The Lytics Land Winning Spot in the JUNO Master Class

Acclaimed hip hop outfit The Lytics has landed one of the winning spots in the second edition of the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class, a new and coveted artist development program. The three winners, selected by a JUNO Award-winning ‘Super Jury’, will receive critical tools to develop their careers, build their own sustainable business, and become ‘JUNO ready’ before heading to the 2017 JUNO Awards in Ottawa. Watch the behind-the-scenes action and the winners revealed

The winners will receive an all-inclusive trip to Toronto for an intensive mentorship week next month, hosted by Canada’s Music Incubator at Coalition Music with industry leaders and Canadian artists, culminating with a music industry showcase night at the hmv Underground. Winners will also get a trip to the 2017 JUNO Awards in Ottawa, including a performance slot at JUNOfest and a chance to perform at the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards. The program also awards winners with a $10,000 MuchFACT Online Music Video grant, studio time at Slaight Music Recording Studios, a cash investment in their careers, and more. JUNO TV will be filming the entire experience and producing mini-docs to run on JUNOTV.ca.

Turning heads and getting crowds on their feet has never been a problem for The Lytics. The upbeat Winnipeg-based crew was busy doing exactly that at international market development events around the globe, including Japan, UK, Germany, Poland, and the US, at famed music meccas like SXSW, Reeperbahn Festival, Liverpool Sound City, and The Great Escape, as well as a tour of Germany and appearances at Popsalon Festival, Tallin Music Festival, and the m4music Festival. They've also spent time in New York collaborating with Beastie Boys' Mike D for Converse Rubbert Tracks. The Lytics launched new EP Hold On earlier this year and, along with a host of other performances, will hit SpaceLand 2 in Winnipeg on September 24.

The Super Jury made up of JUNO alumni – including JUNO Award winners Sam Roberts, Arkells' Max Kerman, Lights, Kardinal Offishall, and producer Gavin Brown, along with A&R rep Ali Slaight from Slaight Music, and Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards and MusiCounts – facilitated the second round of judging to select the three winners.

The Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class brings together the two key mandates of CARAS and The JUNO Awards: music education through MusiCounts and the celebration and promotion of excellence through the JUNO Awards. The program aims to foster the growth of Canadian musicians through mentorship, education, skills training, development and deal-making opportunities.

This year's other winners were Halifax's Neon Dreams and and Vancouver's Youngblood.

Manitoba singer/songwriter Slow Leaves was one of the three winners at the inaugural JUNO Master Class in 2016.