Shades of Culture is a Canadian hip hop trio formed in Montreal. The trio was started in 1991 and its members are known as DShade, Revolution, and DJ Storm. They are regarded as one of the pioneers of rap music in Montreal and the province of Quebec. After having won the Big Break competition in 1992, they proceeded to record several demo tapes and arrange multiple Canadian tours with several U.S. and Canadian bands. They opened for Grammy winning artists such as: Eminem & The Roots, also having opened for the likes of: KRS 1, Ice T, Gang Starr, Public Enemy, Rahzel, Onyx, The Beatnuts, NOFX, Ben Harper & Judy Mowatt to name a few. They also toured with Bad Brains, Herbalizer, The Backstreet Boys, Trigger Happy, SNFU, Ten Foot Pole, Lagwagon, and several other popular underground and mainstream acts. The trio finally recorded an EP entitled Paying Rent (1996) and this three song demo also included a video which aired regularly across Canada. Several years later, it was then followed up with the release of: Mindstate (1998). This album included early production from DJ Choice (Zero Tolerance / Dubmatique) & Dave-1 (Chromeo / Obscure Disorder). Following the release of this CD, several 12" singles with artists such as Mr. Len, DJ A-Trak & Dessy DiLauro were also released with a high profile video for "Mindstate". Backed with the support of Muchmusic, MusiquePlus, BET and MTV their video aired regularly. Early in 2016 - Shades of Culture reappeared on DJ Storm's solo project with a new single and video entitled "Hip Hop Sh*t" (included as a bonus on this 12" single). With the success and support from many it then lead to the writing and recording of a couple of new tracks that has now finally turned into this 3 song 12" Single, featuring Sadat X (Brand Nubian), called "Grind Stone". Who knows what the future holds for this trio, but for now here's a little something all boom bap hip hop fans need to hear.