Synopsis

Rascalz, Checkmate, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, and Thrust bring "Northern Touch" to life as a celebratory Canadian hip-hop showcase. The video combines performance footage, party scenes, neighborhood energy, and quick-cut portraits of the MCs as they trade verses and represent Vancouver and Toronto. The communal atmosphere reinforces the song's message: Canadian rappers are claiming their space, connecting regional scenes, and demanding recognition. Melyssa Ford also appears, adding to the video's late-1990s MuchMusic-era visual identity.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Northern Touch" was recorded in 1997 and released as a single in 1998 after a planned Canadian hip-hop compilation was canceled.

• The track was later added to repressed copies of Rascalz' album "Cash Crop" because of the single's popularity.

• The video helped introduce Melyssa Ford to a wider audience. It was among her earliest notable music-video appearances.

• The video won Best Rap Video at the 1998 MuchMusic Video Awards.

• The song won the 1999 Juno Award for Best Rap Recording. The collaborators also performed it during the televised ceremony, an important moment for Canadian hip-hop.

• "Northern Touch" became one of the first Canadian hip-hop songs to receive major radio exposure in both Canada and the United States, giving the video lasting importance beyond its original television run.

• The production uses a sample from B.T. Express' "Everything Good to You (Ain't Always Good for You)," also heard in other hip-hop releases from the same period.