Q&A with Brother Ali

A lyrical artist like Brother Ali should be considered more of a hip-hop philosopher rather than an emcee. The Rhymesayer artist is set to release his upcoming album, Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color this week and has a lot to say. He took the time to speak with Urbanology Magazine about the upcoming project, as well as his new tour, to let his fans know what he has been up to and what to expect.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO NAME YOUR UPCOMING PROJECT MOURNING IN AMERICA AND DREAMING IN COLOR? It kind of came together, because I was in a place where I was really blue and feeling heavy and weighed down by a lot of stuff in my own personal life. But really the climate and the situation socially that we have right now, it’s really troublesome – so much despair, so much pain, so much death. It seems like the public conversation is going in the wrong direction. We’re really caught up talking about ornamental things and not really talking about root causes for a lot of the pain. I really felt like Obama had the right message and was the right candidate in ’08. I contributed a lot of time and money and energy into speaking and canvasing, knocking on doors and all of that and the direction that things have continued to go since then just left me feeling really helpless in a way and not sure about what to do about what was going on and so I said I was going to make an album called, Mourning In America and shift the conversation to things that I thought should be talked about. Now, while that was going on, I also had personal reasons for that too. In 2010, I spent 10 months on the road; I married and had kids so that almost broke my family up. My father passed away and my good friend and label-mate passed away, both while I was on tour… All of these things going on at the same time were adding to that feeling as well, so at the end of that year, I made my pilgrimage to Mecca and really felt like I had a new chance to kind of re-align my life to what my priorities are. I decided that I wanted to take a year off the road, go home and make an album and do the things in the community that I always wanted to do… Just re-claim my life a little bit, so I came home and did that… I came to this sense of hope that in this bad time that we’re in, a lot of people are falling into poverty, but at the same time, we are seeing people now who used to feel like they were above all of this pain, now they’re in it and there are new alliances being made between race and class that I’ve never seen happen before; seeing people work together now, because the situation has put them in proximity to each other. So I said, forget Mourning In America, I’m going to make an album about the possibilities out here and I’m going to call it Dreaming In Color. Overtime, I realized that they were both necessary; dealing with the pain and suffering and also the hope and the possibilities for change all on one project.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS PROJECT AND THE MUSIC YOU HAVE PUT OUT IN THE PAST? This is my first album that is mainly a social/political album, where in the past, everything has just been really personal. I had political moments on other albums and I had personal moments on this album, but the theme shifted, definitely.
WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT PUTTING OUT THIS NEW PROJECT? There was a period in rap where you were literally only allowed to talk about four subjects and I think we’re starting to see a re-surface of people, not necessarily categorized as conscious or political, but we’re just seeing the kids that are coming out now are just smart and insightful people. I feel like there’s more space to talk about music now. I think the timing is really good.
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT BEING ON TOUR? The tour life is the time that you’re on stage, which is a spiritual and transcendental thing if you put all of yourself into it and try to do it in an artistic way, connecting with the people on stage. Our following, they call it a cult following, but it’s really a personal connection that we have with people.

Urban Mic Kick-Off

Some great music and a great meal sounds like the perfect date. In the heart of the Eaton Centre’s new Urban Eatery last Thursday night, the mall kicked off its new Urban Mic program, which will feature Toronto artists showcasing their music in a concert series. For the launch, Toronto songstress Shi Wisdom treated the eatery to her immense talent.
Meredith Vlitas, Senior Marketing Director at the Eaton Centre said the mall staff wanted to bring more energy to the mall experience. “What we wanted to do was really bring some energy and some life into the Urban Eatery,” she said. “… We feel like we’re the only ones in Toronto that could do something like this. It’s very urban, it’s very cool and it embraces all the different sounds that are going on in the city.”
The event’s host, Devo Brown from Kiss 92.5 FM, killed rumours that the program was started due to the shooting at the centre this summer, but shared that it is a great night out with friends for students and young professionals in the downtown core. “A lot of people were talking about the shooting here, but that’s not why this program started. This program was a concept from a long time ago. It just made sense to start it when school started back up with Ryerson so close, George Brown being downtown and U of T and all that; so to get the students involved and to let some people that no one’s really heard of shine.”

