Phoenix Pagliaccci

There is a ton of talent in the city, but few have the range of ability to add rapper, singer and songwriter to the résumé, let alone, to earn that respect as a female. But Toronto’s own Phoenix Pagliacci is carving her own path in the music scene and holding her own by building a buzz in the city with many local performances and her latest mixtape Books, Bucks and Beats Vol. 2: Rise Of Baby Buddha. The Toronto artist participated in last month’s Big Ticket cypher, which caught the attention of event founder, Chris Jackson, who asked Phoenix to showcase her talents at the upcoming Big Ticket event at the Velvet Underground on February 8. The humble artist is looking forward to her bright future, but took a moment to look back and reflect on how she began in the industry, paying homage to those responsible for her budding career as she anticipates what is to come at her upcoming show and beyond.
WHAT CAN THOSE WHO ATTEND THE BIG TICKET EXPECT FROM YOUR PERFORMANCE? They can expect energy, they can expect comedy, they can expect interaction and expect to be impressed.
WHAT DOES THE BIG TICKET SHOWCASE ADD TO THE TORONTO MUSIC SCENE, IN YOUR OPINION? The Big Ticket showcase is an awesome opportunity for a lot of local artists who don’t get performance opportunities, who don’t get opportunities to really showcase their talent, or maybe they have some new stuff that they don’t really know how to get out there, or market themselves and work with an awesome DJ. DJ Law is one of Toronto’s finest, hands down. It gives an opportunity for these artists to really have their 15 minutes
IN WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU THINK THE TORONTO HIP-HOP SCENE IS HEADING TOWARDS? Only up from here. A lot of artists are putting Toronto on the map and a lot of artists are being consistent in bringing in other artists and the quality is only increasing, so I see Toronto going up from here.
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU FIT IN TO THAT? I don’t often like to play the female card, but it works in my favour, because there’s not too many Toronto female artists being put on the map right now. Shout out to Melanie Fiona of course and Andreena Mill, Michie Mee and Jully Black for setting the trend for Toronto female artists, but as a rapper, as well as a songwriter and singer, I think that that lane needs to be a little more paved and I’m willing to do that.
WHAT WAS STARTING OUT IN THE TORONTO HIP-HOP SCENE LIKE FOR YOU? I was fortunate enough to network to the point where, I met some people who did have showcase opportunities and were willing to give me a chance to showcase my own stuff. People like Tika Simone, she looks out for a lot of Toronto artists and really goes through and combs through the city for these artists and gives them the space to practice, the people to get in touch with for music and I was fortunate enough, by working with other artists, to get to know people who were willing to put myself out there. I started out singing backup for artists such as PG, Lokz, doing features on other artists’ stuff and kinda caught a few ears and they pointed me in the right direction.
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR MUSIC? That I’m very honest, very creative, I have a great sense of humour and a lot of times in hip-hop, that’s not really what people are looking for, but I definitely bring that out in my music and I try and reach different people. My music is more of a conversation and so when you listen, I like to hear something back from you.

Andreena @ The Known Unknown

Tika Simone and The Remix Project presented January’s The Known Unknown with a “Naked and Stripped” show at Toronto’s Wrongbar, welcoming the return of Andreena from her hiatus to the music scene and the showcase of other relatively new Toronto talent.
The Queen Street venue was crowded with music supporters who escaped the deep chill to partake in a night of local talent.
An interactive board with a live Twitter feed created an opportunity for those in attendance to tweet their thoughts on each performance and engage with others not only in person, but also through the social network, creating a multidimensional cyber event.
The packed house mingled in person and online as DJ Lissa Monet and Starven Marvin spun hip-hop and R&B hits, before host Marlon Palmer began inviting the performers to the stage to display their talents.
The Remix Project, which celebrated the graduation of its 9.0 class in November, worked with Tika to incorporate some of its talent such as R&B crooner Vanessa Lu and hip-hop artist Never.
Highlights of the night included performances by soulful singers, Juvon Taylor and Owen “O’Sound” Lee, as well as up and coming rappers John River and Sola.
Toronto’s most recognized hip-hop music enthusiast, Mindbender was in attendance to show his support for the city’s music scene.
“Toronto is probably the best talent treasure chest of music, dancing, skill, artistry and creativity maybe in the world right now,” he says. The devoted hip-hop head was most looking forward to the return of Andreena, as a loyal fan and peer. “Anyone who knows what good R&B, soul, music, singing, performing, dancing, power and strength is, they should know the name Andreena Mill, straight up.”
The Known Unknown founder and long-time friend of Andreena’s, Tika Simone welcomed the talented singer to the stage, sharing that, “It is difficult to watch somebody peak and fall and not get the support from her backend that she deserves and I wanted to make it my mission to ensure that nobody forgets her name, that nobody forgets who she is, and we all remember that she is from here and she represents Toronto to the fullest,” she said, before handing the mic off to Andreena.
In a two-part set, Andreena reminded the packed venue of her skill level by belting out tracks from her upcoming album Naked such as “Boss Bitch” and “My Boo” with her band and accompanied vocals by O’Sound. With an undeniable voice, stage presence and hit after hit, it was undoubtedly apparent that Andreena is back with a vengeance and The Known Unknown was just her first step in securing her takeover.

