If I Ruled TO

“You guys need to remember to vote and not just to vote, but to run. So far, we’ve had up onstage for the politicians, Peggy and four white guys in suits. Does that represent who you are?”
“NOOO,” the full ballroom of over 1,000 children, youth and young adults hollers back to MP Michael Sullivan at the second annual If I Ruled TO Youth Summit at the luxurious Sheridan Centre last weekend.
From morning until night, Toronto Community Housing presented a full day of empowerment for youth throughout the Greater Toronto Area. The event offered youth speeches from members of parliament, performances from some of the best musical talent inside Canada, informative workshops and a promise of change in their communities. The day focused on urging every youth who attended to take control of their city.
“More extracurricular activities,” “more job opportunities,” and “police who serve and protect, not control,” were just some of the many answers the youth of Toronto answered back with when asked what they would do if they ruled Toronto.
Special guests such as Toronto Raptor, Terrence Ross, supermodel Stacey McKenzie and singers Jully Black and Karl Wolf, made the large-scale offer to change these infrastructures in the city all the more relatable for the youth who look up to them by using themselves as examples of how to make the impossible a reality. Black, who is from community housing herself, and Karl Wolf, who immigrated to Canada, are both no strangers to struggle and understand how important motivating the next generation is, because change is possible through the youth.
“If I can make it here, then anybody can and that’s a part of why I’m here today,” Karl Wolf explained.
After a day of speeches, panels, workshops and seminars, the youth were prepared for an evening of music from Jully Black, Karl Wolf, Glenn Lewis and many more with guest host, Mr. BET, Bow Wow. The children stood on tables, chairs and crowded around the stage, to get close to the host of “106 and Park”, snapping photos in disbelief. At one point, security lost control of the crowd, and the fans rushed the stage, before Bow Wow was escorted out of the building. But the day was not about the talent, entertainers or celebrities; the day was about the youth and lighting the spark within them to begin to believe that with enough passion and determination, no matter where they are from, they can rule TO.
We took the time out to ask a number of the people in attendance at If I Ruled TO, what does your Toronto look like in 10 to 20 years? Here’s what they had to say:
Shukri Dualeh: My Toronto in 10 to 20 years would look like a place where kids will be lining up to go get their book signed rather than collecting Jordans. I’m a promoter of literacy. I believe that through literacy, we begin to bridge some of the questions that are lingering in the back of our heads.
Dwayne Morgan: I would love to see a lot of the young people that are here across the street at city hall as the mayor, as councillors, and in positions to actually make effective change − so this is just a spark.
Glenn Lewis: The hope is that the young people that are here today understand that as a community, they need to support one another… They have to begin with supporting one another, empowering each other and showing that love to one another. In 10 to 20 years, I would love to see that kind of community and that kind of camaraderie. I think all other positive by-products of that would just naturally come from that kind of connection.
Jully Black: In 10 to 20 years, I would love to hear our Toronto, the way that we actually look. As diverse as we are in our communities, I would like to hear our music that way on a mainstream platform. I would also like to be sure that we take care of our elders, because the wisdom is preserved there and so, even though this summit is for the youth, we can’t forget about our elders.

Ab-Soul in Toronto for the Smokers Club Tour

Danny Brown and Action Bronson in Toronto

When Danny Brown couldn’t get cross the Canadian border for his Calgary stop of the 2 High 2 Die tour with Action Bronson, many people gave up faith that the XXX artist would ever get in and the Canadian tour would be a bust. That isn’t to say that Action Bronson wouldn’t put on a good show, after all, the last time he was in Toronto, the nearly-300-pound rapper crowd surfed at the Hoxton, but Brown’s Canadian fans were tired of the dream-crushing border. When it came time for the Toronto stop, however, the unexpected happened, and Danny got in.
The anticipation to witness rap history, with Danny’s first Canadian show resonated through the packed Danforth Music Hall as the DJ warmed up the crowd. As Bronson’s DJ set up onstage, he could be heard shouting out profanities over the mic, signaling his fans into screams of applause as he casually walked out on stage to perform tracks such as, “Strictly 4 My Jeeps” and “Bird On A Wire”. Bronson even took the opportunity to premiere two tracks off of his upcoming project Blue Chips 2, which he recently announced would be out in November.
In an act that has created a lot of controversy, Bronson invited a female onstage, where he lifted her face forward over his shoulders before continuing on with his set. For anyone who listens to Bronson’s music and/or has seen his live show, this should come as no surprise, but reviews have stated otherwise, and Bronson was sure to share his responses to the matter over Twitter, following the show.
After Bronson, was the moment so many fans had been waiting for, as Danny Brown hopped onstage and began his insane set, as he performed bangers such as “Witit”, “Blunt After Blunt”, (while smoking with fans) and “Black Brad Pitt”. Danny, who is known for his interesting range in voices, executed them perfectly; as his highs and lows resonated through the crowd; fans moshed and danced and screamed along with him. For someone that is constantly looked at in the media as a gimmick and non conventional artist, Danny put on an intense show with just the music, and it couldn’t have been a better show. One thing is for certain though; it’s not possible to experience the true genius of Danny Brown until experiencing his live set.

