to pass up. They’re licensing the record
from Stereoeagle, so not too much is going to change on my end. The
only real difference will be the vastly improved sound quality and the
fact you’ll finally be able to buy my records in stores across
Canada.”

Following on the heels of the international success of Toronto MCs
Drake, Isis (of Thunderheist), Knaan, and K-oS, Cash is bullish on his
prospects for the year ahead. Still he has one particular goal in mind
above all others. With the increased visibility provided by Urbnet’s
nationwide promotional muscle, Cash is planning on a tour of Canada in
2010.

“I’m a Canadian and it’s important for me that people understand that
I make Canadian music,” Cash says. “Don Cash II (the 2007 blockbuster
that propelled Cash’s star in Europe) was released on a Berlin label,
but it was written and recorded in two months in an apartment in Mile
End in Montreal.

“Just last year I got the chance to play in Vancouver for the first
time and I was shocked at how many people knew about me and my music
out west, considering the fact that my records weren’t out there. Van
City is awesome! I’ve got standing offers to play in a bunch of
Canadian cities, so I’m hoping it all comes together and we’ll make it
happen this year.”

2010 marks the start of a new decade, a time of endings and
beginnings. For Don Cash, he hopes the year will mark the beginning of
a fresh new phase in his wonderfully prolific and eclectic career.

“I’ve been so lucky in my life” Cash says. “It seems like I’m always
at the right place at the right time. The last six months in Toronto
have been the best ever. Every show is more electric that the last
one. Things really seem to be opening up for me in Canada and I’m so
happy about it because it’s a real vote of confidence in my life and
work.

“I mean, just getting a record release anywhere is an achievement and
I’ll always love Europe for giving me the push I needed to get into
the mainstream. Still, I’m totally looking forward to the day when my
record comes out and my friends and family can say, ‘hey I saw your
record in the shop today’ or ‘I heard your new one on the radio today
and it rocks.’”