Tyler The Creator Wolf Tour Review

The young and odd came out of the woodwork to see their hip-hop hero, Tyler, the Creator, when he hit up the sold-out Toronto stop of his Wolf tour at the Opera House.
The young all ages crowd, some of which looked like they were in middle school, were decked out in their Golf Wang tees and hats, awaiting their Odd Future hero to emerge onto the creative set that was assembled on stage that included a cabin, bike and a doll’s head on a stick. During the wait, the crowd chanted “Wolf Gang” while a consistent lineup of fans waited to cop more original merchandise from the booth.
The lights went down and Odd Future DJ, Taco Bennett, came out to deafening screams and high-fived the whole front row, before turning up the crowd with a dangerously hype DJ set, spinning tracks from Chief Keef, Waka Flocka and Schoolboy Q. Things got out of hand during the set as the young crowd began a mosh pit as many Wolf Gang fans began to crowd surf. Security had to dive into the sea of people, pulling out the crying and injured who had almost been trampled by the insanity. A young boy even fell into the media pit while crowd surfing, landing on his head and cutting it open on the grate.
Just as the war scene seemed like it couldn’t get more out of hand, Tyler emerged from the side stage, rocking his usual green cap, white knee highs, golf shorts and a white GOLF tee. Accompanied by Odd Future member, Jasper Dolphin he spit tracks “We Got Bitches”, “VCR/Wheels”, “Yonkers” and “Seven” as the sold out crowd spit along to every word, religiously. With his charismatic and comedic charm and trademarked deep voice, Tyler engaged with his fans and even borrowed a fan’s sunglasses, rocking them through part of his set and returning them after jumping around the stage.
To the joy and excitement of his fans, Tyler performed tracks off of his upcoming, highly anticipated album Wolf that dropped this month. He spit full versions of “Bimmer”, “Cowboy”, “Domo 23” and “Awkward” as fans bobbed their heads, taking in every word, visibly pleased with the sound of the new project.
From start to finish, the show was full of unpredictable surprises and Tyler proved that even though he is the biggest comedian in the game, his live shows are no joke.

Jermaine Dupri DJ Set

Some legendary concerts and panels went down at this year’s Canadian Music Week, but the festivities also spilled over to the club, as hip-hop legend Jermaine Dupri hit up Cinema as a guest DJ last Saturday night.
Walking into the relatively new club located in Toronto’s upscale Liberty Village, it would have been hard to believe that the renowned JD would be in the building as the first few hours, the warm-up DJ spun electronic and top 40 tracks. It seemed to be a high class, high-heeled affair, where private bottle popping celebrations were happening in all the small booths around the parameter of the dark club. One group went as big as to pop the top on a Texas Mickey of Grey Goose, quite evidentially enjoying itself.
By 1 a.m., the venue was packed and the dance floor was full of intoxicated patrons waving neon flashing glow sticks, having the time of their lives. Just then, a bald shiny head that could barely be seen over the top of the DJ booth appeared, which one could only assume was Mr. Dupri.
He threw on Rihanna’s “Pour It Up” and stood up with his arms in the air as the crowd screamed. Cinema became a zoo as the females made their way close to the DJ stand, the camera flashes adding to the light show from the electric neon booth. It was so crowded that it was hard to even dance to the bangers the ATL CEO spun. Not that the tracks were anything spectacular, as JD played the same recent club hits that can be heard during any local clubbing night out such as, Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance” and Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like”. For such a legend, it would have been nice to hear the classic hits from his glory days in addition to the one or two Hov tracks he actually did spin.
Those in attendance didn’t seem to mind at all though, as they danced into the early morning.