Q&A with Jimmy B

On one of the first very cool fall days of 2013, rapper Jimmy B sits at the basketball court he grew up playing at in Toronto’s Scarborough community, the day before he and his SmashMouth homies will head out on the Canadian leg of the Smokers Club Tour alongside Ab-Soul and Joey Bada$$. The grind is real for the young up-and-comer. He just finished his tour stops with Flatbush Zombies and is now heading out on the road again. He juggles this while preparing to put out his new project, L.O.R.D.S. Here, the young emcee with a laid-back sound, shares insight on the upcoming project and what life is really like as an opening act on tour.
WE’RE HERE AT THE BASKETBALL COURT YOU GREW UP PLAYING AT, HOW HAS YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC? It had everything to do with it. If you listen to the music, there are people’s names in there that I grew up with, there are certain situations that we’ve been through in this area that happened and transferred over to the music. We’ve seen a lot of things here, seen people get locked up, we’ve been through things of our own so that all just translated to the music and it is the environment that has everything to do with the music.
YOU ARE GETTING READY TO PUT OUR YOUR NEW PROJECT, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS FOR YOU AS AN ARTIST? The project just represents everything that I’ve been up to up to this point as far as life goes and as far as music goes. It’s called L.O.R.D.S. and I use it as an acronym that stands for “life only respects the successful,” because me and my whole team are trying to be lords and whenever people think of lords, they think of gods, so we are just trying to be that in our own society. You only get respect in this life when you are successful. The whole project is just me trying to be successful when I’m still stuck in a place where I’m not.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT YOU FIT IN, IN THE TORONTO AND CANADIAN HIP-HOP SCENE? I just feel there are a lot of Toronto artists and everyone is doing their thing and shit, but I don’t feel like anyone is really telling the story of everyday life in Toronto. In Toronto, I feel like you’re either doing gangster rap or you took the Drake route, where you are making that singing/rapping music. There are not a lot of artists that are on a middle ground and if there are, they only appeal to a certain amount of people. I just want to broaden that horizon and appeal to everyone and the everyday person. You don’t have to be a gangster to know what a gangster’s mentality is. You don’t have to be a prep to know what a prep’s mentality is.
YOU OPEN FOR QUITE A NUMBER OF SHOWS, SUCH AS THE FLATBUSH ZOMBIES AND THE SMOKER’S CLUB TOUR RECENTLY, WHAT IS LIFE LIKE FOR AN OPENING ACT ON TOUR? Honestly, it is a bit of what it’s cracked up to be, but it is also smoke and mirrors. You’ve got to deal with janky promoters, when you are an opening act, no one really knows who you are, you showing up at these venues, you’ve got to explain to them who we are. The dope part of it is the performance part and chilling backstage and meeting people, but the smoke and mirrors part are long ass rides, you’re exhausted by the time you even get to the show and it takes an hour and a half to get settled in. It is an excruciating process, but it’s dope as hell, because you are on the road with people you work with, friends and shit and you know you get to party here and then.
DO YOU EAT FROM IT OR IS IT AN INVESTMENT? Right now, it’s an investment, because I believe if the music is good enough and if the person works hard enough, then all of that will come in time. A lot of people in my position would be out here trying to get a cheque off of everything, but me, I’m not doing this to be famous or to get money, but I’m doing this, because I actually love to make music.
WHEN IT COMES TO PERFORMING AND MUSIC, WHAT IS YOUR END GOAL? The end goal is to be the best at what I do, build a business and make sure everyone around me eats.

My Toronto Sun Column: Week 6

Heart smart
Emotions ran high on The Biggest Loser as the reasons why some of the contestants are here were underscored.
After trainer Jillian saved Craig from elimination last week, she sat down to talk to him about his inspiration for changing his life: His children and the fact that his father had passed away at age 32. Then the Velvet Teddy-Bear, Ruben, visited the doctor and was told that he has diabetes. He responded with three words: "I am afraid." Also, Hap met his newborn son for the first time over FaceTime. How's that for motivation?
At the first team challenge of the season, the blue, red and white teams were shocked as host Alison Sweeney announced at this week's weigh-in: Only one person's weight would count for each team and they wouldn't know who it is until the weigh-in itself. With a roll of the dice at this week's weigh-in, Hap was chosen for the blue team, Tanya was chosen for the red team and Fernanda was chosen for the white team to represent the rest of the competitors with their weight. Hap, who had pushed hard after meeting his son, lost 13 pounds, Tanya lost four pounds and Fernanda became the first competitor eliminated this week after she had only lost two pounds.
Shifting tides
The game just changed again on Survivor.
Laura M. dominated on Redemption Island at this week's duel, sending Brad Culpepper home. Then Survivor host Jeff Probst announced another shocker. After 14 days of playing against their loved ones, they were going to switch things up by drawing for new tribes. Tyson, Gervase and Aras moved to Tadhana and Vytas and Katie moved over to Galang. Katie is now playing alongside her mother Tina, and Vytas is now the only male on the team, while Ciera is the only female. The re-shuffled tribes got to know one another, but it was obvious that alliances and dynamics were in flux. Case in point: Tyson and Gervas seemed to be turning on Aras.
At the immunity/reward challenge, attention to detail was not a strength. Galang's Tina and Laura B. forgot a large part of the immunity challenge, swimming back to shore without their fishing net. That ensured they would be facing tribal council. Ultimately Kat showed she couldn't be trusted when she suggested voting out "over-strategizer" Monica, despite their alliance. That disloyalty spooked her tribe members, who in turn, voted her off the island.
Cold comfort
From Portugal to Norway, the eight remaining Amazing Race teams were forced to take the same flight to the Arctic Circle.
In a nasty detour, the teams had the choice to hang fish heads or make fish jerky before jumping off a bridge into the Arctic water during this week's road block. At least they got the chance to wash off the smell. Teams like the bearded gang, Brandon and Adam, had little trouble with the challenges, while baseball wives Nicky and Kim struggled to keep up with the rest of the pack.
In the last part of the challenge, teams had to use a Ford pick-up to move a giant boulder in order to grab coins and the whereabouts of the pit-stop. But by rushing her ex, Marie left the clue and they headed out with no idea where they were going. They ran into married ER doctors Travis and Nicole on the way, who offered to help them out if the team agreed to hand over their express pass. But the pair of exes declined. Stubbornness is not a good quality to have in this game. The bearded team was the first to reach Viking Longhouse, winning them a head start and $5,000 each. The fate of the remaining teams were left to be shown next week when the race continues.
Glitches and missteps
Technical difficulties proved good news for the weaker performers on this week's Dancing with the Stars, as voting glitches meant no teams were eliminated.
Among those struggling: Bill Engvall and Emma Slater, whose "redneck tango" earned them the lowest score. Most teams fared better. Highlights included Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Val Chmerkovskiy's empowering cha-cha, which was given the first perfect score of the season.
In a new twist, improvised dances were introduced, meaning the performers were able to show what they had learned. Lastly, Ariana Grande and Mika joined the cast this week to perform their hit song, Popular.

