"One of Calgary’s most exciting young artists, Jahimba Hutson single-handedly puts to rest the tired and entirely ridiculous notion that the city has no hip-hop scene, or no good hip-hop scene"
Mike Bell –Calgary Herald
Jahimba Hutson a.k.a. A.Y.E. was born into a musical family, getting an early start on stage performing with his father’s rasta reggae band Strugglah as keyboardist & emcee, while in junior high. The band shared the stage with such luminaries as the Wailers, Burning Spear and Jimmy Cliff. A young A.Y.E. watched carefully, listening and learning first-hand from Strugglah.
A.Y.E. was born in Calgary, and raised in Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary exposing him to eclectic musical influences including Bob Marley, Nas, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Supercat, Common, Jay-Z, Tribe Called Quest, Kardinal Official, Steel Pulse, Lincoln Park, Agustus Pablo, Sly & Robbie, and Jacob Miller, to mention but a few.
At 16, A.Y.E. co-founded Hutson Fam Music Group with his brother and sister, and eventually set out on his own to pursue his own craft and set himself apart in the hip-hop/urban scene locally. Upon releasing his first EP “Goodbye” in 2012 he was quickly identified by national publications and bloggers as one of Western Canada’s young emerging talents. In 2014, he released his first self-produced full length “90 Now” which was a nod to the hip-hop that first influenced him. The album announced him as a major talent on the Canadian scene, and introduced him at an international level, selling copies from South Korea to L.A. A label in France also released the album in a limited edition run on vinyl.
A.Y.E. was Allan Slaight Juno Master Class 2017-2018 top 10 finalist, nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2017 YYCMAs (Calgary Music Awards) and Musical Group of the Year at the 2016 Obsidian Awards with The Extraordinary Gentlemen. His forth coming album Soul Food the Audiobiography Of.. is due to be released this summer. Listed by CBC Music as an "emerging act to watch" (2017).
Performing on some of the biggest Canadian stages opening for international headlining acts such as MURS, Pusha T, Raekwon, D12, Cyhi The Prynce, Yasin Bey (Mos Def), Black Sheep, Swollen Members, Camp Lo, and more. Along with headlining shows at Lilac Festival and Hi-Fi Club in Calgary.