Action Bronson in TO for CMW

Toronto was in dire need of a raw, grimy, underground type show and no one was more qualified than Queens’ rapper Action Bronson, who hit up The Hoxton as a part of Canadian Music Week.
The show started promptly at 9:30 p.m. with opening acts. Hip-hop/rock band Anami Vice hit the stage to perform its unique music before Toronto rapper TF House performed an energetic set with tracks from his Young Desperado project, accompanied by DJ Yobi, as the venue began to fill up with enthusiastic concertgoers.
The lights dimmed as the crowd chanted “Bronson”, anxious for the Queens’ rapper to come out, but first Australian rap artist 360 hit the stage. The lanky tatted emcee, with a thick accent, spit over filthy electronic beats that rattled the venue, which became wall-to-wall, shoulder-to-shoulder rammed, making it hard to even dance to the hypnotizing music.
DJ Fathom spun records, as the crowd began to get impatient for Action Bronson and began chanting, some people even throwing water bottles. The show was completely sold out and the venue was at capacity making it next to impossible to even move. Audience members were stuck in limbo, anticipating the Albanian spitter to finally appear, only able to bob their heads to the DJ who spun records from Jay-Z, DMX, Biggie and Busta in hopes of keeping the crowd calm.
Just when it seemed like a riot was about to break out, the 310 pound, bearded emcee reached the stage in shorts and a grey toque with a drink, and sparked a blunt as the crowd did the same. He began spitting acclaimed tracks such as, “Strictly 4 My Jeeps” and “Gateway To Wizardry” as the crowd rapped along. After making the fans that angry, it was unreal how quickly Bronson made them forget, giving them the show they paid to see.
To make up to his dedicated fans for waiting so long, Bronson pulled out a giant bag and began throwing dime sacks of weed into the crowd, which he said that he bagged himself in his hotel room. As he continued spitting tracks off his newest mixtape, Rare Chandeliers, Bronson did the unthinkable and dove off the stage into the crowd, which unbelievably caught him as he crowd surfed. If the venue wasn’t so packed, it could have ended badly for the fans and the overweight emcee, but it made for a shocking moment in show history.
For fans craving a raw, no-filler show, Bronson came through and gave them their fix.

Meek Mill in Toronto

King Of The Dot's Vengeance 2

Toronto’s Guvernment was once again transformed into a battleground as King Of The Dot set up camp with its Vengeance 2 event as part of Canadian Music Week. The full day of intense live battles once again proved that anything could happen at a KOTD event.
After wins from Lax Luther, Aftershock and Real Deal and an awkward and humiliating battle from Tony D, who flew in all the way from the UK just to choke horribly numerous times in the ring, it was announced that the main event between Hollohan and Charlie Clips would be cancelled as Hollohan had breached his probation and was being detained for the weekend. KOTD apologized to everyone in attendance and promised that the organization had done everything in its power to get him out.
Along with the fans, Charlie Clips was also disappointed about not being able to battle, but not for egotistical reasons, solely because he didn’t want to let his fans down. To give them what they paid for, he gave the crowd a preview of the work he was about to give the no-show, which received the approval of his fans.
“They said ‘you scared of Hollohan’ in Canada then Charlie Clips popped up so that showed you who’s really scared, ‘cause on the day we’re supposed to battle, Hollohan got locked up. That was a freestyle right there, off the top, but it was for real,” Clips joked. “God bless him though.”
The New York battle beast said he feels like he owes his fans, and that he’ll be back out to a KOTD event soon.
The event continued as the TheSaurus and DNA battle was replaced as the main event, and the two renowned rappers did not disappoint. All three rounds were close as the two displayed their lyrical skill as respected emcees and champions in their own right. It will be a battle that fans will be debating over for a long time, for purely personal preference as opposed to a definite winner.
“It’s a battle that people can watch over and over. That’s my key thing when I battle, because you don’t want a bad performance from both or a bad performance for one and a good one for the other, when both people are going at it, saying some good stuff then it has a lot of replay value,” DNA said after his battle.
It was a day of many surprises and unfinished business that will only add greater anticipation for what’s to come for the battlers and the King Of The Dot movement.

