Sikadime's Page

Being dubbed the “Niagara Region’s Godfather of Hip Hop” and Canada’s “Phantom of Hip Hop” is not an easy task but ask Tristan Amison A/K/A SIKADIME about the titles and he humbly says “I don’t like titles, l’m a nobody. I make beats and spit raps.” It all started back in 1995 in Victoria B.C. when Sikadime pressed up his first recorded album. After watching local acts Moka Only and Ishkan, he gained experience and learned from these artists about the indie scene in Victoria. Sikadime distributed his tapes to mom & pop stores around Vancouver Island and around elementary schools. People were impressed by the then 10 year old's skills who quotes Naughty By Nature, House Of Pain, Cypress Hill, Heavy D & The Boyz and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince as early influences. By the time Sikadime was 15, he was in the battle circuit, dropping rhymes at the now legendary Front 54. He also became the front man for two local hip hop groups: Tha Pacolyps & Joker’z Wild. Joker’z Wild did not last long, but Tha Pacolyps strived. In 2003, Tha Pacolyps, now a mc/dj group, signed to The Row Underground (a subsidiary label of Death Row Records). The first single "What Kind Of Man Am I" started to make some noise. But before an album could have been released, the label closed its doors and Sikadime ventured out as a solo artist. Since the release of his highly praised, classic album "Rejuvenated" in 2006, Sikadime has gone on to work with artists such as B-Real, Mellow Man Ace, Dan-e-o and more. At this time Sikadime also become an affiliate member of Toronto's Monolith crew. Sikadime’s track “Strong Hold” featuring his Monolith brethren Dan-e-o & Rishaard was featured on Coast 2 Coast Mixtape Vol. 58 hosted by Lupe Fiasco. 2009 saw more of Sikadime as he went on his provincial promo tour for his new album “Carpe Noctem”, which is to be released by Cypress Hill affiliate label Latin Thug Records. Sikadime is also the current co-host with DJ K-Flip on the once a month radio show "Sound Foundation" from Always Fresh Magazine. He can also be seen as the current host of Project Live's “Hip Hop Nights” at Mikado's in St. Catharines Ontario. Never one to fall back and slack off, Sikadime is the creative force behind "The Backpackin Tour”, which first took place in 2004 with a couple fellow mc’s backpacking through Europe performing at open mics. After 15 years, Sikadime shows no signs of slowing down with 2 more albums in the works: one with producer Ayatollah and one with producer Domingo. He shows us what kind of vision he has to win and an understanding of the true definition of struggle. Sikadime sees himself as more than just a m.c.—he is a part of the new generation of musicians who understand that they have to take their music to the masses via social networking and viral videos. He has created a following on his MySpace page alone. "We have to basically do our own promotion now," says Sikadime. "We gotta do what we can to touch the people." – Tyler TeDesco