Author: Kevin Bourne

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne highlights seven Ottawa hip-hop tracks available right now on Spotify’s Northern Bars playlist. [UPDATED] Over the past few years, Spotify’s Northern Bars playlist has emerged as one of the premiere platforms for Canadian hip-hop music. So much so that a coveted placement on the list can single handedly elevate your career and get your name whispered in the industry. Although Northern Bars was once solely dominated by Toronto area artists, the curators have been careful to expand the list to include other major Canadian cities. One of the cities that has benefited the most from the expanded…

The second annual International Film Festival of Ottawa, known simply as IFFO, is back again, but this year things are going to be a little different. After being cancelled in 2020 and going online in 2021, the Canadian Film Institute will be welcoming audiences to in-person for the first time. Set to take place March 9th to 20th, IFFO will include cinema screenings and talks across the Ottawa’s downtown core, showcasing 27 of this year’s best feature films and 27 new Canadian short films. This exciting “festival of festivals” will also bring the best of the global film festival circuit,…

The whole gang are forced to adjust to their new lives as college football players and career people. Kevin Bourne breaks it down in his All American season 4 episode 10 recap. The overall theme for this episode is adulting and adjusting to the demands of their new lives. From the demanding schedule to intense competition, Spencer and Jordan must adjust to the demands of D1 football. Spencer also adjusts to going from being a star to just another player on the team as he attempts to get into the good graces of his new coaches. Meanwhile, Liv adjusts to…

Popcaan returns with a new single set to be featured in the Nocta x Nike debut campaign. Weeks after Drake took to Instagram to tease the track, OVO Sound’s Reggae ambassador, Popcaan, is back with his new single “Skeleton Cartier”. Not only is this the first single from his upcoming album Great Is He, but it will be featured in the campaign for Drake’s first official Nike x NOCTA shoe collab. The release is a follow up to his 2020 project FIXTAPE which gave us the mega hit “Twist & Turn” featuring label mates Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR. A mix of…

In recent years, there has been more and more conversations around Black people getting therapy, especially in the United States. Everyone from Charlamagne Tha God to some of our favourite hip-hop legends are encouraging us to deal with our traumas and get help. Here in Canada, we lack similar high profile voices, but organizations like the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition are doing their part to spread the word. This week the OBMHC is hosting Black Mental Health Week launched with a proclamation from City Hall. The theme for this year’s seven-day event, held from March 1-7, is Leadership and…

While Canadians are beginning to talk more about mental health and remove the stigma of getting help, many in Black communities find it difficult to speak openly about mental health.  It’s the youth dealing with uncertainty surrounding their future. It’s the parent struggling to make ends meet. It’s the business owner grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the grandparent still dealing with generational trauma. It’s the immigrant struggling to find community and belonging. With one of the fastest growing Black communities in Canada and a reputation for global innovation, Ottawa can be a leader in not only providing access to…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says professionals should be “levelling out” instead of levelling up in media and entertainment. I recently had an epiphany. I’ve always talked a lot about levelling up. It’s become a popular flex on social media, but I recently had a change in mindset which has affected my personal growth and the growth of SHIFTER. It this industry and in life, it’s not just about levelling up; it’s about “levelling out”. When people are deciding to construct a building they have to decided whether they will build up (like a skyscraper) or build outward (like a warehouse or…

It’s an intense time as the students of Crenshaw and Beverly solidify their college plans. Meanwhile, Spencer must face the music for his team’s trophy prank. SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne breaks it all down in his All American Season 4 mid-season premiere recap. The All American winter finale left us with some intense storylines, including GW being rushed to hospital and Spencer taking responsibility for his team stealing the trophy from Beverly and damaging their gym. Well, the Winter premiere opened with GW at home recovering from a heart attack and adjusting to being taken care of. Meanwhile, Preach’s daughter continues…

CBC is celebrating Black History Month with the premiere of its latest Black drama The Porter. Starring Mouna Traoré, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Olunike Adeliyi, Aml Ameen, Loren Lott, and Hollywood legend Alfre Woodard, the series tells the story of Black railway porters crisscrossing the Canadian-American border in the pursuit of their ambitions as well as equal rights. To say the series is groundbreaking is an understatement. Creators Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay, and showrunners Annmarie Morais and Marsha Greene have raised the bar, pushed the envelop, and completely changed the game when it comes to Canadian television. So, here are three…

Keshia Chanté and Jesse Jones set to co-host ET Canada’s FORWARD – Celebrating the Future of Black Entertainment Black History Month special. While Black History Month is all about looking back at the historical accomplishments of Black Canadians, ET Canada will be taking a look ahead with FORWARD – Celebrating the Future of Black Entertainment, a television special celebrating “the future of Black excellence in film, television, music, sports and fashion”. Sponsored by TD Canada Trust and hosted by ET Canada’s Keshia Chanté and special guest co-host Jesse Jones, the half-hour special will share the stories of some of the “trailblazing individuals that…

Artist manager, Rebecca Dickson, offers some encouragement to people battling mental health in the music industry and addresses the pressure to appear okay in a social media hungry generation. Published with permission of the author. I want to send a reminder to anyone who may need it (myself included), that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes. Social media and society can really pressure people into feeling like there are limits on how long you’re supposed to take to process and heal from things. I wanted to share a photo of myself where I’m smiling and looking happy, but internally…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne talks about Toronto Raptors guard Fred Van Vleet and the myth about betting on yourself. Ever since Toronto Raptors guard, Fred Van Vleet, overcame the odds by going undrafted and eventually playing a key role in the Raptors’ Championship run, the term “bet on yourself” has never been more popular. Not only has the term been referenced by other NBA stars, but it’s become a motivational meme both in Instagram and in business. It gained even more relevance in recent weeks with Van Vleet being voted to the NBA All-Star game for the first time, making him…