Charlevoix-based rapper Slim Tony unveiled his sophomore EP, Dame de cœur, on November 1st. Following his debut EP Produit du Terroir and 2023 album Young Gun, Slim Tony, born Antoine Lévesque, dives deep into heartbreak with five tracks crafted around 90s-inspired boom bap beats.
Québec hip hop has been central to Slim Tony’s journey, reconnecting him with his roots while living in the U.S. A pivotal moment came in 2016 when he attended his first Quebec rap show featuring Koriass—a full-circle experience as he later opened for Koriass in La Malbaie. Drawing influence from legends like Nas, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., and Quebec icons Loud and Manu Militari, Slim Tony continues to carve his own path.
Collaborating with industry talents like Marius Larue and Pierre-Luc Darveau, Dame de cœur represents his growth as an artist. Slim Tony’s heartfelt lyrics and nostalgic soundscapes are sure to resonate, solidifying his place in Quebec’s hip-hop scene. Let’s explore the inspirations and stories behind his latest release.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m a rapper from Québec City, originally from Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town where I grew up as Antoine Lévesque. I started releasing music in 2021, but I have been involved in hip-hop culture for a while. I listened to a lot of U.S. rap growing up (NAS, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Eminem, Jay Z, A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$) before even listening to French rap. I got into it later on when I studied in the U.S. from 2015 to 2019. It was a way for me to stay connected to my native language as I was speaking in English more regularly. That’s when I started listening to Koriass, LLA, Rymz, Manu Militari, Connaisseur Ticaso, Imposs, Dead Obies and many more. I got into freestyles with some of my classmates and started writing in my spare time, eventually writing on beats and recording songs.
My first-ever demos were made during COVID-19 on 2001 instrumentals from Dr. Dre, the first-ever one being a remix of What’s The Difference (good thing it’s no longer on streaming platforms anymore lol). Still, I got good feedback from showing my songs to a few of my buddies and that’s all I needed to take the leap and release my own original songs.
Since then, I have released a little more than 20 songs over Produit du terroir (EP – 2021), Young Gun (Album – 2023), and Dame de coeur (EP – 2024) which is about to come out. I performed live more than 20 times in renowned music festivals such as Le Festif! de Baie-Saint-Paul, Santa Teresa, St-Roch XP, Le Phoque OFF, and opened for some of my role models such as Koriass, D-Track, and Sensei H.
I’m a boom bap & old school head and my music is greatly influenced by it. I like to see my art as authentic and passionate. I’m a solid performer and consider live shows to be the greatest strength of my craft. I take pride in rapping all of my lyrics without playback (S/O to all the real MCs out there!).
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Dame de coeur, which directly translates to Queen of Hearts, was inspired by a heartbreak story. Very unique right? But all jokes aside, this EP is by far my best work so far, realest s*&? I ever wrote. As I am writing these lines, I already moved on from the relationship I am referring to in the project, but it was a therapeutic experience for me to express myself through the creation of the EP and a way to close this chapter of my life. The reference to the Queen of Hearts in the project refers to the good and the bad coming from a relationship. It can either be a favorable outcome, a happy old age story, or a disappointment, an emotional failure. It just made sense with what I was trying to express through my lyrics, and the title came even before the start of the creation process. The five songs were entirely recorded and produced by Marius Larue (credits for Hubert Lenoir, Jérôme 50, LOU FRE$H). He completely understood the vision I had in mind and was able to deliver the punchy and hard-hitting boom bap instrumentals better than I could imagine. I was also blessed to have Sensei H on Au pied de la lettre, a collaboration I wanted to see come to life for a long time. I met Sensei H (Sirine Hassani) in a Hip Hop writing workshop she gave in 2022. Needless to say, it was a blessing to go bar for bar with her in one of my songs two years later. Au pied de la lettre (ft. Sensei H) is also my favorite track of the project.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
I think it is important to know I work full-time while pursuing my music dreams, the Spotify royalties don’t cover rent yet! So it is often a question of being efficient while going in the studio. I often write on instrumentals sent by producers (S/O L’effet & Snoro) and go to the studio to record lyrics I already wrote beforehand. I wanted to do things differently with Dame de coeur. The music was entirely created from A to Z in the studio with Marius Larue. I wanted an organic creative process where we could communicate and let the inspiration come in real-time. This songwriting process worked really well for Dame de coeur. Otherwise, my best lyrics often come at the most random times while I’m in the car, at the grocery store, or walking in the street. I write whenever the inspiration hits and try to gather and better structure my thoughts sitting down with an instrumental on loop.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I already have two awesome music videos to support the singles leading up to the release of the full EP. Hey Girl directed by Christophe Vigneault has great visuals to go with the catchy hook and summer vibes of the song while Au pied de la lettre directed by Noah Ndorisiyoni perfectly captures the boom bap identity of the collaboration with Sensei H.Hey Girl pied de la lettre (ft. Sensei H) : will also be performing Dame de coeur in Quebec City at Grand Théâtre de Québec on January 30th, 2025 in what will be my two biggest live performances so far. I will perform with a band for the first time, bringing my live performances to a new level.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
The highlight of my career so far was opening for my idol Koriass in September of 2023. It was definitely the biggest crowd I performed for in my career while being able to do it in front of friends and family. The first ever rap Quebec show I attended was his performance at Le Festif! de Baie-Saint-Paul in 2016. My style has been highly influenced by him and his music has been in my life during the good and the bad times. Having the opportunity to open for him 7 years later was a full-circle moment for me.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I would not say he is upcoming because he is already making a lot of noise right now, but he deserves to be discovered by more people: Lova. He’s proof the Quebec City rap scene is healthy and has nothing to envy the Montreal scene. A mixture of catchy hooks, hard punchlines ,and unique flows. He is the next big thing in my opinion.