The Sorority was a Canadian hip hop group founded in Toronto Ontario. The group originally comprised of four members: Keysha Freshh, Lex Leosis, Haviah Mighty, and Phoenix Pagliacci. who released their debut album, Pledge, in 2018. The group were named one of CBC Music's "10 new Canadian artists who ruled 2018" and were profiled as one of The Globe and Mails next generation of artists breaking through the Torontohip hop scene. Pagliacci left the group in early 2019 and the remaining members continued touring until they disbanded after their final show on November 24, 2019 to focus on their solo careers. They were named one of "Canada's Greatest Supergroups", by Exclaim magazine.
History
Formation (2016-17)
The group was formed in 2016, after collaborating on a cypher for International Women's Day for online hip hop music platform Team Backpack, which went viral. The original members included four Toronto-area rappers: Keysha Freshh, Lex Leosis, Haviah Mighty, and Phoenix Pagliacci. Later that year, the group released their first single, "Undun" and were named one of Now magazine's "Toronto Musicians to Watch" in early 2017. For International Women's Day 2017, The Sorority released "Ladies Night", a tribute to Lil' Kim's song "Not Tonight". The video for "Ladies Night" featured an all woman production crew and cast and was deemed a "must see" by Complex.
''Pledge'' (2018)
The first single, "SRTY", from their debut album was released alongside a video on International Woman's Day in 2018, two years after their formation. The single was positively received, with Complex denoting it an "anthem". A second single, "On Me", was released in later that month and their debut album Pledge was released on April 13, 2018. The album was premiered on CBC Music's First Play Live, coinciding with an interview with nationally broadcast radio programQ. The album received favourable reviews, and was named one of CBC Music's favourite Canadian Albums of 2018. After the album release, the group was featured in Exclaim! and won the Stingray Rising Stars Award in 2018, receiving a $2000 CAD prize. The Sorority embarked on their first North American tour, with dates across Canada and the United States.
Final tour and break up (2019)
Pagliacci left the group in early 2019 to focus on her solo career, however the remaining members continued touring. Later in the same year, The Sorority announced a national tour with the Snotty Nose Rez Kids and released a single "Switch". With five shows remaining in the tour, the Sorority announced that they would be breaking up at the end of the tour to focus on their solo careers. Their final show occurred on November 24, 2019 in Toronto.
