Author: Kevin Bourne

Joyner Lucas and NBA Youngboy team up for their Leo Son, ADHD Productions and Storm produced single “Cutt U Off”. Since arriving on the scene, Joyner Lucas has built a reputation as one of the best rappers in music today. Period. But there were still questions about whether he would ever rise to the level of stardom and recognition his talents warranted, especially in an era in hip-hop that values “vibes” or lyrics. Well, through a combination of elite bars and flow, memorable self-directed visuals, viral tracks like “I’m Not Racist”, remixes of popular songs like “Gucci Gang”, “Look Alive”,…

SHIFTER editor Kevin Bourne says of Lavi$h and his new EP You Made A Big Mistake, “his sound is indescribable, his tone and delivery are incredible, and his talent in undeniable.” If you spend time in Canadian music circles, one of the names buzzing right now is Lavi$h. With the backing of Chubbs from OVO, who is credited with discovering Lavi$h, and Def Jam Recordings, as well as a co-sign from Drake, the Zambia-born, Winnipeg raised, and now Toronto-based singer-songwriter is making a name for himself both north and south of the border. After dropping big tracks like “World In…

Maurice gets an earful from Sabrina and Danni gets an unexpected guest. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 2. Tonight’s episode of Tyler Perry’s Sistas was a good one, despite opening with an unnecessary scene. Still, there are good surprises and good storytelling throughout. We also see Hayden, arguably the least liked character on the show, for the first time this season as the Gary, Hayden and Robin storyline is reintroduced. Karen in trouble The episode opens with Karen dramatically falling to the floor after breathing in fire at the salon which is ultimately an unnecessary…

The latest Transformers movie is one of the franchise’s best yet says Kevin Bourne in his Transformers: Rise of the Beasts review. Set in 1990’s New York City, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts tells the story of the Autobots who must unify with the Maximals, a new faction of Transformers, to defeat the dark god Unicron and Scourge, leader of the Terrorcons. Also standing in Unicron’s way are Brooklyn natives Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), an unemployed ex-military with a knack for gadgets, and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback), a museum intern and aspiring archeologist. Together, they go on an unexpected globetrotting…

In this edition of Dope New Music, we look at new Canadian hiphop and R&B, as well as other genres, from artists like Baka Not Nice, Lola Bunz, Lil Berete, Gary Beals, Anaïs Cardot, EverythingOShauN, Private Name Private Number, and more. BAKA NOT NICE | “Thinking About Drilling” Fresh off his performance at the SiriusXM x Partynextdoor show last week, Baka Not Nice is back with a brand new single “Thinking About Drilling”. This comes after the April release of “Took A Trip”. Where “Took A Trip” was more upbeat and raw, the new single is still raw but…

Kevin Bourne calls The Weeknd, Madonna, and Playboi Carti track “a surprising treat that we didn’t know we wanted” in his Popular song review. The Weeknd shocked fans this week announcing the latest single off The Idol Vol. 1, the soundtrack for his upcoming HBO series The Idol set to premiere on June 4th. This is the second single off the soundtrack following the April release of “Double Fantasy” featuring Future. At first glance, the features may have raised a few eyebrows. With the unlikely additions of Madonna and Playboi Carti, what could possibly go wrong, right? Well, if fans…

Shots are fired and the girls have another intervention with Danni. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 1. Tonight marked the long-awaited return of Tyler Perry’s Sistas and the show was sorely missed. As with last season’s premiere, we are introduced to a few new looks, including Fatima new blonde hair and natural makeup, which is always a nice touch, giving us a visible cue of her personal growth. The season five finale didn’t answer any questions, instead raising new ones, and the season six premiere was no different. This season we can expect the evolution…

Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer, Nonso Amadi, is back with a brand new project. SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says “Amadi has given us a part of himself” in his When It Blooms album review. Canada has a fast-growing African music scene mirroring the global rise of Afrobeats, Afro-Soul and Afro-R&B. One of the rising global ambassadors of African music is Nonso Amadi, the Lagos, Nigeria born singer, songwriter and producer, credited with being an early pioneer of Afro-R&B. After a two-year hiatus, Amadi, now based in Canada, is back with his debut album titled When It Blooms. On the 15-track album,…

SHIFTER editor Kevin Bourne, aka KB The Boss, talks with Toronto-based photographer, director and creative director, O’shane Howard, about his recent photo series YAAD, being a photographer in Toronto, and much more. Kevin Bourne: We’re going to get into YAAD, but first, take us back to the beginning? What first attracted you to photography? Was there a particular moment when you fell in love with taking pictures? O’shane Howard: I did not intend to become a photographer, much less see myself in the creative industry. In high school, I took a media class, and I dreaded it. I was always…

In this edition of Dope New Music, we look at new Canadian hiphop and R&B, as well as other genres, from artists like Aqyila, JRDN, Bebeboy, Lia Kloud, NTHN and more. EMB feat NIGEL KNIGHT and R.O.Z. | “Nothing New” EMB enlists Toronto’s Nigel Knight and Canadian-Ghanaian, Sony Music West Africa artist R.O.Z. for the his latest single and “Nothing New”. The video shows the suited up duo surrounded by the crew as they enjoy a game of dice at luxurious restaurant. Then we’re transported to the block. Dope track and video. Spotify | Apple Music LIA KLOUD|…

In his Mumble Rap 2 review, Kevin Bourne says Belly brought hip-hop back to the underground reminding listeners why we fell in love with hip-hop. Palestinian-Canadian rapper and songwriter, Belly, returned today with a brand new album Mumble Rap 2. The project is a follow up to his 2021 release See You Next Wednesday and his 2017 release Mumble Rap. Where See You Next Wednesday had commercial hits and big features alongside bars, Mumble Rap 2 follows in the footsteps on its predecessor with few big features and lots of bars and classic hip-hop production courtesy of Hit-Boy, The ANMLS, Danny…

In his CLEAR 2 SOFT LIFE review, Kevin Bourne describes Summer Walker’s latest as “timeless” and “putting the Soul back in R&B”. Summer Walker is back with her new project CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP, a follow up to her 2021 album Still Over It and her 2022 album Last Day Of Summer – Sped Up. On the EP, Walker treats fans to laid back groove after laid back groove. Where many R&B artists today lack Soul in their music, Walker puts the Soul back in R&B on the project. It opens with “To Summer, From Cole”, described as an…