A life in music.

Dub J is an accomplished Canadian record producer and songwriter with a career spanning more than 2 decades.

He started out as a hip hop club and mixtape DJ in the 90's while in high school at Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener-Waterloo. During his high school years he would form the label Q It Up Records and release 17 mixtapes debuting the latest hip hop releases combined with freestyles from the cities up and coming artists. He was able to get his hands on releases early while doing his high school co-op at Dr. Disc in Kitchener.

"12 inch singles would come in on Thursdays, I would make my mixtapes in the back of the record shop on Thursday nights after my shift, stay up all night to make copies of the tapes and start selling Friday mornings... a full week before these records would be available to sell to the public. It was the perfect hustle."

Dub would dominate the mixtape market in KW while also pioneering the regions first high school hip hop radio show inside the walls of Cameron Heights. This was at a time when American DJ's like DJ Clue, DJ Drama, DJ Green Lantern, Funkmaster Flex and DJ Whoo Kid were dominating the mixtape market in the U.S. and record labels didn't know what to do about it. Ultimately Dub J stopped making mixtapes to focus on original production when the RCMP confiscated hundreds of his mixtapes from his high school locker. The case was later dropped as there were no grounds to press charges.

Dub began seriously making beats in the mid 90's and quickly made a name for himself in the tri-cities by producing hundreds of songs for local artists.

“ The hip hop scene in Kitchener-Waterloo was sparse at this time. There were only a handful of people doing this. Everyone started out with that boom bap sound but I quickly realized that staying on that path would lead to nowhere. So I started making commercial music and working with artists in bigger markets. The other local producers and artists hated me for this choice as they felt I "sold out". It was the smartest decision I could have made a the time. I owned that lane for many years in KW... I still do.”

There are debates on who was the first producer of the Tri-Cities is. However there is no debate on which producer has been the most influential. Dub is the first producer in the region to collaborate with top Canadian talent on a level that was un-heard of... producing on multiple of Classified's early albums and actively producing for the top Canadian artists in the country at the time such as JD Era , Bishop Brigante , Tara Chase , Eternia , DL Incognito , Dan-e-o , Charisma , D-Sisive , MayOne-9 (Brassmunk) , Latoya & Miranda , Masia One and Moka Only (Swollen Members) to name a few.

Dub was also the first producer in the Tri-Cities to collaborate with top international artists such as Fat Joe , The Game , Bobby V , Elephant Man , KRS ONE , Nutt-So (Outlaw Records) , Mizz Hyde (Cash Money Records) , Above the Law and more!

LOVE 2 HATE VOLUME ONE

Back in 2006, Dub J released the Love 2 Hate Series Volume One album. It was hosted by Toronto heavyweight Bishop Brigante and featured skillful blends and cuts by DJ Flash .

The 66-track project – which came out as a double CD back when manufacturing hard copies was still a no-brainer in the release process – featured dozens of Canadian artists as well as a handful of notable international acts peppered across various well-conceived records.

Dub J brought forth a bunch of collaborations people wanted to see, and even more that they likely didn’t know they wanted but were happy to receive. Bishop and Tara Chase on the remix to Sumeet’s single “Checkmate,” D-Sisive , JD Era and Nifty on “Only One,” JD Era with Mystic & Miranda on the title track “Love 2 Hate,” Sumeet’s “Agony (Remix)” featuring Broadway and Elephant Man , and more.

Love 2 Hate did extremely well in the Canadian market selling more than 10,000 physical copies. After making an impressive promotional push to spread awareness of the album’s release, he dabbled with the idea of releasing a follow-up before ultimately making a decision to step back from music.

“ I got tired of the struggle of life and the uncertainty that came with the music business. I wanted bigger things. I wanted the family, the nice house, the pool. I was always good at web development, so I got in to making apps.”

The Hiatus

From 2006 to 2017 Dub J didn't release a lot of music, however while on the sidelines he was still able to land a National Nike / Footlocker campaign and commercial with longtime friend JD Era (Comeback Season) that featured NHL's PK Subban and NBA's Tristan Thompson while also producing a few other records for JD Era .

The Return

After an 11 year break from professionally releasing music, Dub was ready to come back and work towards releasing a new album. The goal was set in January of 2018 to have a new album released on all streaming platforms before his birthday in August of 2018.

On August 10th, 3 days before his birthday the goal was completed and "Blame Me" was officially released.

Blame Me opens with the Canada’s Godfather of Hip Hop, Maestro Fresh Wes coining the album a “classic” and a “staple in the maple”. Dub J collaborated with Canadian legends, Bishop Brigante on ‘Trust Nobody’, Juno nominee JD Era on ‘Drop Top’ and ‘Big Things’, Platinum recording artist Choclair on ‘No’, and Peter Jackson on ‘Make Believe’. Juno Master Class & Polaris Prize winner Haviah Mighty appears on ‘Slide’ and ‘Never Play’ with Juno winner Kirk Diamond and BET Freestyle Friday Champion Young Stitch .

Blame Me went on to earn more than 5 million streams and earned Dub J a Spotify and Apple Music plaque to commemorate the achievement.

On October 7, 2019 Dub J released a 9 track album with Young Stitch. The album would go on to produce more than 1.5 million streams, secured regular rotation radio play for the single "Think About Me" and also earn the duo plaques of achievement from Spotify.

Built on collaboration

Dub J’s return to releasing music grew into a sustained run of collaborations across Canadian hip-hop and R&B. “Wish I Could” brought JRDN, Maestro Fresh Wes, JD Era, Bizz Loc, Turk, Roney and Jelleestone together to speak out against gun violence in Toronto—a record connecting generations of artists around a shared message.

Paris Richards: a continuing partnership

His partnership with Paris Richards is a central part of that story, spanning Queen of the 6ix (2022), Still Queen of the 6ix (2024) and their expanded editions. Together, they have built a catalogue that connects Richards’ distinctive voice with collaborators including Jully Black, JD Era, JRDN and Maestro Fresh Wes.

From “I Got You” with Jully Black to “Let the Music Play” with JRDN and “The One” with Maestro Fresh Wes, these projects trace a creative partnership developed across years of records. The deluxe editions of Queen of the 6ix in 2022 and Still Queen of the 6ix in 2025 extended that body of work.

The Paris Richards albums

The singles behind the plaques

Queens of the North

Queens of the North / 2026

That work continued with Queens of the North, Dub J’s 2026 album featuring an all-female lineup of vocal artists. Across eleven tracks, it brings together voices including Paris Richards, Michie Mee, LolaBunz, Tara Lord, TAAYLEE G and JellyTooFly, giving each artist room for her own sound and perspective. The project continues his work creating records with women at the forefront of Canadian hip-hop.

The next chapter

His work also reaches beyond rap and R&B through his collaboration with Maestro Fresh Wes on Young Maestro’s Rhyme Travellers – Back to the Time Machine. A 2026 JUNO Award adds another milestone to a career shaped by long-standing creative partnerships, new talent and a willingness to move between different musical worlds.

From the early mixtapes to these latest projects, Kitchener-Waterloo remains home. The story continues in the studio, one record and one collaboration at a time.