Haviah Mighty’s Stock Exchange explores our social value systems

Toronto rapper Haviah Mighty has released Stock Exchange. The mixtape is her second album-length project, following a string of five mixtapes that culminated in her 2019 Polaris Music Prize-winning debut LP, 13th Floor.

The project is a mixtape in the traditional sense of the word, with an ecclectic set of throwback beats that draw on late-aughts trap, grime, dancehall, and dub to give it the ethos of a DatPiff download. The tape's features include fellow Ontario rappers TOBi and Astrokidjay, but also Old Man Saxon (Denver), Jalen Santoy (Charlotte), Dai Burger (NYC), Yizzy (UK), and Mala Rodriguez (Spain).

Thematically, though, it's organized around a strong central premise. Haviah directs her lightning flow and razor-sharp lyrics at the systems that place social value on some individuals and leave others in the lurch.

"These statistics that we use to compare ourselves to others and to define our successes have become proof of our worth," Haviah said in a statement. "These ideas around perceived value got me thinking about the Stock Exchange. Seeing parallels between the way it flows — the constant rising and falling — all dictated by the general public’s perception of an entity’s value, and ultimately how that influences the moves that we make as individuals."

Listen to Stock Exchange in full below.