Music

This Toronto a capella singer went viral crushing a Busta Rhymes rap

by Richard Howard

Back in 2011, Busta Rhymes stole the show on Chris Brown’s song “Look At  Me Now”, going even more beast mode than usual by speed rapping at the kind of pace that makes one wonder: “Have scientists secretly invented sentient rapping robots, and is Busta Rhymes one of them?”

Presumably in order to calm fears of the rise of Skynet, amateur MCs everywhere began posting videos of themselves covering Busta’s verse. Four years later, though, an impromptu performance of the song is eclipsing all the rest – and it’s not by an aspiring rapper, but a Toronto-based a cappella singer.

Stacey Kay is a member of the popular Toronto a capella group Eh440. Incorporating a beatboxer and a rhythmic bass singer to back up their three powerhouse singers, the group has been blowing minds with a sound that often has people thinking they’re listening to an instrumentally-backed track.

What may turn out to be their big break, however, randomly happened at a Walgreens drug store in Charleston, South Carolina.

The band was in town for the Southeast Festival and Events Association (SFEA) showcase, and Kay decided to stop in at the store to pick up some beauty supplies. She told CTV news that on meeting the store’s enthusiastic staff and informing them she was a singer, they begged her to perform for them.

Not wanting to half-ass it, Kay left, dragged beatboxer Luke Stapleton out of bed, and returned to absolutely murder the near-impossible verse. Posting the video as simply another fun experience, the band was shocked when it quickly went viral on Facebook. Their next step? Apparently they’ve been paying attention to the viral video game, because they’re pushing for YouTube glory as well in order to meet the Godmother of Internet hitmakers.

Check out a video of their original song “Died on The Table” featuring some Busta-inspired rapping by Kay (listen closely and you’ll realize this is entirely a cappella as well).