BLACK IRI$H AND NICKEAL PAY TRIBUTE TO KOBE, NIPSEY HUSSLE AND MORE ON “MAKE IT BACK” Music Ottawa artists Black iRI$H and Nickeal have enlisted Toronto's own TOP5 for their newest single “Make It Back”, a tribut...
CANADIAN MUSIC VIDEO ROUNDUP | AUGUST 2020 Canada, Music It's that time again! SHIFTER's Canadian Music Video Roundup for August includes videos from Drake, TOBi, Maurice Mo...
TORONTO’S MUTARI RALLIES THE DREAMERS AND HUSTLERS ON NEW SINGLE “FOREVER” Music Despite the strange barriers and challenging circumstances of this year, Mutari and The Foreign Sound continue to create...
ARTIST OF THE MONTH // SEPTEMBER – MONTREAL RAPPER, NATE HUSSER Artist of the Month, Music SHIFTER's Artist of the Month for September is Montreal rapper, Nate Husser. Nate Husser is already proving to be one...
OPINION – CUTIES IS EQUAL PARTS SAD, DISGUSTING, AND NECESSARY Film/Television, Koliah Bourne The world is still buzzing about one of the most controversial movies to hit Netflix in years―Cuties. If you don’t know ...
CRANIUM FESTIVAL ENLISTS ART BATTLE CHAMP, ALLAN ANDRÉ, FOR 2020 FESTIVAL ARTWORK Music The Cranium Festival recently revealed their 2020 festival artwork and branding, enlisting the services of none othe...
OTTAWA FASHION HOUSE KANIA COUTURE TO BE REBORN AS STACEY MARTIN LIFESTYLE Fashion Major changes are underway at one of Ottawa's leading fashion companies, as designer and entrepreneur, Stacey Bafi-Yeboa...
ROOKZ – RACE, CANCEL CULTURE AND BEING A “TRAITOR” Opinion Reposted with permission from the author I finally just went to bed after what was a crazy long day, closed my eyes, ...
CODY COYOTE KEEPS THE SUMMER VIBES ALIVE WITH “DEBWE” Music Fresh off his appearances on Sway's Universe and CTV's etalk, multi-award nominated and award winning Hip-Hop/Electronic...
ZOO LEGACY TAKES US BACK TO SIMPLER TIMES WITH NEW VISUALS FOR “LOST ON PURPOSE” Music After a few years away from music, hip-hop/indie rock band Zoo Legacy surprised fans in mid-August with a new release "L...
NAMBI AND PAULA C. HONOUR THE BROTHERS WITH NEW SINGLE “HEYBLACKMAN” Music Shortly after releasing “SHOTANOTHADOWN” (her first single and music video in three years), NAMBI decided to release ano...
BLACK PANTHER STAR CHADWICK BOSEMAN DIES AFTER BATTLE WITH COLON CANCER Film/Television Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman has died after a four-year battle with colon cancer. According to his publicist, he ...
OTTAWA HIP-HOP IN THE HEADLINES – CODY COYOTE, DAX, BLAKDENIM, NAMBI , TWOTIIME, YUNGCUDII Music Ever since the Wu-tang Clan made national news with their fundraiser in the nation's capital in support of the Ottawa Mi...
CANADIAN MUSIC VIDEO ROUNDUP | JULY 2020 Canada, Music 1 It's that time again! SHIFTER's Canadian Music Video Roundup for July includes videos from Haviah Mighty, Pressa, Sw...
DJ AGILE EXPLORES LOVE, LONGING AND HEARTBREAK ON NEW ALBUM WE’RE NEVER DONE Music One of Toronto's premiere DJ/producers, DJ Agile, is back with his latest album We're Never Done, a celebration of the s...
RAPPER AND PRODUCER, BLIKEBRETT, DROPS VISUALS FOR “TEN TOES” Music Today, rapper and producer BLikeBrett released the visuals for "Ten Toes". Shot and Edited by Palmer Media Co., the vide...
ARTIST OF THE MONTH // AUGUST – VANCOUVER HIP-HOP ARTIST, BOSLEN Artist of the Month, Music SHIFTER's Artist of the Month for August is Vancouver hip-hop artist Boslen. Born and raised on the outskirts of Vanc...
VANCOUVER RAPPER PAUL HERNANDEZ EXPLORES FAITH, LIFE AND ANXIETY ON DEBUT EP DEEPER THINGS Music After taking a hiatus from music to refocus his life, Vancouver rapper Paul Hernandez is back with his debut EP Deeper T...
QUEENYY SURPRISES FANS WITH UK-INSPIRED SINGLE “THAT WAY” Music It’s been three months since the release of Queenyy’s last single “What I Like About You”, but fans of the soulful Canad...