Shi Wisdom performed tracks off her EP LVSPK such as “Penny”, “Take the L” and “Bad Mood”, and as always, the crowd welcomed her and took in her soulful sound. She also gave away merchandise throughout the show as audience members answered trivia questions about her.
“It’s really awesome. I never thought the Eaton Centre would even have an event like this, and to be the person that kicks it off – I feel really honoured and special. It’s something that’s probably going to be a staple for a lot of independent artists here, that will be able to have a voice in the city, so to know that I’ve set that off, it’s an accolade for me,” said Shi after her performance, while taking pictures with and signing autographs for fans.
Up next on September 20 to 23, Urban Mic will feature artists in a Canada’s Walk Of Fame showcase.

106 & York 2012

There was no greater way to spend the kick off to Labor Day weekend than to take in great music, art, and dance with some of Toronto’s most talented artists at the 5th annual 106 & York Festival presented by UrbanArts, Highclass, N.I.S.E and Manifesto.
Talented artists of many different genres and art forms such as rap, R&B, spoken word, beat boxing, dance and theatre all showcased their craft to a great turnout of people at the York Woods Theatre.

Comedian Femi Lawson, who entertained the crowd with his hilarious antics and skits throughout the night, hosted this year’s event. “One thing that differentiates 106 from other events in the summer is that it is a youth-led event. It unites different talent from different parts of the city – from the east to the west, from the north to the south. 106 started as a festival that would celebrate diversity and it continues to do that,” he said.


Incredible beat boxer Faz opened up the show and introduced the crowd to, what he calls, his “many personalities” through his music, surprising the audience by beat boxing into a harmonica. Talented singer Obidiah followed, speaking to the crowd with his powerful track “Immigrant Song”.
Supreme Swiss, Freeway Freddy and Jaek Delarge amped up the audience with their tracks and spoken word artist Yusra Khogali impacted the audience with her piece on video vixens. Amazing dance crews The League and Sweetie Pies stole the show with their charismatic choreography before emcee C-Flowz spit his tracks for the crowd, while Nomanzland presented a moving skit on gun violence.

Jelly Too Fly, who also performed last year, said it was her pleasure to come back and rip the stage again. Performing tracks off her latest project, King, Jelly entered from the back of the theatre and had the crowd on its feet. “[The energy is] very supportive. It’s all love… You feel the acceptance that you feel is more so like a family,” she said, following her hype set.

Headlining artists Shi Wisdom, JD Era and Rich Kidd all performed amazing sets. Shi even invited JD Era onstage to perform their hit “Mount Olympus” before an intense Hot 16s cypher, which included emcees Kemikal, Lola Bunz, Church Chizzle, and Gramz G, ended off the show.
Every single artist brought something unique and entertaining to the night with his or her crafts.
Singer Thea Monroe who performed a cover of Beyonce’s “I Miss You” says she was humbled to perform alongside some of Toronto’s most talented.
“It’s great… because with all the violence that has happened, it’s just great to have the youth come together,” she said. “It shows that regardless of what end of the city you’re from, we are all united.”

Photos by: Martika Gregory

Battle Of The Beatmakers 2012

The Battle of the BeatMakers has been supporting talented Canadian producers for years and is considered the ultimate launching pad for producers in the country. This year, the event was hosted by Trixx, at The Opera House, where the 32 qualifying producers, guest judges JD Era, Statik Selektah and Skyzoo, and a packed house of supporters met to crown this year’s beat battle champion.
Guest judge and IceH20 emcee JD Era, who has witnessed the growth of the event since the beginning, said that it was an honour to be a part of this year’s battle.
“It gives up and coming producers some hope and gives them the opportunity to play their stuff for guys that are more established. To hear what’s coming up out of the city is always a pleasure,” he said.

