LISTEN TO LATEST SINGLE MESSENGER  FEATURING
ERICK SERMON, SAUKRATES, AND OUTLAW BY NATURE

NEW MUSIC OUT IN DECEMBER

TORONTO, ON – November 11, 2021 – Last month, legendary recording artist, Erick Sermon, of the iconic hip-hop group, EPMD, teamed up with long-time collaborator, the renowned Canadian-Indigenous artist, record producer, engineer, David Strickland, and The NFT Agency, to release an official non-fungible token (NFT) collection celebrating the hip-hop luminary’s esteemed career. On October 20, the  six-piece collection featuring original artwork by Strickland — highlighting moments from Sermon’s career as a member of EPMD, the founder of Def Squad and as a solo artist— saw 291 NFTs sold within 24 hours as a curated drop at Crypto.com/NFT, the global cryptocurrency platform’s NFT marketplace. Erick and David are donating $15K of the net sales to Indian Residential School Survivors Society. 

David says: "I'm beyond happy and grateful that the NFTs sold out so fast and we are able to donate a large sum of money to IRSSS. I learned so much, and must thank Erick, IRSSS, Crypto.com and the NFT Agency for believing in my vision. Thank you to everyone who got one of the NFTs. We are just getting started and have a lot of cool ideas brewing! Stay tuned!" 

“Blessings. It was very dope to see how the NFTs sold out fast and what we can do in this market," Erick Sermon adds. "Thank You to everyone involved and the fans for showing so much love."

"I’m so honored we were able to work with Erick and David," said Crypto.com Executive Vice President and Global Head of NFT Joe Conyers III. "Following Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I’m glad their project can provide support for residential school survivors and their families."

The NFT collaboration is also an initiative to give back, as David is thrilled to support Indian Residential School Survivor's Society (IRSSS) by donating a portion of the sales. IRSSS has over twenty-five years of experience in providing emotional and cultural support to Indian Residential School Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors. IRSSS has offices throughout British Columbia and operates a Canada-wide crisis help line for those in need.

The collection launch aligned with new music releases by both artists. The NFT collection itself was released in promotion of Strickland’s latest single, Messenger, a collaboration with Sermon, Toronto rap veteran, Saukrates, and Outlaw by Nature — a supergroup consisting of Treach from Naughty by Nature and the late Hussein Fatal of the Outlawz, a collective famously founded by Tupac Shakur. Sermon also recently appeared alongside EPMD groupmate, Parrish Smith, and Eminem on Nas’ ode to the iconic group, EPMD 2 — one of the most buzzed-about tracks from the latter’s acclaimed 2021 album, King’s Disease II.
 
A Grammy-winning engineer who has worked on projects by artists including Sermon, EPMD, Drake, Method Man, Redman, Pete Rock and Keith Murray as well as a who’s who of both the Toronto and Indigenous hip-hop communities, Strickland is also an accomplished visual artist who connects with his Mi'kmaq ancestry — as well as his passion for music and hip-hop culture — to create works that have been displayed at major galleries including the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
  
Earlier this year, Strickland won three International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards for his acclaimed 2020 album, Spirit Of Hip Hop. The album brought together artists from various North American hip-hop communities while continuing to champion Indigenous hip-hop artists. Among those featured include Supaman, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Artson, Que Rock, Drezus, Leonard Sumner, Joey Styles, Chippewa Travellers and more alongside hip-hop icons EPMD and Def Squad (Redman, Erick Sermon and Keith Murray) as well as Canadian legends, Saukrates, Maestro Fresh Wes and a posthumous verse from King Reign. 

Stay tuned for more new music on the way from David Strickland in December. 

DOWNLOAD - Photo of David and Erick
 
DOWNLOAD – Press Photo | DOWNLOAD – Messenger Art

About David Strickland
David "Gordo" Strickland is an Indigenous, Toronto born and based award-winning engineer, mixer, producer and DJ. Known for being behind the boards on iconic Hip-Hop and R&B records for over two decades, his work has graced seminal tracks by the likes of Pete Rock, Erick Sermon, EPMD, Keith Murray, Redman and Method Man, to records by ground-breaking Toronto hip-hop acts, including k-os, Ghetto Concept, Jelleestone, Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Choclair and Drake.

David has deep family roots running generations back to the East Coast along Mi'kmaq lines. His latest album, Spirit Of Hip Hop (June 29, 2020, Entertainment One), highlights some of North America's Hip Hop progenitors and innovative Indigenous artists alike to share an embodiment of the teachings, art, traditions, and music of the community, aligned with his Indigenous heritage. Spirit Of Hip Hop (Remixes) arrived on November 20, 2020 as a follow-up featuring fresh takes on the album tracks by Gordo himself, and some of his esteemed colleagues. From control room to canvas, David is also a prolific visual artist that has been featured at many galleries across Canada. 

He continues to be a positive force in music, the arts and an inspiration to First Nations Youth across North America. www.davidstricklandstudios.com

About Crypto.com

About MNRK Music Group
MNRK Music Group is one of the largest independent music companies in the world, with recording, music publishing and management divisions operating in every major music market. MNRK is committed to discovering and guiding leading music creators and talent, and is home to numerous top tier artists, the iconic Death Row Records and the music publishing catalog of Chuck Berry, plus premier music companies Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang. Its catalog across divisions consists of 54,000 music tracks, including multiple GRAMMY winners and platinum selling hits. To learn more visit www.mnrk.com

About Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS)
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) has over twenty-five years of experience in providing emotional and cultural support to Indian Residential School Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors. IRSSS has offices throughout British Columbia and operates a Canada-wide crisis help line for those in need. The organization also assists those impacted by Indian Day Schools, MMIWG, the 60's Scoop, 2SLGBTQ+, Indian Hospitals and Crisis Support.  We also offer educational workshops on the history and impacts of Indian Residential Schools and healing and wellness workshops.
 
More than 150,000 Indigenous children – First Nations, Inuit and Métis – were forced from their homes to attend these neglectful institutions of assimilation and oppression. As a non-profit organization, IRSSS' ability to provide care is truly enhanced by contributions from the community. We are honoured to do this work, to assist in the wellness of those who survived and to remember those who were never made it home. www.irsss.ca