With tens of thousands of albums sold and hundreds of shows rocked, the word of mouth is spreading about Sweatshop Union's style of conscious lyrics, highly musical beats, and high energy live shows that far surpass the average hip hop concert. Campaigning to create awareness for their fourth album Water Street, Sweatshop are embarking on their most extensive phase of touring ever, hitting over 100 cities across North America in just over 4 months.
Sweatshop Union began as a collective of Vancouver-based artists pooling resources to release an album, transforming into a group in the process. The crew, made up of Kyprios, Dirty Circus, Pigeon Hole, and Innocent Bystanders, released their debut album Local 604 in late 2002 via indie label Battle Axe Records. In support of the album, they created three music videos and toured Canada with Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious, as well as then-label mates Swollen Members and Abstract Rude. This was the beginning of a relentless touring schedule that has proven to be a key catalyst to solidifying their growing fan base and maintaining momentum.
‘Natural Progression’, Sweatshop's sophomore album, hit streets in 2004 and cemented their position as a group to be reckoned with. More videos and touring followed; Sweatshop crisscrossed Canada, headlining several tours and also touring as the opening act for the Black Eyed Peas. Critical acclaim grew, and both college and commercial radio gave Sweatshop tracks substantial airtime. Nominations for a Juno Award (the Canadian Grammy), a MuchMusic Video Award, Canadian Radio Music Awards, and more piled up. Recognizing the appeal of Sweatshop Union's music, music supervisors used their music in dozens of films, television shows, and video games, creating even more international awareness.
