Jonatha Emile speaks with Duke Eatmon & Sue Smith about his upcoming Reggae & Hip Hop Projects.

Nearly two years ago, Montreal rapper Jonathan Emile debuted a Kendrick Lamar-assisted track called “Heaven Help Dem.” The politically-charged song, which paid tribute to Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and other victims of police brutality…

Legal blogs and lawyers have been analyzing a recent win in small claims court by Montreal hip hop artist Jonathan Emile against defendants Top Dawg Entertainment Inc., Interscope Records and Universal Music Group, calling it “an unusual case.”

Kendrick Lamar links with Montreal rapper, producer, and poet Jonathan Emile for a track paying tribute to the victims of police brutality like Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin. After a year of national press filled with news about numerous deaths of unarmed black men by the police, "Heaven Help Dem" is a powerful song that stirs emotions of both anger and sadness as soon as the track begins.

Montreal — arguably Canada's cultural capital, where pop music, visual art, dance and design have flourished in both official languages — can't seem to get much traction with Anglo rap and hip hop.

"If I want to do something in that genre of music, then I definitely have to make a name for myself outside of Montreal," Emile told CBC podcast Montreapolis in a wide-ranging interview.