King Of The Dot's Blackout 3 @ Guvernment

Toronto’s Guvernment nightclub became a war zone last Saturday as King Of The Dot presented Blackout 3, complete with superstar co-host Drake, for a full day of intense battles from some of the biggest names in battle rap and a title match between Dizaster and Arcane. The venue was packed wall to wall, with over 1200 people in attendance from all over Canada, the United States and overseas from countries such as England and Scotland.
Battle rapper Soul, the winner of the event’s first battle against Wize Guy, travelled all the way from Scotland to Canada for the first time, anticipating his King Of The Dot match-up. “[KOTD] is huge over there. It’s worldwide and has a cult following everywhere. You’ll find people in every country that know about King Of The Dot,” he said after his win.
Big Blackout winners included Soul, Tycoon Tax, Charron and Uno Lavoz, but there was also some controversy in a few of the battles.
In the battle between England’s Shotty Horroh and Atlanta’s Ness Lee, Lee was announced as the winner of the battle, but unexpectedly passed on his win to Shotty. The ATL battler says that his ego could never get in the way of reality and in turn was humble enough to pass off his win, which is a rare trait in his industry. “I can’t take that win. I’m a real dude. Shotty did great, plus he didn’t choke. The biggest battle that happened last year was Loaded Lux versus Calicoe. Loaded Lux brought a whole new aspect to battle rap, but he choked. Everyone still gives him the win, but he choked. So he lost. I pretty much live by that right there. I choked, I can’t let myself take that win,” he says.
The much-anticipated Main Event with Pat Stay and Math Hoffa was nothing less than the greatness that was expected from the two. Stay brought his renowned ‘larger than life’ energy and Hoffa used his comedic style to his advantage in a battle that many will be debating on the winner for a long time.

When it came to the moment everyone had been waiting for, the title match between KOTD champ Dizaster and challenger Arcane, the Guvernment was rammed to its capacity and the tension was colossal.
Before the battle even started, Dizaster began to read off a printed sheet of paper to the crowd exposing how Arcane had allegedly bought his bars. The crowd chaos ensued when Dizaster threw stacks of the same PayPal and Facebook statements for the fans to read.
To the surprise of many of his fans, the crowd turned on Dizaster when they became displeased with his lines and began to boo the renowned battler. Dizaster retaliated, screaming profanities at the mob, asking the booing audience to step forward. When nobody came forward, he even threw a full can of beer through the air, soaking many.
The tension in the air was at an all-time high during the second round when Arcane was spitting and he tapped Dizaster on the shoulder with his finger and Dizaster hit it away aggressively. The two got in each other’s face about to fight, but Organik and other rappers were in the ring before it got out of control. After a close third round, the judges deliberated and Arcane was announced the new King Of The Dot champion, for the second time. He threw his fists in the air as they gave him the chain and a $1,000 cheque and the crowd cheered. It seemed that not even Dizaster’s props and attempts to expose the Steel City battler worked, but it has caused lasting controversy on the Internet that will probably be discussed and debated for several weeks to come.
Photos By: Khrangg