ThisIsWalder.com showcases TDot Spitters

Anyone can make a music blog nowadays. It takes no effort to sign into WordPress, post a video and rant about any topic under the sun, but it takes a nonstop grind and a serious passion to turn a blog into a household name and use that name to make a positive impact for the artists that blog covers. Toronto’s hip-hop blog ThisIsWalder.com attempted just that by supporting homegrown talent at its Showcasing Toronto event hosted at Revival last Sunday night.
Many of the city’s top spitters such as JD Era, Tommy Spitz, Raz Fresco and Peter Jackson hit the stage with that TDot flavour as Flow 93.5 FM’s Dames Nellas turned the night into a jam, spinning party tracks between sets.
Daniel Minichini, one of the organizer’s of the night’s events, said the motive of the showcase was to add exposure to Toronto talent and showcase buzzing acts, who play an influential role in the character of our Toronto hip-hop community.
From Juno award nominated emcee JD Era to the young Bakersclub rapper/producer Raz Fresco, each act was vastly different from the next and original in their own right, but together represented the identity of hip-hop in the north.
“[Hip-hop] is such a niche market and it’s so focused on the diversity of the scene. Starting from the roots, we have so many hip-hop artists that are coming from so many different places in Ontario and I think the root comes from the nature of our city. It is very musical and it’s very artistic,” Minichini says.
Mr. OneTwoooo, Tommy Spitz took a break from his musical hiatus, and proved that he hasn’t missed a beat during his time away and performed new, unreleased music for the audience. The self-proclaimed ‘Top 5 in Canada’ emcee chose the Walder showcase to return to the stage because of his respect for the blog and its contribution to Canadian hip-hop.
“[Thisiswalder] didn’t treat me like a promoter trying to make money off an artist or money off of a show. This is Walder is hip-hop,” Spitz says.
The support wasn’t fully there in numbers at the venue, but by eliminating the American headliner and turning the focus on local talent, Toronto is one step closer to recognizing the underappreciated skills we harbour. ThisIsWalder.com took the culture off the screen and onto the stage, where it belongs and no matter the turnout, demonstrated that the blog really does support Canadian hip-hop.

Pac Div in Toronto

The Known Unknown x AR Report

In just a few short months after its rebirth, the Known Unknown has evolved past being just a prominent monthly showcase in Toronto by bringing a new element to the mix. Collaborating with A&R Report’s Who Got Next, Tika Simone, Michael Asante and their collective armies brought the industry to the talent through a Toronto artist showcase at The Hard Rock Café this month.
The allure of opportunity was undeniable while walking through the doors, and the historical venue, with photos of legends lining its walls, only added to the excitement of the night’s event. Supporters filled the venue to absorb the talent from Toronto, anticipating what is next for the budding careers of each act.
Talent scouts and industry folk such as Epic Records’ Jeff Juin had their eyes on the stage, upping the ante of pressure for the artists and giving an opportunity that surpassed their regular performance.
The event’s host Marlon Palmer announced the evening’s line-up, which consisted of bands Unbuttoned and Plaitwrights, who were both magical forces on stage, unbelievably skilled singer Juvon Taylor and rappers Sean Leon, G Milla, TFHOUSE and KJ, who showed the audience what Toronto hip-hop is working with.
Toronto rapper/singer/art director, WolF J McFarlane shared his set to showcase some of his musical peers such as Shi Wisdom, O’Sound and Lord Quest, who performed alongside him. “It was very embracing. You could actually see people listening to the music. It’s not the Screwface Capital as everybody always puts it. Everybody really enjoyed the music. I got a lot of feedback,” he says.
Nylo, the night’s headlining performer, hailing from Chicago, wowed the Hard Rock in a white lace dress, with her trained vocals and incredible range.
Toronto blogger, Jordan Hayles, also known as Mr. STiXX, says that this month’s Known Unknown stood apart from others. “Because there are more industry people here, it’s like everyone is bringing their A game and the selection that they had, although they have the returning visitors like Juvon Taylor and WolF J McFarlane… there’s a lot of good talent,” he says. “… The fact that so many people come out to see the unknown talent that we have here is a good sign.”
Giving talent a stage to perform on is already a commendable act, as so many artists lack the opportunity, but to offer them a microphone and an audience consisting of fans and industry alike is a change that evolved many of the artists on the bill from taking their skills from a hobby to a career. Although it’s unknown what is to come for many of the artists, with the amount of talent showcased at this month’s event, what is known is Toronto got next.