Chali 2na Q&A

Chali 2na, a hip-hop renaissance man, who wears the hats of an artist, photographer, actor and of course, founding member of the legendary hip-hop groups Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, took a tour across Canada this fall to show his fans that, somewhere between his old-school style and new-school industry mentality, that he’s still got it. With a new EP series and plenty of artwork, the hip-hop legend is giving back to the fans that have been rocking with him for decades.
HOW DO YOU ENJOY PERFORMING SOLO AS OPPOSED TO A GROUP DYNAMIC? To be honest, I just enjoy performing. It’s not really a ‘I’ll take it or leave it’ in any way. It is more so, if I can get a chance to do it, I’m down. It’s an honour to say that I love my job. I’m satisfied being this old still doing this shit.
HOW HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN TO YOUR LATEST PROJECT, AGAINST THE CURRENT? Against The Current is basically a series of EPs that I’m going to try and put out. The first one, I put out earlier this year, the next one I’m trying to put out in November. The response from it has been phenomenal from the way that I put it out. This is some new stuff for me. I’m an older guy part of the old school way of the music business, which is, being attached to a label, having them dudes take all of your money, and all of that stuff. We were definitely slaves to Interscope and Universal Records for nine or 10 years for sure, but that’s what you were supposed to do back then if you wanted to get your stuff heard. Now, the internet has infiltrated and it not only wrecked the music business from what it used to be, but it created an avenue so that artists had to become business men and had to take responsibility for their own shit.
Because of that, a lot of us have learned and a lot of us have fell off, but a lot of us have prospered beyond our dreams. All I did was sit back and go, ‘Okay, there are no more record labels, there are no more record stores, the record store now is iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Soundcloud, so the way that people consume music is not the same.’ It is not an album worth of material. People are going to iTunes, looking at your album, and picking four or five songs. I thought it would be dope to give them a series of EPs based on that principle, five or six songs of my best material.
YOU’VE BEEN DOING YOUR THING FOR A MINUTE, WHAT STORY DO YOU HAVE LEFT TO TELL ON YOUR NEXT PROJECTS? Some of these dudes get caught in the romanticized aspect of entertaining and being a celebrity and me personally, I’m more in love with being a regular dude and displaying that regularness to people in a celebrity fashion. My motto is not star to fan, but rather man to man. I think that just keeps me more grounded than anything.
IN YOUR OWN WORDS, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE LEGACY THAT YOU HAVE LEFT IN HIP-HOP? I’m hoping that my legacy is based on honest, positive, conscious vibes; something that makes people think about something that is able to help them change. The media toys around with the word ‘jihad’, but that word actually means ‘war with the self.’ It’s all about cleaning house and that’s my own personal jihad is just trying to keep this thing clean and hopefully when I’m gone, that my son and his friends and when he’s gone, his son and his friends will be able to reach back. I want to leave something that is undeniable when my name comes up.

A3C Press Junket

The ballroom of Atlanta’s Melia Hotel looked like the behind-the-scenes of a rap show during most days of the A3C hip-hop festival, but the floor was a platform for industry knowledge and networking as the panels, interviews and press junkets went down all week long. Fans were given an opportunity to learn about their favourite artists, artists were able to network with industry professionals and gain the right contacts with the right people, and members of the press were able to grab those interviews that they needed, all under one roof. Talk about a hip-hop one-stop shop.
Artists like Atlanta’s Forte Bowie, Heltah Skeltah’s Rock-Ness Monster and Da Coroner all took a turn on the mic to share their thoughts on A3C and what they’ve got in the works musically during the press junket, where media crowded around the table during the live stream.
Lyrical legend R.A The Rugged Man took a minute out of his day, the afternoon of his headlining A3C show to speak about the festival. Although, in his words, he thought the festival itself was unorganized, he was still looking forward to performing and sharing his craft.
“I come from that era where, f*ck just making a record, you got to obliterate the stage, so my stage show, like my flows are like my ego,” he says, chuckling into the microphone.
Up-and-coming stars, such as Ken Rebel, had a turn to talk to press as well. The upcoming Brooklyn emcee, who shared the stage with A$AP Ferg the previous night for his first ever A3C experience, was also featured on the official A3C Volume 3 mixtape. For upcoming rappers like himself, festivals such A3C are an important part in gaining a fan base, and he most certainly took advantage of the opportunity.
“Due to various artists all under one bill, different fan bases come out and support each artist so there’s a lot of new faces that you get to see and you can reach out to a new crowd that you don’t have. It’s like, I’ve never been in front of a crowd like this, so let me try and bring them in and make some new fans,” he says.
After five days of knowledge and networking for fans, artists, producers, DJs, managers and press, everyone won.

