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It takes Two Left

Mixing the best of urban music from jazz to hip-hop this duo stays true to their musical upbringing rather than conforming to rap stereotypes. Jamie McLeod tunes in.

On the back of their new album, Kit Weyman, a first-year acting student at the Ryerson Theatre School, is the right half of Two Left.

This Friday, Weyman will release his debut hip-hop album, Put Up the Two, which is a collaboration between him and his cousin Tosh Weyman, also known as Korce who was in Kingston at the time.

Put up the Two features strong reggae, ska, and jazz influences. The first track opens with a saxophone solo performed by Tosh, who also composes all of the beats for the album.

But both Kit and Tosh say that the main focus of their creativity is in their lyrics.

“The lyrics are what really captivate our attention.” Kit says. “The root of Two Left is freestyling.”

They also put a strong emphasis on their bond as cousins and being true to themselves.

“I don’t sell coke on the block, I’ve never held a gun,” Kit says. “If you don’t know about it, you don’t talk about it.”

He said his stage name, Kaynose, refers to when someone who was trying to act tough punched him in the nose, the incident forcefully taught him to be authentic, and true to himself.

Kit and Tosh grew up in Toronto in the Annex only a few blocks away from each other. They would spend time freestyling to instrumental tracks, often with their friend Max Chandler, and they formed the group Original Three, but when Chandler “pulled a Kerouac” and hit the road hitchhiking across Canada, what remained was Kit and Tosh, Two Left.

As an aspiring actor as well, Kit attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, and is now at the Ryerson Theatre School for acting. He says that theatre helps him as a musician.

“Stage presence, to be onstage and own that stage, that’s what acting is all about,” he said.

Tosh represents a more musical side.

“Every song on the album came with a beat first,” he said. “My musical background helps tremendously.”

The first beat he came up with was an eight bar loop of Pachelbel’s Canon over a drum line; the beats on the CD are considerably more complex.

Two Left will perform at the Rivoli for their CD release this Friday, beyond that, they look forward to performing, and working on new material.

“I can’t wait to write new tracks,” Kit said. “We have no intention of stopping.”

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