Reel World Film Festival's ReelSpeek with Tangi Miller

Truth and betrayal; quite the oxymoron, but was nonetheless the theme at Famous Players Canada Square Cinema on the second night of the country’s premiere film festival dedicated to diverse filmmakers. Producer and actress Tangi Miller spoke truths about life at the NBC Universal sponsored ReelSpeak Q&A and discussed the betrayal of her character in her newest film, The Good Life, which screened at the theatre as part of the ReelWorld Film Festival.
CBC’s Michael Serapio sat down with Miller in a live Q&A in front of a theatre of fans, filmmakers and aspiring actors to discuss her career, childhood, dating life, horoscope, what she has in the works and her transition into the production role.
“I love the control, I am the oldest child, the alpha female and I’m very controlling,” she says on her production position. “It’s a lot more work, but I really like it. It’s not just that I can control, it’s having a voice and as an artist, I enjoy acting and I love expressing myself through characters and playing parts, but being able to tell your story or the story that you think is important is awesome. And being able to see the film after you’ve written it, put everybody together, cut it and edit it – you just can’t beat it.”
After a brief intermission, her latest film The Good Life, directed by Christopher Nolen was screened in the same theatre where she previously spoke. Her character Marianne and husband Jacques face fidelity issues proving that there is no such thing as the perfect couple, which led to a thrilling storyline of intense passion, lies and betrayal.
Founder and executive director of the ReelWorld Film Festival, Tonya Lee Williams, said the film was showcased at this year’s festival for its collective theme that many people watching will be able to relate to. Even through the drama, the universal truths were quite apparent and are exactly what the ReelWorld looks for when choosing its films.
“Our films are really universal stories; they are not segregated, stereotypical stories. These are people from the Aboriginal, Asian, African, Caribbean, Latino, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities and they are telling the same stories that mainstream stories tell. This movie is about a married couple and the challenges that they find being a married couple and I think that goes for any married couple,” she says.

The Youth Code

The Youth Code, a new foundation supporting abused children through the arts, was launched with a beautiful, emotional and inspiring Inaugural fundraiser at One King West earlier this month.
Actor and founder Kalista Zackhariyas started the program after growing up in an abusive environment, which led her to living on the streets. As a survivor, she wanted to give back by starting The Youth Code to rehabilitate and help the healing process of children dealing with abuse, using the arts.
“I really believe in the power of the arts. It’s been my redemptive story and my reason for a happy ending and I believe in what it can accomplish,” she says emotionally.
“We all have something to give to this world,” Zackhariyas continues. “We all contribute to it in a certain way and when you have gone through abuse, there is a lot of very heavy emotions and a lot of energy that needs to be expelled. A lot of times, kids are looking for love and they will find it, but usually in all the wrong places and giving them a space to belong to and be able to take that energy and to create something and to be able to look back and say ‘I contributed to this world in a beautiful and positive way,’ that’s a huge message that you’re sending to them on so many levels. That’s something that they can make and take with them as they move forward.”
The fundraiser began with a reception of gourmet foods, a red carpet where guests and performers mingled and a silent auction raising money for the worthy cause. Bollywood star Veronica Chail and supermodel Sam Sarapong hosted the night, inviting guests to take their seats and welcoming the list of talented performers to the stage, all so different, but yet enthusiastic about supporting The Youth Code movement.
“So You Think You Can Dance” winner Jordan Clark mesmerized the crowd with her unique ability, before artist and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal performed an inspirational number about peace, which had the crowd on its feet, making peace signs and putting them in the air.
Later in the evening, headlining performers Jesse Giddings and Keshia Chante took the stage to each support the Youth Code movement through their music.
Once Keshia Chante heard about the program, she says she wanted to be a part of the launch, as she knows what music has done for her and believes in its healing impact on children. “I’ve had my ups and downs and I’ve always had music there, it’s such a therapeutic thing. I feel like there are so many kids in such difficult situations in Toronto and you can’t give every kid a therapist, but you can give them art and an outlet and I think it’s really freeing,” she said before belting her heart out to the audience for charity.
The energy in the room indicated that those in attendance shared with Zackhariyas her dream and it was a clear indicator that soon, the city will also feel the same about the healing power of music.