My Toronto Sun Column: Week 4

Spousal support?
On Survivor, it was husband vs. wife on Redemption Island as John faced his wife Candice as well as Marissa to stay alive in the game after Tadhana voted him of the island last week. Brad was to blame and the two were not scared to vocalize what they thought of him at the Redemption Island challenge. Luckily, in the puzzle challenge, both husband and wife made it through the task the quickest, sending Marissa home for good. The two spent time fishing and relaxing on the beach, where it looked more like honeymoon island, rather than a game of Survivor. In the immunity and reward challenge, Tadhana and Galang were head to head competing for tea and biscuits and the opportunity to remain safe in the game, but Galang pulled through in the end, winning immunity and remaining undefeated. At the tribal council meeting, Caleb, who had felt a target on his back, announced that he was voting for Brad, the team leader responsible for each player being sent off the island. The other players looked shocked, but in the end, they followed suit and Brad went to join the happy couple on Redemption Island in one of the most surprising tribal councils to date.
Gracious exit
Two-time Dancing with the Stars winner Julianne Hough took a seat on the judging panel as a guest and dished out tough critiques. Valerie Harper and Tristan MacManus waltzed out of the competition this week, as they were the third couple eliminated from the show. The 74-year-old actress, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, left graciously. Three couples earned high scores of 27, which included Corbin Bleu, Amber Riley and Elizabeth Berkley proving that the dancers are only getting better as the competition heats up.
Almost out of Runway
In the first part of Project Runway's Season 12 finale, Heidi and Tim announced the designers must complete at 10-look collection for Spring in only six weeks. The five remaining competitors were sent to their hometowns and given the time to complete each look. From LA to Philadelphia, Tim did his rounds to check on how each of them were doing and to add his two cents, of course. Back in NY, after completing their garments, the designers were surprised with the announcement that in addition to their collections, they must make an additional piece that can be washed, inspired by Tide detergent's new "Washable Fashions." This show is always thinking about pleasing their sponsors. In the end, Helen's collecting did not have the 'wow' factor necessary to make it to fashion week and he was eliminated. Next week the winner of season 12 is revealed.
Wow. Just wow.
If you met someone online and they told you they were the famous rapper Bow Wow, would you believe them? Likely not. But what if they sent you $10,000? Nineteen-year-old Keyonnah could only call Nev and Max of Catfish to help her figure out the mystery on this week's episode of Catfish. Although it seemed too good to be true, many signs showed the person on the other end of the line speaking to Keyonnah for the past few months may just be Bow Wow, especially the fact that they had send her $10,000. After driving to Atlanta and showing up at his door, the 'he' became a 'she' as a young woman by the name of Dee walked out, claiming her love for Keyonnah. In shock, Keyonnah was unable to forgive Dee for her lies and embarrassment and the two went their separate ways. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
SIDE:
Quote Of The Week: "It was an opportunity for me to carry a message to folks, not just with cancer, but with whatever challenge, like our song tonight -- carry on, carry on," Valerie said following her DWTS elimination.
Fearless Prediction: With such strong, innovated pieces the entire season, we are sure the new Project Runway winner will be Dom.
Biggest Surprise: NBC changed the premiere date of The Biggest Loser to a week later and it will now air Oct. 15.
What the heck moment: In one of the most surprising tribal councils to date, Tadhana turned on their leader and sent Brad to Redemption Island.

Wolf J McFarlane in Toronto

The Toronto Sun Column: Week 3

Gotta dance: It was Hollywood Night on DWTS, which came as nothing new to the contestants. The routines themselves, however, were another matter. Bill Nye, who suffered from a torn ligament last week, was eliminated in what was the worst jazz routine that the competition may have ever seen. And after a horrible week for Pretty Little Liars star Brant Daugherty, who suffered from an injury, lost cellphone and being robbed at gunpoint, he and partner Peta Murgatroyd, wowed the judges with their quickstep to Crazy In Love, earning them this week's highest score. Talk about a turnaround.
Finding a Voice: No one deserves to win more than the person that fails and doesn't give up and James Irwin got his karma this week. The 31-year old from St. Louis, who tried out last year and didn't make the cut, prompted all four judges on The Voice to push their button to choose the talented young man this time around. After praise from the others coaches and constructive criticism from Adam Levine, Irwin chose to join Levine's team. Smart move if we do say so. After the second last blind audition episode of the season, Cee Lo Green has three spots left on his team of 12, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton have two each, and Christina Aguilera has just one heading into next week, which wrap up the blind auditions.
Tribal counseling: No one likes a quitter, not even Survivor Blood vs. Water host Jeff Probst, who lost his cool on Galang's Colton Cumbie, after he quit the show last Friday night when he decided he didn't want to be there. And Probst, who is usually calm and collected, wasn't afraid to let the drama queen know how selfish he was being. Two reality TV no-nos - being a crybaby and a quitter, and Colton took the title of both.
Keeping up: After returning from their three-week TV hiatus, the Kardashians returned in time to showcase the lavish KimYe baby shower on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. While Kourtney and Khloe planned the details, which included all white decorations and a copy of Yeezus as a party favor, Kim was not set on the idea of having a shower due to all the negative attention she had been getting over her pregnancy. In an attempt to change her mind, Kris showed her a video of her own shower, which of course brought the tears with footage from the late Robert Kardashian. In the end, it worked and the reality queen caved on the idea. In the garden-themed shower, celebrities such as Kelly Osbourne and Kanye's family arrived, before Yeezus himself made his appearance.
Not so nice: The theory nice guys finish last proved true once again on Catfish as the MTV matchmakers Nev and Max travelled to Detroit to help a veteran named Derek. He'd been cheated on by both mothers of his children while he was serving in the military. Ouch! Derek was sure he had found love with Kristen who had added him on Facebook, but his happy ever after fell short when the three travelled to her home to find out that Kristen was really a mother of two named Chastity who had only created the Facebook account to spy on the father of her children. Talk about drama. Unfortunately for Derek, third time wasn't a charm and his search for love continues.
Extra from this week in reality:
Quote of the Week: "To say that all of this scrutiny doesn't get to you, I would be lying," admitted Kim. "But listening to my family, really does make me realize that I want to have this special moment for my daughter." - Kim Kardashian on her baby shower
Fearless Prediction: With drama queen Colton gone from Survivor Blood vs. Water, we have no doubt that the Galang tribe will run a lot smoother without him.
Biggest Surprise: After 31-year-old singer James Irwin was criticized by Adam Levine for his rendition of Losing My Religion, the singer chose Levine over the other coaches to join his team.
What the heck moment: Bill Nye would have been better off to drop out the competition than subject us to the sight of that horrible jazz number.

