Canada Post Immortalizes Hip-Hop Trailblazers

The new Black History Month stamps celebrate Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee and Muzion, pioneers of Canadian hip-hop.

by Adriel Smiley

Published on February 18, 2026

The latest commemorative stamps from Canada Post feature Canadian hip-hop trailblazers. Each year, the stamp program releases 18–20 issues honoring holidays and notable dates, including Black History Month. This month’s vivid stamps feature Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee and Muzion – hip-hop artists who shaped the history of Canadian music.

Eli Yarhi is the manager of stamp development at Canada Post, overseeing the annual series stamps and navigating the creative decisions around them. Last year, they honoured Marie Joseph Angelique, an enslaved woman in Montreal who was wrongfully put to death for setting fire to her enslaver’s home and subsequently burning much of what is now Old Montreal. This year, Yarhi and the team wanted to recognize hip-hop, and finding the right way to do that was important.

“With the hip-hop series, our thinking was that stories about people are the best way to express a history,” says Yarhi. “We want to tell the stories of the roots of this genre and this culture. Who should we shine the spotlight on?”

The team worked with respected voices who are knowledgeable about the history of hip-hop in Canada, like music journalist Del Cowie and DJ Grumps.

Representation matters; it includes artists from diverse places, intersections, and, of course, languages. This trio of stamps has received a surge of positive reviews, widely applauded for their selections.

All three acts reached their highest musical moments several decades ago, and the artwork’s colours aim to pay homage to the past while still appealing to present-day consumers. Stamp designers Noël Nanton and Nadia Molinari from Typotherapy conducted extensive research on all aspects, looking at everything from old show posters to cassette artwork.

All three artists are featured on the same stamp. “There needed to be visual continuity, we knew that between the three. It came down to our work with the honorees, image selection, and speaking with them, we knew what story they wanted to tell, what facet of their career they really wanted to bring to the forefront, and then found a way to include that in the background. There’s two images per honouree on these stamps too.”

Canada Post sees itself amongst Canada’s storytellers with this stamp program. Yarhi spent a decade at Historica Canada before joining Canada Post, helping to produce some of its most memorable heritage moments.

In the past, they have covered R&B artists, blues singers, and jazz musicians, so hip-hop was long overdue. Michie Mee and Maestro Fresh Wes have been recognized by numerous Canadian publications and organizations, and Muzion has been introduced to a new set of fans from an entirely new generation.

The French rap trio from Montreal dropped their debut album in 2000 and were most popularly known in France, resulting in a series of successful tours and several awards. Their inclusion in this set was imperative.

“One thing that I found really incredible about this launch has been the great pickup that we’ve seen on people who might have been sleeping on Muzion and their music. It’s in a different language, and it’s from a different province,” he says. “Their music is incredible. And we’re kind of seeing people pick up on that and say, ‘Oh, my God. I wish I’d known about this before.’ Getting these stories across has always been the goal.”

These stamps represent an important cultural moment for hip-hop, not only in Canada. Yarhi recognizes the value of this program and the impact that these stamps will continue to have beyond the month. “What it really comes down to is the fact that people are going to see these stamps, going to read the stories that are written about them, and learn something. We want people to expand their idea of what it means to be Canadian and what Canadian culture really encompasses.”