Indigenous hip-hop duo the Snotty Nose Rez Kids say they don't know why CBC and APTN have quietly cancelled plans for a comedy series about their rise to fame.
Originally slated to premiere this year, the half-hour scripted show was billed as the “not even true, real life story” of how Quinton (Yung Trybez) Nyce and Darren (Young D) Metz found their way from Kitamaat Village to award stages and music critics' best-of lists.
"Unfortunately, we simply don't really know what happened here. We felt the show was in a good place," Nyce and Metz said Wednesday in a joint statement.
"We had a great team put together and good scripts, and we were taken aback by CBC's decision not to move ahead."
Following a report in the Globe and Mail, publicists for CBC and APTN issued identical statements saying the decision to withdraw from the series was not made lightly, citing “various creative, logistical, and financial factors.”
Nyce and Metz were credited as the show’s creators, with “Little Bird” co-creator Jennifer Podemski attached as showrunner and executive producer.
A representative for Podemski said she left the project in July but did not state the reason.
CBC announced the show last spring as part of its 2025 slate.
Nyce and Metz said they're "optimistic" about the show's future and were looking for a new home for the project.
"We haven't given up on this and we'll get this show made. We're used to setbacks, but we always persevere," said the Haisla Nation artists.
The Snotty Nose Rez Kids said on Instagram last week that a fire on April 23 destroyed their Vancouver recording studio, equipment and clothing store.
The duo launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist in rebuilding the store and studio, which is where they recorded their latest album, “Red Future."
That release won the rappers their first-ever Juno Award in March for rap album/EP of the year.
Speaking to the Canadian Press last year, the rappers said their show would be about two artists realizing that success isn’t as easy as it seems.
“For us, as native kids trying to pursue something, there weren’t a lot of people who stood behind us. It was two steps forward and 10 steps back, and that’s just the way that it is navigating this world that was never built for us,” said Nyce.
“It takes a decade in the making to have that overnight success. So, it’s really about the journey and to truly see what an artists’ day-to-day life is.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