John River at Manifesto

 

Manifesto Producer Showcase

In this game, it’s the one with the mic that has the spotlight. But it is the ones behind the beats of the emcees that deserve just as much shine. And by the looks of it, Manifesto and the city of Toronto agree. It was all about the producer as the 7th annual Manifesto Festival of Community and Culture, along with Foundry, hosted The Beat: Producer Showcase at Adelaide Music Hall.
The sounds from acclaimed producers such as Oddisee, Elaquent, Sunclef, Rich Kidd and Lancecape billowed up and around the two-story venue, where silhouettes of bobbing heads could be seen throughout the darkly lit building. In three rounds, which consisted of introductory beats, Canadian rap remixes and finally, R&B collaborations, the producers showed off their skills, gaining feedback from the body language and applause from the audience.
Sango was the obvious crowd-favourite. The Michigan producer, who has only performed his beats at the Coachella festival, says that the experience differs completely from his process of creating the music. “When I’m on stage, it feels more like a lecture… at home, it’s more of a development. When I’m on stage presenting my craft, it’s polished.” He had the crowd dancing during all three rounds, especially during the night’s Canadian remix round when he remixed Drake’s new single, “Hold On, We’re Going Home”.
DC Diamond District producer, Oddisee said he was excited about taking part in the Manifesto festival and pleased at the newfound spotlight that producers are now given through more interest in producer showcase events.
“I think it’s cool that they’re starting to have more producer showcases at festivals and a part of hip-hop events in general. The producer has always been kind of the backbone of the hip-hop world in the first place, so for us to be put in the foreground is kind of a good thing,” he says.” The multi-talented artist also surprised the crowd by coming out and spitting as well, later on in the night, alongside Canadian emcee Shad K.
With powerful beats and a packed venue, The Beat was a success, and by putting a face to the music, the producers got the nods they deserved.

Welcome To Rawluck Launch

The year is 2022 and life has changed in Toronto. It is a dystopian Toronto. There has been an economic collapse and the housing bubble has popped. From poverty to healthcare to immigration and crime, the issues the city faces is like nothing it has seen before.
This is the life Gavin Sheppard desired to share with the world with his new multi-disciplinary web series titled Welcome To Rawluck, as he explained at the series’ launch.
Over a variety of mediums such as video, photography and illustration, the series was something that Sheppard had been playing with for quite a few years as the majority of the themes in the story come from his day-to-day experiences.
“They are human problems. I wanted to explore some of these human problems and these human issues in Toronto, but explore it in a way of a cautionary tale of where we could be headed, but what I wanted to do more than just doom and gloom and dark and grit was to show different realities as well and solutions as well and start to explore those things,” he says, as the web series played behind him to a gathered group, who was silently experiencing the messages Sheppard wanted to share.
Walking into the venue, those who attended the launch were able to get a feel of what the series represents as Sheppard had created the world of Rawluck. After entering with exclusive photo “Toronto Core Cards” that the coordinators had made for guests, they could experience the illustrations and photos of social justice that were placed around the room, where the web series was projected on the wall.
Buruk Early, the photographer responsible for the still photographs for the first episode of the web series, is pleased with the product and even more so, excited about what the series represents and what it can do for the city of Toronto itself. “Welcome To Rawluck shows the raw part, the hood part, the poverty, food banks, the homeless, the people stressed out in their kitchen drinking, reading a Malcolm X book. That is the real feeling that I get from Toronto,” he says.
The plans for the series, according the Sheppard, are to move forward with one episode a month. In order to continue covering such important issues related to our society, he hopes to involve more thinkers and leaders to create a discussion on solutions to underlying issues in our society to represent through the Welcome To Rawluck series.
“What I see it doing for the city is hopefully inspiring dialogue,” he says. “I don’t think any change happens without people talking about it first and realizing that there is a problem.”

Q&A with Kinnie Starr

“I want to be a part of what’s beautiful about hip-hop,” Canadian artist Kinnie Starr says after recently releasing her sixth studio album, Kiss It, which she states is an ode to old school hip-hop. The album features powerful messages in not only the self-produced project, but in the self-portraits that accompany the album itself. The day of her Toronto-stop, prairie artist Starr sat down to speak with Urbanology Magazine on the new project and the method behind the material.
WHAT DOES THIS SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM REPRESENT IN YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY SO FAR? This is my sixth record and it’s a record that I had a conceptually minimalist [approach] going into it. I recorded it all in the bush at my grandpa’s place and I’m the only one on the record, I played everything and did the programming and singing as well as the portraits are all self-portraits representative of the area where it was recorded. I’m always interested in coming into projects with a concept. My last concept was no hip-hop where this one is pretty much mostly hip-hop, electronic, new wavy hip-hop.
WHAT STORIES AND TOPICS WERE IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO COVER IN THIS PROJECT? Each song is different. One song is called, “Everything Changes”… I’m interested in how land titles change and white people come in and put a title on land and it erases the whole history of the land. So “Everything Changes” is using that as an idea. We can’t really stop the way that things move forward, but at least we can try and become aware of the actual history of the land instead of just using the current maps as information. For example, in Canada, if you travel across the country, you’re not going to know what is reservation land and what is not reservation land. Titling is often obviously just done by colonial culture and I think that is really problematic. I think that all land should be marked by its original place as well as its current place. There is a movement in some nations to rename land back to its original naming but its far and few between. Another song that I would like to talk about would be “Home Is Everywhere” and [it is] a pledge to the fact that we are allowed to be here as indigenous people. In Canada, a lot of native people will put down mixed blood people for not having a high enough blood quantum and so “Home Is Everywhere” is about the right for our story as mixed blood people to be part of our national story. We generally see native people as just one thing and that is the Hollywood Indian, but the story is very much richer than that. It’s actually 200,000 people deeper than that.
WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS LIKE WHEN YOU GET INTO THE STUDIO? I generally don’t write music in cities. In cities I’m overwhelmed and trying to find food and overwhelmed by stores and people. I write when I’m in the bush. I write when I’m alone – and especially beat making. I know a lot of people make beats in their studio, but when I generally make beats, I need a window that I can look out at. I like to look out at water or forest and that’s when my brain really opens up and I’m able to really get into the sounds in relation to what I’m seeing and I think that has an impact on the simplicity of the beat structure too.
WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE THE ONLY ONE ON THE PROJECT, SELF-PRODUCE IT AND DO YOUR OWN COVER ART? So many women think that they can’t make music. So many women are like ‘I really want to make a record but I need to raise $50,000 and I need a big producer and I need to bring some guys in to play the music,’ and I’m like, ‘no you don’t.’ I have a niece that’s really talented and it’s really important for me that she sees that auntie was able to make something without spending that extra $50,000 and without having to go into the big studios. Because once you get into the big studios, 99.9 per cent of the time, it is men and 99.9 per cent of the time, those guys are going to tell you to sound like something that is already out there. And what is that? That’s not my story.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF YOUR COVER ART? I just set my camera up and shot it… I have been doing nude self-portraits for quite a long time, because I used to be very underweight and I used to hide myself, because I used to be embarrassed of being underweight, because of the way people would talk about my body. So my cousin got me doing nude self-portraits as a way of trying to understand that my body was not as ugly as I felt it was. So, the photo is taken where the record was made. The couch that I’m on, three generations of family has been breast-fed on that couch. The gun that I’m holding is the gun that I learned to shoot with when I was 10. There is a big back story and I thought it was really important, because the era that we’re in, of over-sexualized everything, I feel like it’s kind of misled us to the point where we only look at women’s asses as entertainment. My butt is also used to sit on. My butt is used to run with, it’s used to swim with, it’s what makes me strong. There is so much more to our bodies than just sex and I wanted to be able to talk about that. Already, people have said, ‘Oh, you’re just perpetuating misogyny.’ And I’m like, ‘If you can’t see the story in this image, it’s your misogyny, it’s not mine. I think there is a conversation around responsible viewership that we need to start having, because we are in a sexualized time, but it’s up to people to look at women’s bodies with respect. We should be allowed to show our bodies and be viewed respectfully.