Canadian Music Week Panels

Not only was Toronto the hub for non-stop concerts of every genre at every venue the city offers from artists all over the world as part of Canadian Music Week, but it was also a learning headquarters for artists and industry professionals interested in evolving their craft.
Musicians, managers, publicists and people with any title imaginable associated with the music industry attended panels at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel from Thursday through until Sunday on almost every topic imaginable.
Booths were set up throughout the lobby from Monster Energy, Trebas Institute and radio stations such as 96.9 Jack FM, providing great networking opportunities for those in attendance between learning sessions.
From early Thursday morning, artists herded themselves into various ballrooms after checking out the array of booths, hungry to learn more about the market and how to propel their careers.
One of the festival’s first panels was, “Making Money For Artists: DIY Social Online Tools” featuring industry professionals such as Lou Plaia from ReverbNation, Matt Mason from Bittorrent, David Dufresne from Bandzoogle and others who shared their insight with the packed ballroom on the importance of web branding, live streaming and most importantly, owning an updated website. “The biggest mistake [an artist can make on their website] is not having one, the second biggest mistake is having one and not keeping it updated. A website is a living thing,” Bandzoogle’s David Dufresne explained.
Later on in the day, after an afternoon of networking and one-on-one mentor interviews with some of the panelists, the motivated CMW attendees crowded into the Trinity room for the “Topspin + MTV: How Artists Can Work With Big Media To Grow Fanbase” where Topspin’s Bob Moczydlowsky and MTV’s Jose Cuello explained a new medium provided by a partnership of the two companies for artists to fill out a page on the MTV website in order to promote their music on a high traffic site.
“It’s never really happened before where you have this enormous media partner that is connected to millennials the way that MTV is, allowing you to do this with our traffic. It’s mutually beneficial but it’s a missed opportunity if people don’t come here and build up their pages,” Cuello explained.
After soaking in the information from the hour long panels, each which included a Q&A period, the artists left buzzing with inspiring conversation about what they had learnt and how they were about to apply that new-found knowledge to their careers.

Imani Awards

Every great achievement should be awarded, no matter who you are, or where you come from and the inaugural Imani Awards is a step in the right direction.
The African Canadian Legal Clinic and the Youth Justice Education Program (YJEP) celebrated the accomplishments of a few deserving African-Canadian youth within the city at the first ever Imani Awards hosted at the Peter and Paul Banquet Hall in Toronto’s east end, last Sunday afternoon.
All proceeds of the event were donated to the eight YJEP men who are headed overseas to Africa in order to continue project and self-development. The award’s host and Canadian icon, Farley Flex, touched on the importance of such a journey.
“When you see the fruits of their labour and I’m not talking about raising money to go to Africa, I’m talking about putting an initiative like this together, staying the course of the YJEP program, it tells you that, if they weren’t interrupted by the social ills that are out there facing our community, I’m proud of where they are now, but imagine where they are going,” Flex announced to the hall of attendees.
“It’s critical that we work together to make sure that this kind of stuff happens on mass throughout the diaspora, not just Toronto, not just Ontario, not just Canada, not just North America, throughout the diaspora.”
One of the eight YJEP youth headed to Africa, Segun Akinsanya and actress Donisha Prendergast, who is the granddaughter to the late legend Bob Marley, awarded Ken Jeffers with the Elder Award for all his work in the community in the past 45 years. Other awards of the celebratory day consisted of Michelle Green with the Education Award, Dereese Williams with the Justice Award, Christopher Reid with the Youth In Care Award and the Mental Health award was given to Jamal Binwalee, who delivered an inspiring poem to the hall.
On top of the inspirational speakers and awards, the day’s performances were nothing short of entertaining. Beyond Sound amazed the crowd with a highly energetic drum set, bringing a unique and culturally rich experience to the already profound event. A dance performance from Gimme One Riddim, song from O’Neil Watson, spoken word from Rise Poetry’s Randell Adjei, comedy from Marc Trinidad and a rap from Promise were all highlights of the powerful day.
One the eight YJEP youth, Kadeem Reid thanked attendees for all their support and urged for the continuation of such initiatives, not just for the young men on their mission to Africa, but for the future of all youth in the GTA. “It is time to build unity to add strength and support in our community,” he says.
And with the support of the youth and the Imani Awards, it looks like it is just the beginning of future empowerment for those on the edge of losing faith, for if anything can be taken from the day of praise, it is that it is possible for anyone to turn their lives around and they should be recognized for such an achievement.

