If rappers’ relationships with local podcasters are strong, the same can’t be said when it comes to the Quebec government’s arts funding agency.
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) boasts an annual budget of more than $20 million for artist grants.
But the agency has faced criticism for its treatment of hip-hop culture.
When grant money is given to hip-hop projects, too much of it ends up in the hands of the same artists and labels, according to veteran Dice B. He refers to this group as “gatekeepers” — people who hog government resources, putting up-and-coming