Q&A with Manifesto Executive Director, Dwayne Dixon

Welcoming the new Executive Director, Dwayne Dixon and many new events to the already established festival, it is quite fitting that this year’s Manifesto carried the theme “Evolution”. Not only the festival, but also the urban community has seen a growth and a change this year, having caught the world’s attention. For four days, Toronto belonged to the underground, the urban artists and the hip-hop acts that are usually overlooked by mainstream festivals. As Dixon, prepared for the weekend’s festivities, he spoke about what made this year’s festival unique.
HOW WAS THE TRANSITION INTO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROLE BEEN WHILE PREPARING FOR THIS YEAR’S MANIFESTO FESTIVAL? It’s been a really intense transition. Manifesto is one of the biggest festivals that the city produces. When I joined, it was kind of like jumping onto a treadmill that’s already moving. I started during festival season and a lot of moving parts were already going. It has been pretty intense, but great, because I know a lot of the community partners already, I’ve been in this scene for a number of years and I’ve been able to add where needed.
WHAT DID FESTIVALGOERS GET FROM THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL THAT THEY HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED IN PREVIOUS YEARS? Our theme this year was about evolution. This year they experienced a new executive director and in addition to that, I’m really excited about the [Evolution Summit having been at] George Brown Waterfront campus. It’s a brand new campus. It has only been open for a year; it is along the waterfront and we activated that space for the first time for the arts. That is very important.
WHAT WAS THE PROCESS OF PUTTING TOGETHER THIS YEAR’S EVENTS LIKE FOR YOU? A lot of it had started prior to getting here and prior to me taking on this role. It has been a good process. There was a lot of moving parts and a lot of deadlines. One thing affects another. There’s a cause and effect to how we do things here at Manifesto… from print to securing the acts and working with their management and schedules, us getting photo shoots done and holding auditions here for our dance event, or getting artwork from different artists, it’s an intense process, but because we have such a dedicated and well-versed team, it could have been worse. It’s a well-oiled machine thus far.
WHAT WERE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT THE FESTIVAL? I’d have to say the Evolution Summit. At that event, you can clearly see the impact we have on future artists. It’s a place where we bring industry professionals, whether local or international in a space where your average artist or emerging artist wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to access some of this knowledge right at their fingertips. And it’s a great way to gage the impact of Manifesto outside of our most popular event at Dundas Square.
WHAT ROLE WOULD YOU SAY MANIFESTO PLAYS ON CANADA’S URBAN AND HIP-HOP COMMUNITY? To me, we’re at the forefront of the industry. I think that we’re in a very good position to help build an infrastructure here for the urban arts and how you actually learn through the urban arts. We cover a lot of different things and some of that is education and some of that is getting people to a point in their career where they are living off of their art. That is why I think Manifesto is very important to Toronto and Canada as a whole.