POPCAAN SURPRISES FANS WITH NEW ALBUM FIXTAPE Music Yesterday, Reggae superstar Popcaan surprised both fans and the music world alike by taking to social media and announci...
MISCHA SHOWS MATURITY AND VULNERABILITY ON LATEST PROJECT ALPHA BARBIE Music Hip-hop artist and songwriter Mischa recently held a listening party for close friends and collaborators ahead of the re...
OTTAWA RAPPER TWOTIIME RELEASES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO “UP2ME” Music Ahead of the release of his debut release set for this Fall, Ottawa rapper TwoTime is back with his latest single "Up2Me...
NEW MUSIC, NEW NAME, NEW IDENTITY FOR UGANDAN-CANADIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER NAMBI Music From the civil rights movement to the war in Vietnam, injustice has always found a way to inspire artists to create, len...
THESOULFULPOET ENLISTS QUEST AND DOMINIQUE GORLEY ON NEW SINGLE “INVISIBLE” Music On the heels of winning Album of the Year at Faces Magazine's Ottawa Awards 2020 with his debut spoken word album Thorns...
“SHOW ME THE MONEY” – INCLUSION WITHOUT ECONOMIC INCLUSION ISN’T REALLY INCLUSION Kevin Bourne, Opinion One of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history is when Cuba Gooding Jr. asks Tom Cruise to repeat that memorable fou...
CANADIAN MUSIC VIDEO ROUNDUP | JUNE 2020 Canada, Music It's that time again! SHIFTER's Canadian Music Video Roundup for June includes videos from Tory Lanez, Dax, Jessie R...
NEWLY-FORMED ADVANCE COLLECTIVE AIMS TO UNIFY BLACK MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS IN CANADA Music On the heels of artists, including Jessie Reyez, calling for more Black staff and upper management at Canadian record la...
CAN CAM NEWTON AND THE NEW LOOK PATRIOTS STAY ATOP THE AFC EAST? Sports Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has taken his talents to New England in hopes of continuing in the footsteps of arguably the g...
ZACH ZOYA RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SINGLE “SLURPEE” Music After teasing us for months with his quarantine-inspired DAYZZ OFF video series, Montreal rapper Zach Zoya has released ...
ARTIST OF THE MONTH // JULY – NIGERIAN-CANADIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER, ASUQUOMO Artist of the Month, Music SHIFTER's Artist of the Month for July is Asuquomo, the musical project of the Canadian multidisciplinary artist, Morris...
THERE IS NO INDIGENOUS SELF-DETERMINATION WITHOUT BLACK LIBERATION Opinion Walking in two worlds is arduous when it feels like you are being pulled in different directions and pressured to identi...
OPINION – WHY I CELEBRATE CANADA DAY Canada, Kevin Bourne This Canada Day was rough. In recent years, especially since Canada 150, there’s been an increased awareness when it com...
JAIOFTHERISE CHANNELS THE LATE POP SMOKE ON HIS NEW SINGLE “AMIRI” Music On the heals of releasing "Hopscotch", his recent single featuring Toronto rapper Lil Berete, Ottawa-based hip-hop and R...
INDIGENOUS LIVES MATTER: FORGIVENESS, HOPE AND A BETTER FUTURE Opinion Indigenous Lives Matter is a four-part article series featuring Métis, First Nations and Inuit writers talking about the...
BEING INDIGENOUS IN CANADA IN 2020 Opinion Indigenous Lives Matter is a four-part article series featuring Métis, First Nations and Inuit writers talking about the...
PROTEST MUSIC: 8 BLACK LIVES MATTER INSPIRED SONGS TO GET YOU THROUGH Music Major world events like the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement have given us some of the most memorable songs in ...
NUMBERS DON’T LIE : THE CANADIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM IS FAILING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE Opinion Numbers don't lie. Poverty and incarceration rates are growing rapidly within Indigenous communities - Jesse Mousseau T...
OTTAWA’S MARIAL SHAYOK RACKS UP ACCOLADES IN ROOKIE NBA G LEAGUE SEASON Kevin Bourne, Sports Now that the dust has settled on the NBA G League season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's time to take a look at one o...
OUTSTANDING BLACK MEN IN CANADA 2020 Shifters SHIFTER is proud to reveal our first annual Outstanding Black Men in Canada list for 2020. This new annual feature was i...
FASHION INDUSTRY VET GEORGE SULLY LAUNCHES BLACK DESIGNERS OF CANADA Fashion As Canada continues the discussion on diversity, especially surrounding the Black community, the discussion is starting ...
CANADIAN MUSIC VIDEO ROUNDUP | MAY 2020 Canada, Music It's that time again! SHIFTER's Canadian Music Video Roundup for May includes videos from Lia Kloud, Dip Black, NAV,...