DJs Mensa and P-Plus warmed up the crowd, before the first round, which featured the 32 chosen producers going beat for beat with their opponent, who had been randomly selected at the Beatz-Meets-Rhymes producer lottery the previous day.
Each battle started with both artists meeting on stage to partake in a coin toss, which would determine whose beat would bang first for the 45-second time allotted. Tension was dissolved with Trixx’s comedic antics and it was obvious the crowd just came to support. There was no room for egos on the stage as the beats spoke for themselves. With every beat banging, every head in the venue bobbed while each ear took in the track before the three guest judges held up their votes, determining who would move on to the next round. Some decisions were based on tiebreakers and even double tiebreakers, because the judges wanted to be sure that the best producers moved forward.
Between rounds, emcees Raz Fresco, Rich Kidd and Skyzoo each took a turn to perform for the audience, which was a mix of industry faces and hip-hop heads alike.

Producer Metcalfe, who was eliminated in the second round by Super Smash Bros., made a lasting impression on the audience. The new producer entered the event as his first ever battle and walked away with a lot, despite it not being the title. “I’ve never really played my stuff for a crowd and to see everyone loving it was the best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said.
One by one, round after round, two producers, Mr. Magic, last year’s Battle of the BeatMakers champion and 15-year-old WondaGurl eliminated all 30 producers to face each other in the finals.
In the three round finals, Magic released some heavy beats and showcased them with his animated style on stage, while quiet WondaGurl stood still and straight-faced while her beats played. The crowd went crazy, screaming out their favourite producer.

As the judges deliberated, they each took a turn to choose whom they thought deserved to win. JD Era chose Mr. Magic, while Skyzoo evened it out by choosing WondaGurl.
With a tied score, the decision belonged to Statik Selektah who titled WondaGurl the 2012 Battle of the BeatMakers champion, making her the youngest producer and second female to ever win the prize, the first being 2010’s champion Amsterdam-native Neenah.
After winning thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, which included a synthesizer signed by Just Blaze and the title of champion of this year’s Battle of the BeatMakers competition, the soft-spoken producer queen only had one thing to say about how she felt. “One word: great,” she said.

Photos By: Martika Gregory

Battle of the Beatmakers Producer Lottery 2012

The 32 producer finalists who were chosen to compete in this year’s Battle of the Beatmakers, along with dozens of producers, artists and music industry elite, met at the Pantages Hotel yesterday to take part in the full-day producer retreat. Immediately following the Pro Audio Conference with Grammy Award winning producer Just Blaze and hip-hop powerhouse Statik Selektah, the 32 finalists, supporters and music industry professionals prepared for the Beatz-Meets-Rhymez Producer Lottery, where the first round match-ups were chosen and announced.
The tension was in the room as Statik Selektah spun the ones and twos, while everyone bobbed their heads, taking in the classic beats while waiting with anticipation. Although there was tension, it was playful competition as the producer peers joked about who they would love to see go head to head, while drinks were served at the bar.

Statik Selektah killed the beats as Just Blaze pulled names from the spinning lottery basket, announcing who will go beat for beat in the first round of today’s Battle of the Beatmakers competition. The crowd cheered as last year’s winner Mr. Magic was announced to face Jude and Kollins, WondaGurl to take on FrancisGotHeat, while the producer dubbed “The Captain of Dubstep”, ThrizzoBeatBoss, was chosen to face High Score.
“It’s always interesting because you don’t know what to expect from anybody and that’s what makes it more exciting,” ThrizzoBeatBoss says. He plans on hitting up the studio for the remainder of the time before the battle to finalize his beats and plan his strategy and a great way to prepare for a beat battle is to do homework on his opponents. But it all depends on the coin flip of who goes first in each round, he says. “It’s been 365 days preparing for this battle.”

Statik Selektah, who will also be judging this year’s competition alongside Skyzoo and JD Era, says that he wishes there were more events such as Battle of the Beatmakers while he was coming up, as it is amazing networking experience. “It’s dope. I always get excited to hear new sounds and new producers,” he says.
In terms of judging, he says that he will be mostly focusing on originality and mixing. “The beat’s got to bang. It’s got to be mixed right. There could be a dope beat but it won’t bang if it’s not mixed right,” he says.
Out of the 32 producers fighting for the title, there will only be one winner, and it was obvious that each producer is going to bring everything they have to war in order to take home that trophy.