The F-You Project Book Launch

Sometimes words just aren’t enough. On rare occasions, there are just no words to define a moment, a memory or an emotion. But for 22 Canadian youth who found the right words, they were able to heal and capture a moment of clarity by sharing their stories of forgiveness in the F-You Project: The Forgiveness Project – Memories of Violence and Compassion book, which launched September 5 at Toronto’s 918 Bathurst, Culture, Arts, Media and Education Centre.
“I was told once that sharing stories is probably one of the most intimate and giving experiences that you can do, because it is giving a piece of you. That requires a lot of courage and we want to commend everybody for their courage tonight,” says Wan Luv, the event’s host, who spoke to a packed room of supporters of the book’s various authors and founder Tara Muldoon, who began the F-You movement three years ago in spite of her own journey of forgiveness through personal trauma.
“This has been a dream come true both for myself and for the writers,” an emotional Muldoon shared. “I think it says a lot about us as a generation and who we are as people that we’re here celebrating a book on forgiveness… I wanted to make sure that if we are glamourizing certain things, that we are also having a conversation about the repercussions.”
At the launch, many of the writers presented their pieces by taking everyone in the room on an emotional journey together as they shared testimonies of personal reflection and readings from the book.
Canadian hip-hop artist L The 12th Letter shared with the audience that he had turned Muldoon down multiple times when asked to contribute to the book, before finally submitting his beautifully written piece, “Words”, on the last day of deadline. Toronto writer Jonathon “Bizz” Brown broke down while reading his emotional story titled, “SeeSaw of Support” where he spoke on intimate details about his family life that left an emotional blanket of support throughout the building as the room sat quiet, just listening to a man sharing his reality.
Contributing writer Sahar Talebi spoke about her written piece titled “Barrel Of The Gun” with a moving speech, touching everyone in the room with her genuine words. “To me, forgiveness is more than just a process where you eradicate these feelings of rage and anger and move on from whatever the issue may have been as a result of time. To me, it’s an amazingly complex, extraordinary act of super natural, where you’re actually able to feel the tangible side of what it means to be involved in something that might be so horrific,” Talebi shared before stating that we are all worthy to forgive and move on.
After receiving a signed letter from the mayor’s office, Muldoon announced that this is just the first book of many, and that she is already accepting submissions for the next instalment on grief, which she hopes to have out in the New Year.

Brandon T Jackson Stand-up Comedy

The Toronto Sun Column: Week 2

PITCH-PERFECT:
Original Voice coaches Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Lavine kicked off the fifth season of the newly-minted Emmy winner. Besides Christina's immense weight loss and Cee Lo's new head tattoo, there was actual talent to talk about. But first the four coaches started things off with their rendition of the classic I Love Rock and Roll to remind everyone, in case they forgot, who the show's real stars are. The first round of blind auditions did not disappoint, as a former rockstar, background singer, sandwich-maker and pageant coach -- just to name a few -- rocked the stage. In the end, Adam welcomed three contestants to his team, Christina and Cee Lo each chose two, and three-time winner of the singing competition, Blake, chose one.
OH NYE:
Dancing With The Stars fans must have been grateful to Bill Nye for making middle school a lot more entertaining, as the Science Guy found himself safe this week, even with the worst score of season. Former football player, Keyshawn Johnson was the first to shuffle off the competition instead. But votes couldn't save Bill from injury, as the 57-year-old competitor was rushed to the hospital after hurting his knee during his paso doble dance. After posting a photo of himself and partner Tyne Stecklein with a wrapped knee and a tweet that confirmed the torn ligament, Bill Nye's fate in the competition is unknown, but he hasn't stepped down as of yet. This week's winners included High School Musical's Corbin Bleu and his partner Karina, who won over the judges with their Jive.
THICKER THAN ...:
The second episode of Blood vs. Water (which seems to be Survivor's most intricate season yet) began with a look at Redemption Island, as Candice, Rupert and Marissa -- the three castaways who left the island last week -- battled it out for a chance to stay in the game. In an intricate challenge involving balancing spools through a maze, the three gave it their all as the remaining castaways, including their loved ones, cheered on. After completing the challenge in third place, fan-favourite Rupert Boneham was sent home for good. But his wife still has a shot. In the Immunity Challenge, Jarvis took the win for Galang, and earned them fishing gear. Tadhana, on the other hand, headed to Tribal Council, where Rachel was voted out to join the inhabitants of Redemption Island.
SOMETHING FISHY:
MTV cupids Nev and Max were back at it this week, to help two love-struck teens meet for the first time on Catfish. Nick and Melissa, who live in completely different states met when they were 12-years-old on a Tila Tequila fan page, of all places. That just spells romance. For six years, they talked, got to know each other, and eventually fell in love. Nick decided it was time for the two to meet and contacted Nev and Max to help make it all possible. But many things stood in the way, including Melissa's live-in boyfriend, Olin. After the two hosts scooped up Nick and flew him to meet Melissa, he was not expecting to find out that, not only was she still in love with her boyfriend, but she had also manipulated her photo angles and lighting to make her look a lot less heavy. She blamed it on her low self-esteem, but for someone with low self-esteem, she does have two men who both love her. In the end, she had to choose between them and she decided to continue to live with her boyfriend, but remains close friends with Nick.
Quote Of The Week:
"This is a great game. I love Survivor, but I love my wife more." - Rupert Boheman, the first castaway off the show after taking his wife's spot on Redemption Island.
Fearless Prediction:
An injury added to his lack of skill is just putting salt on the wound for Bill Nye the Science Guy. Even if he doesn't step down from the competition, we can't see how far he'll make it. Crutches don't make the best dance partner.
Biggest Surprise:
It was quite the shock on The Voice when none of the four coaches turned around to choose 15-year-old Matthew Brea, who nailed the Jackson 5's I Want You Back, which he dedicated to his late brother.
What the heck moment:
Season 5's first episode wasn't the only premiere on The Voice this week as Cee Lo Green took the opportunity to debut his new head tattoo. We hope that it's just henna.