OPINION – IF YOU’RE CLOSED OFF TO HONEST DIALOGUE, YOU’RE A PART OF THE PROBLEM Kevin Bourne, Opinion Over the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to share different opinions in public, whether on our website or on so...
ARTIST OF THE MONTH // JUNE – BRAMPTON R&B SINGER-SONGWRITER ROMEYO WILSON Artist of the Month, Music SHIFTER's Artist of the Month for June is none other than Romeyo Wilson. The 26 year-old Toronto-born and Brampton raise...
CITY FIDELIA, ABE ABADI LAUNCH NEW OTTAWA CREATIVE SPACE, REAL HOUSE OF ENSEMBLE Music Toronto has Kiana 'rookz' Eastmond's Sandbox Studios and Canadian R&B superstar The Weeknd's HXOUSE. Well, almost tw...
OPINION – DEAR ALLIES, IT’S TIME TO REBUILD THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Kevin Bourne, Opinion Sitting here watching a documentary on The Underground Railroad, it's interesting to see how many white people, includin...
KALIX BREEZY BREAKS HIS SILENCE WITH HIS NEW SINGLE “DOMINO EFFECT” Music Despite the global pandemic and quarantine, hip-hop and R&B artist Kalix Breezy is busy dropping new music. After re...
OPINION – THE INDUSTRY’S “DOLLARAMA” VERSION OF HIP-HOP IS MORE CHEAP KNOCKOFF THAN TRUE ART Music, Opinion Hollywood's exploitation of Black Culture is sinister and dangerous. Ground zero for this exploitation is none other tha...
12 BLACK BUSINESSES IN OTTAWA AND TORONTO YOU CAN SUPPORT TODAY Business Over the past few days, members of the black community have been taking to social media to share their lists of black bu...
MUSIC INDUSTRY TO SHUT DOWN FOR BLACK OUT TUESDAY Music Yesterday, thousands of music industry players, from record labels to music media, took to social media to express their...
SHIFTER TO LAUNCH FIRST ANNUAL OUTSTANDING BLACK MEN IN CANADA LIST Canada, Editorial Inspired by the unfortunate murder of George Floyd, the many Canadian black men who took to social media to express thei...
CANADA: “I’M NOT RACIST”. BLACK PEOPLE: “YES, YOU ARE” Kevin Bourne, Opinion During interview prep for my discussion on CBC Radio I was asked, “What’s the way forward?” after the murder of George F...
TORONTO RAPPER HOUDINI SLAIN IN BRAZEN DOWNTOWN SHOOTING Music Almost six months after budding rapper FTG Metro was killed in a shooting in downtown Ottawa, another promising young Ca...
MJ VS. LEBRON: 5 REASONS WHY LEBRON JAMES IS A BETTER BASKETBALL PLAYER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN Sports With the sporting world brought to a standstill by a global pandemic, the definitive Michael Jordan documentary The Last...
OPINION – CAN’T FAKE THE FUNK, OTTAWA DOESN’T REALLY CARE ABOUT HIP-HOP Kevin Bourne, Opinion This week, Ottawa got a rare dose of star power. Wu-Tang Clan and 36 Chambers ALC announced an initiative to raise funds...
NATHAN MILES, HEVVE AND KYAZZE JOIN FORCES ON NEW SUMMER TRAP ANTHEM “CRASH” Music Just in time for summer, a couple of Ottawa's hardest working hip-hop artists have joined forces to drop a brand new ban...
CANADIAN ACTOR AND TWENTIES CO-STAR GABRIELLE GRAHAM IS A STAR ON THE RISE Film/Television, Koliah Bourne Toronto is on a bit of a run right now. In music, you have Drake, The Weeknd, and Tory Lanez. In sports, you have the re...
KEVIN HART TURNS LIFE COACH ON NEW AUDIBLE ORIGINAL THE DECISION Film/Television Despite the global shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hardest working man in show business is back with a new pr...
TOP 10 WU-TANG NAMES FOR OTTAWA MAYOR JIM WATSON Music The Notorious BIG retro jersey photo. The Snoop Dogg Bluesfest modern jersey photo. The Rhianna heritage jersey photo. T...
WUTANG CLAN LAUNCHES “A BETTER TOMORROW” IN SUPPORT OF OTTAWA CHARITIES Impact By now you may have seen pictures of Ottawa mayor Jim Watson donning a Wutang Clan t-shirt at his desk at City Hall. Whi...
THERE’S A NEW TIKTOK SUPERSTAR ON THE RISE AND HIS NAME IS TIAGZ Music While Drake and Tory Lanez have the world doing the Toosie Slide and listening to Quarantine Radio, there is another Can...
