Quake Matthews hits the Marquee stage

“Tonight is a celebration, ladies and gentlemen, a celebration of one of the city’s finest,” fellow musician and long-time collaborator DJ Kayo told the crowd before Halifax rapper Quake Matthews took the stage at the Marquee Ballroom on Jan. 10.

Quake Matthews began his set by telling the crowd, “Make some noise for yourselves.” 

For an audience of roughly 300, Matthews’ concert celebrated the release of his fourth album, PHANTOM. The project was produced by Grammy-winning producer STREETRUNNER, who has worked with Eminem and Jay-Z. 

The performance also featured a rendition of his collaboration with Ice Cube. Matthews was selected to feature on Ice Cube’s song “It’s My Ego” after winning a contest hosted by the American rapper. The contest invited anyone to submit a verse for the track. 

Basel Sabri, a Halifax-based Palestinian rapper who performs under the stage name BASYL, opened for Matthews. 

“Quake is probably the top dog in all of Halifax,” Sabri said after his set. “He’s been here for a long time.” Sabri has opened for Matthews several times and met him through the Halifax rap community.

“[He] was always showing support from day one,” Sabri said. “The scene here is pretty tight. If you’re good, people will know you.”

Luke Pompa, a longtime fan, found Matthews’ music around 15 years ago through YouTube.

“I like watching him grow,” Pompa said. “I loved his first album, but he was very young. Every album he puts out, I enjoy his new stuff every time.” 

Over the course of the night, Matthews brought BASYL and Kayo back on stage to perform with him.

Matthews’ final song was a tribute to the children of Pat Stay, a Nova Scotian rapper who was murdered in 2022.