As Drake and Noah “40” Shebibput in work on Views From The 6—the much anticipated fourth studio album by the Boy—it’s hard to imagine that for 40, there was life before OVO. From his surprisingly legit child acting career, to his work in the 2000s-era Toronto rap crew, the Empire, Noah was a busy guy long before he met Aubrey Graham. Now, we can hear some of the producer’s earliest work for the Empire, by way of unearthed copies of Runamuk: The Intro and The Table Of Nonsense, two projects released in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
In a recent Instagram post, 40 showed off a copy of the The Table of Nonsense before he shouted out his co-conspirators in the group with the caption: “these guys taught me how to make records when I was 17.” After reading that, you’re probably going to want to give it a spin, right? Well, one of 40’s former collaborators in the Empire happens to be Adam Bomb — one third of the JUNO winning rap group Naturally Born Strangers — and luckily, the Toronto emcee has kindly preserved both records on Bandcamp for your perusal.
Credited as Mr. Shebib, both albums feature a much different sound than we’re used to hearing from the producer, as he used the tools of the time—samples and drum breaks—to construct a more classic sound with an East Coast flavor. Considering that, there’s a musical cohesiveness to these projects that shows 40 had the touch in his early days. On the intro to The Table Of Nonsense, it’s revealed that the Empire already knew in 2003 what the rest of the world knows in 2015: “Mr. Shebib, the hottest producer this side of Toronto, run the beat and let motherfuckers know...we’re back.”
40 has come a long way, and with Views around the corner, the best is yet to come. Listen to Runamuk: The Intro and The Table Of Nonsense by the Empire below.