Photos By: Michelle Green

Oh So Beautiful

Many independent artists find themselves stuck somewhere in between open mic nights and sold out concerts, looking for an outlet to play their music, but some find it difficult to find a platform that suits their individuality and creativity. The Oh So Beautiful showcase held at Toronto’s Art Gallery Of Ontario last month proved a successful outlet for some of these artists with a night of performances by a group of musicians, all vastly different from the next.
What the showcase stands for is really defined by its name. Married couple, Ahkinoah and Ahshatèn Izarh, who are both artists themselves, started the showcase to put the power of performance back into the hands of musicians and provide an opportunity for artists who don’t fit a particular genre or trend.
“We see both sides of the coin and that’s why there’s so much value in the show,” Ahkinoah, better known as his stage name AHI, said before the showcase. AHI is also the founder and producer of BLUEBLACKmusic, which provides independent artists with a platform to grow from and with other artists such as themselves.

The event, hosted by Trivelle “T-Stylez” Simpson and Shanna Armogan, was a night filled with powerful music, but there was a process in choosing which talented artists would grace the stage.
To make it into the showcase, the artists went through a rigorous audition process, where they performed in front of a panel of industry professionals such as bass guitarist Orin Isaacs and Bruce Chapman, a store manager with Long & McQuade, and were given feedback as to what worked with their style and sound, but also, what they needed to work on.
“There is a world between amateur and superstardom. People think that if you’re not a superstar, then you’re an amateur and you just want to play for free and don’t have a career sense. We wanted to see people who are pushing themselves and are working towards something,” AHI said on the audition process.
The seven acts that were chosen to perform, all brought a unique and refreshing vibe to the showcase.
JP Saxe, who opened the show, sang his original pieces, while accompanied by a guitar player. He touched the audience with his incredible song writing skills and shared pieces he had written while helping out in an orphanage in Kenya.

Sixteen year old, self-taught pianist, Simon T. Lendore wowed the crowd with an intricate medley of popular urban hits such as Usher’s “You Remind Me” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass”.
The six-piece band, Vibonics rocked the stage with its unique mixture of genres, performing numbers “Let’s Get It” and “Lights Out”.
Crossword, emcee of Vibonics, attended the previous Oh So Beautiful showcase. He saw what it was all about and wanted to be a part of it. “This is awesome. It’s a really good vibe, I like how they put the artist first, but they also had a really great continuity within the acts. It seemed to be flowing well and it was a really nice vibe, so off the bat, I was like, ‘How do I get involved in this’,” he said.
Also to grace the stage was opera singer Jennifer Uy, talented songstresses Mirian K and MelRose, as well as Jeff Burke, who played many melodies with his bassoon, such as “Single Ladies” and “Thriller”, which had the audience participating by guessing the songs.
AHI and his wife Ahshatèn, along with their band, also took the opportunity to showcase their talent by performing a set, which featured “Billy Jean” and their original track, “Second To None”.
The appropriately named event was the one-year anniversary of the Oh So Beautiful showcase, which AHI hopes will continue to support independent artists in the city through artist development in the future.

The Honey Jam 2012

Nearly two decades of female empowerment and opportunity for female songstresses brought 17 female musicians out at the 17th anniversary of The Honey Jam, presented by PhemPhat Entertainment Group.
The performers ranged in genre from R&B, rock and pop to soul, blue, hip-hop and even opera. Young, talented female artists from all over Canada were chosen to showcase their talent at the 17th annual Honey Jam at the MOD Club last month. The packed venue was treated to a spectacular night of music as DJ Melboogie and DJ Tasha Rozez spun the ones and twos before MuchMusic host Lauren Toyota invited each female act to hit the stage. Each performer had her own vastly unique ‘it’ factor that won over the hearts of the supporters, fans and industry representatives in attendance.
Fourteen-year-old Angelique Francis played the upright bass and shocked the crowd with her deep, soulful voice, emcee Notty spit her track “Laissez Tomber Les Filles” in French, while 15-year-old Victoria Fragomeni’s larger than life vocal skills belted out Pavarotti’s “Nessun Dorma”.

