Few cities have shaped contemporary music so concretely: Drake and The Weeknd built a globally influential hip-hop and R&B sound rooted here, one defined by moody production, introspective lyrics, and Caribbean-inflected rhythms that producers like Noah "40" Shebib helped refine. That international reach coexists with a live scene dense enough to satisfy almost any genre preference, from the historic stages of Massey Hall, open since 1894, to the intimate nightly sets at The Cameron House or The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Club. Legendary venues carry their own weight too. El Mocambo, where the Rolling Stones recorded a surprise gig in 1977, reopened after renovation in 2020 and remains active. Rush, Broken Social Scene, Metric, and Feist all came out of this city, and newer acts continue emerging from a scene with deep infrastructure and no shortage of places to play.
