Toronto Artist Animation Links With Western Mass Underground Staple DJ Lucas

Toronto’s underground continues to make connections outside the city, and Animation is the latest artist taking that approach.

Animation linked with Western Massachusetts rapper DJ Lucas for “BLACKTOP,” a collaboration appearing on Animation’s Push Over EP. The four-track project arrived in December 2025 and also includes “THE1,” “headless horseman” and “man of my word.” 

The link-up stands out because DJ Lucas has spent more than a decade building his own corner of underground rap. Coming out of Amherst, Massachusetts, Lucas is a co-founder of the Dark World Records collective and has become known for combining experimental rap with the DIY mentality he picked up from growing up around punk and underground music. 

His catalogue has also connected him with names including Wiki, Kenny Beats, Papo2oo4 and Joeyy, while his music consistently pulls from the places and everyday details of Western Massachusetts. Lucas has described locality as an important part of his music, comparing his desire to represent Amherst to the way rappers have historically represented neighbourhoods like Queensbridge or Compton. 

That makes “BLACKTOP” more than a random feature. It puts Animation directly beside an artist who has spent years helping establish an identity for a scene outside of rap’s traditional major cities.

For Animation, it’s another example of Toronto’s newer underground looking beyond the city and building relationships with artists from other regional scenes. With Push Over, he’s continuing to carve out his own lane while showing just how far Toronto’s underground connections can stretch.