KOTD Blackout 3 Pre-Coverage

What started in a Toronto alleyway in 2008 has become one of the premier battle leagues of North America and an international platform for battle rap in just a few years. Now it’s about to put on its biggest and most anticipated event yet. King Of The Dot’s Blackout 3 takes place this Saturday at The Guvernment with a day of battles, a main event and the most coveted title match yet, between returning champions, Arcane and Dizaster. The chain, the money, the bragging rights — this is the heavy weight championship with a lot at stake.
Battle emcee Charron, who has the most wins in the league and faces his friend and peer HFK at Saturday’s event, has witnessed the growth of the movement from its early days. “I’ve been involved with King Of The Dot since 2009. I started when we were battling in alleys. I was Greyhounding on my own dollar to get there, performing in front of maybe 25 people. Since then, I’ve been involved in every opportunity provided to the battlers. It’s opened up opportunities to battle overseas in Sweden and England and platforms such as BET,” he explains. “As far as Toronto goes, it doesn’t get much bigger than Guvernment. If you really stop and look, it’s a huge accomplishment and milestone for King Of The Dot.”
Blackout 3 will be an upgrade from the all of the other events, says KOTD host/founder Organik, through the venue, crowd capacity and technology, as those who cannot make it out to the event can Ustream view it by ordering it via the KOTD website. “It’s going to be our biggest event, by far,” he says.
Two-time Grand Prix champ and former King Of The Dot champion Arcane faces defending champion Dizaster, who is a legend in his craft and highly regarded as one of the world’s top battlers. “It’s going to be intense. Arcane is one of the best rappers that King Of The Dot has to offer and Dizaster is one of the most entertaining rappers, period, so it’s probably going to be the best title match that we’ve ever had at King Of The Dot,” Organik says. The tensions are high between the two battlers, who recently displayed their animosity for each other through Twitter, drawing even more attention to their already publicized battle.
Toronto Battle rapper Kaliente, who is back from his hiatus to battle Tycoon Tax at the Blackout 3 event, says that he is looking forward to the title match between Arcane and Dizaster as both emcees deserve the opportunity to be crowned champion.
“It’s a good match up. Arcane is awesome and he earned his spot up there, but the Dizaster situation, it’s cool that he’s the champion, but I just feel that a lot of rappers got to do what we went through to get a title shot in this league. A lot of us started a foundation for these battle rappers, but it is what it is. I can’t wait to see that battle; it’s going to be hectic. Arcane is tricky and Dizaster is a monster,” he says.
Toronto is set to become a battlefield this Saturday but by the end of the day, only one will be recognized as the King Of The Dot.

Best Of Big Ticket

The monthly hip-hop hub The Big Ticket celebrated its “best of” event earlier this month at The Velvet Underground, where artists who had left a lasting impression on the city could come back and wow music lovers once again with their beats and rhymes. The night, designed for the hip-hop community, shone a light on Toronto emcees such as Perfeck Strangers, Twelfth Letter, Scott Ramirez and SepTO, who all took a turn to vibe with the packed house and celebrate the culture of rap. The beauty of The Big Ticket event is the respect it shows for the professional business of hip-hop and the art of the culture.
Tommy Spitz returned from his musical hiatus, performing alongside MC T.R.A at the talent-packed event. The self-proclaimed “top 5 in Canada” says his relationship with Big Ticket founder Chris Jackson has stretched past 20 years and that the intimate Big Ticket event acts as the summit of hip-hop culture in Toronto right now.

“[Chris has] kept a certain status with respectable artists performing. He keeps it an environment that anyone can come to. It’s a real hip-hop culture vibe. It’s more about culture than trying to put people on. It really feels like hip-hop in the building,” says Spitz.
A fresh, interactive element to the seven-month old event was added this time around. Citizen Kane’s Spade and Perfeck Stranger’s Dan-e-o interacted with the crowd to present the first ever hip-hop court, where they acted as lawyers, presenting arguments around the question of who won in the highly publicized Nas and Jay-Z beef. They used tracks such as Nas’ “Ether” and Hova’s “Takeover” in their statements and asked the audience to weigh in as the jury. Through a Twitter verdict, hip-hop heads in attendance named Nas the winner of the beef.
Interaction continued throughout the night between performers and audience members, which added an intimate feel to the event and is something KemiKAL enjoyed about performing. The young artist, who is also known as a talented producer, displayed his artistic capabilities as he performed tracks off his recently released album Elevator Music Going Up.

“A lot of artists, they don’t look at the crowd. They don’t say anything to the crowd,” he explains. “You have to give off a vibe that you’re a person like them, you’re just there to entertain for the time being. A lot of people look at it like a play and they have to come up and play their part and they have to stay in this character… and stay in this one dimension. You need to be connecting and let them feel you and let them know that you’re really doing this.”
In a short timespan, Jackson and supporters have left a profound impression on the Toronto hip-hop community, with a monthly event aimed to support local talent and bring professionalism in hip-hop to the forefront.