Stacey Asiedu from Brampton, who performed the song “Memory Lane”, accompanied by an entire band, says that The Honey Jam is an amazing experience, but so much more than just a performance.
“People may think that The Honey Jam is just about a one-night showcase, but it’s so much more than just providing the artist with a day to perform, it’s about giving us education and resources so that we can facilitate our knowledge and actually develop through our career. It’s been amazing,” she says.

She says the opportunity has given her more of a drive to pursue her career and she doesn’t know which doors will open for her because of it.
Melissa Bel, from Burlington, who won the opportunity to perform in Barbados through The Honey Jam, accompanied herself on guitar and said she is thankful for The Honey Jam, as the opportunity for females to showcase their talent is rare to find.
“I don’t feel like there are enough opportunities for women to, first of all be showcased like this, and then also, to do it all together. We’re not competing, we’re all on the same team and we’re all just enjoying each other’s performances and learning from each other.

Toronto’s Savannah Ré performed her hit “Paranormal” in a stunning yellow dress, and talented songstress Shi Wisdom performed her new single, “Penny”, in a black ensemble before all the “honeys” were invited onstage to participate in a freestyle cypher to close off the night of immense talent.

Culture Shock 2012

The rain didn’t stop supporters and music lovers from attending a day jam-packed with local talent at the 8th annual CultureShock at the Weston Farmers’ Market presented by the UrbanArts Community Arts Council in August.
UrbanArts is a non-profit organization, which engages youth through the arts in the Weston-Mount Dennis community through multi-arts programs throughout the year.
Comedian Trixx and hip-hop legend Michie Mee hosted the event and had the crowd hype all day, despite the miserable weather.
Michie Mee, who is from the Weston area, says that it was only right for her to give back to the non-profit organization that does so much for the youth and arts community. “It lets [the youth] know that there is something else that they can get into. That they can vent, they can speak freely; they can meet other people in the community. The fact that we can all get together through the arts is the best thing.”

The CultureShock event featured reggae, hip-hop, R&B, spoken word and dance from some of the best local talent in Toronto. As the rain showered off and on throughout the day, the performers took turns entertaining the crowd who came out despite the dreary weather.
Singer Obidiah, accompanied by a band and his backup singers, The Sweetness, opened up the show before Enuma and her guitar took to the stage and performed through the rain.
Dance groups Bootcamp, Bootcamp Juniors and The League all livened up the crowd with their routines and Yusra and Rolling Stone brought the element of spoken word to the show.
The rain made way for a giant double rainbow in the sky while reggae artist Smuggz Holiday performed before Toronto emcees Church Chizzle, Jaek Delarge, Erik Flowchild and Supreme Swiss all took a turn on the stage to spit their hits, all with vastly different flows.
Savannah Ré, Tamara Madison and 2Z brought the element of R&B to the show, belting out tracks with soul, as their voices echoed through the Farmers’ Market.

Savannah Ré, who performed her hit “Paranormal” and a new track “Geet Weh”, which features peer Tamara Madison, says she has been involved with UrbanArts before and supports what the organization does for the community as an artist. “[UrbanArts] brings a positive light. There are a lot of negative things that people correlate to this area, so it’s good that they have something that anyone can come to no matter what you do – art, spoken word, rap, sing, whatever it is, you can come and do it,” Ré said.

As the day turned to night, Trish and Shi Wisdom headlined the event with their unmistakable star quality performances. Trish killed her performance with a unique vibe of dance and Shi’s goose bump worthy voice captivated the crowd with her hits such as “Take the L” and “Easier”, before the majority of the crowd jumped onstage to dance along to “Mr. Parker”.
It was an entertaining day, which drew awareness to not only the talented artists who performed, but also to UrbanArts and the work it does to support these artists and the youth in the area.