T-Dot Pioneers Exhibit

In order to move forward, we need to pay homage to the past and those who have paved the way and that’s just what the Toronto hip-hop industry took part in last Thursday evening as the Nia Centre for the Arts, the Onyx Society and Northside Hip Hop presented the opening of the T-Dot Pioneers 3.0: The Future Must Be Replenished exhibit at the SOHO Lobby Gallery.
A number of young artists both celebrated the history of Toronto’s hip-hop community and questioned its position in the future with their visual art pieces, which hung around the gallery as the packed house mingled and debated about the symbolism of the art in correlation to the history of hip-hop in Canada.
Tamu Beatrice, a young artist who displayed her interactive 3D piece “The Light” says she is honoured to be a part of such an important event paying homage to the artists who set the foundation for the community and culture.
“We have our one or two big hip-hop artists, but it’s more than that. Hip-hop is a culture and a way of life, it has a history and it has meaning so I think to be a part of it is empowering,” she says.
The T-Dot Pioneers exhibit is not only revolutionary in that it is the first exhibit showcased at the SOHO but the gallery is also a huge milestone for the Toronto hip-hop community as it only further states that the city’s industry has evolved and is in no way slowing down. For a genre so frequently ignored as a serious industry, it was a step forward for the culture to have a gallery funded by the Ontario Arts Council.
Mistee Clarke, an Onyx artist, took part in the exhibit as her first ever gallery opportunity, displaying her six-foot square cardboard sculpture titled, “Hip-Hop Mandala” as a symbol of change that needs to be made in the Toronto industry in order to better its future.
“Within the Mandala, I have hands linked, which basically represents unity and I think that, for me, one of the important things in figuring out where we’re going to go, we need to be united in that meditation and actively involved in that meditation,” she says.
Legendary Canadian videographer, Director X, conducted a speech, with a glass of white wine in hand, candidly talking on his history in the industry and the steps he took to achieve a title as a hip-hop pioneer to the packed gallery of guests.
Farley Flex, a legend in Canada’s music scene and a hip-hop pioneer, also attended the gallery, and appreciated the opportunity to celebrate the work he and his peers have accomplished for the culture.
“It’s nice to see when there is some chronology to all the work you’ve put in and reflect back and have an understanding of what you contributed and why you contributed it. I thought X did a really good job of doing his version of a documentary or timeline as to how things evolved and the hustle it takes to be there and be here now,” he says. “There is a lot of opportunity to come and go, but to come and stay is a lot harder.”
With a packed gallery of pioneers and young aspiring artists, it seemed as though the gallery acted as a “passing of the torch” ceremony between the two generations who reflected on the past and looked forward to the future of Toronto hip-hop.
The creative and visually appealing pieces will remain on display at the SOHO Lobby Gallery until April 26.