TORONTO — Buoyed by the crossover success of rappers like K-os and soul singers like Jully Black, Canadian Music Week organizers have beefed up the urban program this year in an effort to strengthen the genre.

Running through Sunday, the festival includes more than 500 bands performing in 42 bars and concert halls across Toronto. "It's the biggest festival we've ever done," said president Neill Dixon, who started Canadian Music Week more than two decades ago.

While the majority of bands still fall into rock, metal or folk categories, the larger festival allows more room to showcase up-coming urban acts - such as Melanie Durrant and Killah Priest - to the hundreds of talent scouts, journalists, hipsters and general music fans who attend the event.

"We're trying to help them along and put a spotlight on what they're doing," Dixon said. "Urban music is starting to come into its own. They've got their own awards show now. K-os was top charted . . . It's a force to be reckoned with."

The schedule includes workshops on breaking into the urban business, including one called Street Cred 101 featuring tips by K-os, Toronto-born video director Lil X and Blue Williams, a talent scout for Def Jam as well as the manager of OutKast.

Another workshop will focus on writing quality urban songs. That panel will include Bryan Michael Cox, a sought-after producer and songwriter who most recently worked on Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi.

"The interest from the local community is stronger and there are more acts coming from that community that are trying to break into the music business," Dixon said of the bigger urban agenda at this year's Canadian Music Week.

One act vying for the spotlight is Edmonton's Roland Pemberton.

The rapper, who goes by the stage name Cadence Weapon, will make his festival debut, performing at two shows.

"Canadian rap is starting to get taken a little more seriously these days," said the 20-year-old, who also wears a producer's hat, having recently remixed Lady Sovereign's Blah Blah Blah.

"It's not some sort of gimmick or something that's ripping off the States. Its got its own entity and needs to be respected just like independent rock music is in Canada."

He should know. Up until the release of his debut CD Breaking Kayfabe, released last December, Pemberton was working as a music reviewer, critiquing hip hop acts for several U.S.-based publications including Pitchfork, the online indie music bible.

He says Canadian rap has become worth listening to in recent years.

"Ten years ago it was Choclair, Maestro and Dream Warriors. I could never get behind any of that stuff . . . maybe because we didn't get a lot of them over here (in Edmonton)," he said.

With several urban radio stations across the country and eclectic peers like fellow Edmontonians Politic Live and Halifax's Wordburglar, Pemberton says the scene will only blossom.

"We're getting to the point where people are searching us out, trying to see what the big deal is," said Pemberton, who started rapping as a teen with his uncle's funk band.

Some other events happening during Canadian Music Week:

-The Export Ready Series brings together Canadian indie acts that organizers feel are ready to break out worldwide. Held over three nights, the concerts will feature Femme Generation, Republic of Safety, Friday Morning's Regret and For the Mathematics.

-Former STYX front man Dennis DeYoung will recreate 30 years of music history in a talk and live performance set where he'll dish out the stories behind Mr. Roboto, Come Sail Away and Lady.

-Dozens of trophies get distributed at industry award events including the Canadian Radio Music Awards on Saturday.