MusiCounts Grants Press Conference

Laid out on the table in the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre was an ample amount of quality headphones, music equipment and laptops that will be donated to the SKETCH Working Arts Program as a part of the $200,000 MusiCounts, CARAS and TD are giving away to community programs in the inaugural year of the MusiCounts TD Community Music Grants program.
This is the first time MusiCounts has awarded grants outside of the school system and for its inaugural year, 15 recipients have received music grants, including SKETCH.
What started as a conversation about youth support turned into a reality after Juno-award winning artist and member of the Broken Social Scene spoke with MusiCounts nearly two years ago about giving more opportunities to youth outside of the school system, Allan Reid, Director of MusiCounts explains.
“Kevin Drew came to us and said, ‘What are you doing to help kids who aren’t getting music through their schools or they are not good at school, they are dropping out?’ That was him, he had a real tough time in school and when TD came on board, it allowed us to take our programs that we do for the school systems and expand it out into community centres and after school programs and kids that are a little bit more at risk. Music for them and for so many people, this is their moment where they shine and it gives them some definition in their life,” says Reid.
SKETCH, a community program that targets youth who are homeless or on the verge of homelessness was a major recipient of this year’s MusiCounts TD Community Music Grants program and demonstrated where the funds and equipment donations will be going with a musical performance. The performance, courtesy of SKETCH recording artists, consisted of songs that were written alongside Drew just a few days prior to the grant awards ceremony.
Helen Carlson, a young artist who has come to SKETCH for the past two years to record and learn more about her craft like engineering and production performed for Kevin Drew and a few other SKETCH members during the celebration.
“It felt good to be here to give back to SKETCH what they gave to me to be a part of this and [I was] honoured to represent SKETCH and honoured to work with Kevin and that he did all of this for us,” she says following the set.
Because of MusiCounts and TD, 15 recipients have walked away with a little bit more of a foundation and with one year under its belt, the grant program is sure to make a large impact supporting Canada’s music community.

King Of The Dot's World Domination 4

History was made at the world war of battle rap. King of the Dot (KOTD) presented World Domination 4 at the end of August, a two-day battle rap Olympics featuring some of the best battle rappers in the world at the largest event with the most anticipated match-ups that KOTD has ever presented. And rap fans were ready for the war as they squeezed into the packed battleground, ready to witness classic battles between rappers from Canada, The States, UK, the Philippines, Australia and South Africa with over a dozen battles, which included the title match between Arcane and Pat Stay.
“I’m just trying to utilize battle rap and make something for the city and the world to come together to and to make something incredible out of something that we love. As of right now, I’m starting to realize that we are finally onto something… This is the Olympics of battle rap… King of the Dot shows how much we can make something grow when we all work together. With World Domination, the goal was to unite the world on a level for everyone to perform equally… Battle rap needed something and now we officially have World Domination,” stated Organik, KOTD founder at the press conference the day prior to the event.
The first day featured six unbelievable battles that did not disappoint. Highlights of the day included a battle between Canada’s 100 Bulletz and one of America’s most praised battlers, JC. While most fans had their money on JC, 100 Bulletz wowed the crowd with unbelievable schemes that certified his win.
One of the most controversial battle rappers in the game, Daylyt faced Montreal’s Loe Pesci and the tensions were high after Pesci was a no-show at the previous day’s press conference, which Day was obviously unimpressed by, after he was stuck at customs for seven hours, just to make it to the conference and have Loe nowhere to be found. When battle time came, and both emcees faced off on the stage, Daylyt did the unthinkable and put his hands down his pants, appearing to be rubbing himself before wiping his hand in Pesci’s face. The crowd lost it, probably in shock that Loe did not retaliate. Pesci just rapped, while Daylyt pulled out an umbrella, blocking his opponent’s view, as the crowd was in hysterics. To top off the battle, Day took out his ski-mask, which he had tucked in his back pocket, and rather than putting it on, slapped Pesci across the face with it, only further solidifying the battle as the most disrespectful that KOTD had ever seen.
Next up, was Shotgun Suge facing Canada’s renowned freestyler, Charron. But the audience was once again thrown a curve ball when it was announced that Suge did not make it to the event, and New York’s heavyweight battler DNA made his way to the stage to take his place. The two emcees, known for their incredible word play, freestyle abilities and rebuttals, faced off in three rounds that was one of the best battles in KOTD history. Charron, who is most-often clowned by his peers, proved that his skill and hunger for the chain must be respected.
Finally, it was time for the first day’s main event – Arsonal vs. Dizaster, two of the most-viewed battlers in history, who tried to battle three years prior, but never got to finish their battle due to the California area venue being shut down. This re-match was one of the most anticipated in battle rap, and the tensions were high as the two legends made their way to the stage. Arsonal hit hard with heavy bars, and Dizaster displayed his trademarked over the top antics that his fans ate up. The battle was aggressive and both rappers refused to stand down in a close match up in which the winner could only be determined by personal preference rather than of skill. This one is sure to be debated for a long time to come.

Day two was nine battles deep and no less full of unbelievable bars, schemes and rhymes than the previous day. Highlights of the day include the first female battle in KOTD history as Bonnie Godiva faced Young Gattas on stage. The two girls verbally clawed it out with lines such as, “I’d give you the finger, but it would probably get your dumb ass wet,” and “Like Hansel & Gretel, you ain’t got enough bread to cover up your tracks.”
One of the most anticipated battles of the weekend was Charlie Clips vs. Hollohan, which was announced back in January at Blackout 3 and postponed in March at Vengeance 2, when Hollohan found himself incarcerated the day before the battle took place. The two rap giants took the stage, as Hollohan won the coin toss, but chose to go first. He spit with his aggressive style and schemes, but it was no match for the word play genius of Clips who took all three rounds. He also took the third round to go at Smack, stating that he feels disrespected by their previous vlog. “I’m off Smack, now I’m f*cking with coke,” he spit, referring to Organik, and by the crowd’s reaction, KOTD is happy to have him.
The last battle and main attraction was the title match between Arcane and Pat Stay. The weekend had reached the peak of tension and anticipation and it truly was a David vs. Goliath match-up as Pat soared over Arcane, who looked up at his opponent, ready for war. Pat began, and quite obviously had the crowd on his side, as fans screamed for him following every bar. But Arcane came back with extreme word play and schemes, round after round. The verdict was decided and Organik announced Pat Stay as the new King of the Dot champion as the crowd cheered for its new king and he took the chain. The two have such vastly different styles, and it was a tough decision for the judges, but one that will finally put the previous Arcane scandal to rest, as the league moves forward with Pat as the new champion.
The weekend only further solidified King of the Dot as North America’s premier battle league. Although Drake, who sponsored World Domination 4, was not able to attend, it was no loss to the event. The classic battles will most certainly go down in battle rap history and it was the fans witnessing them who were the real winners of the weekend.