On the heels of the recent release of Fast 9, actor and singer, Tyrese Gibson, has launched a brand new partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in order to invest in Black education. To jumpstart the partnership, Voltron Travel LLC, of which Gibson is CEO and President, has pledged $100,000 of its profits based on a percentage of net sales. The recently relaunched online travel platform powered by Priceline® Partner Network is currently the first and only Black-owned service of its kind dedicated to providing an exceptional booking experience for people of colour. Gibson launched the service after his experience…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne, also known as "KB The Boss" or simply "KB", is a Toronto-based host/on-air personality, arts & entertainment journalist, TV/film producer, and communications and content strategist. As a commentator and freelancer, he has appeared nationally as a correspondent on CBC News Network and host on CBC Music. He has also appeared locally on CTV, CBC Radio, CityNews, Newstalk 1010, and ByBlacks.com, and in the United States on Fox’s Black digital TV network, Fox Soul. He has covered some of Canada’s top red-carpet events, from the Toronto International Film Festival to the Canadian Screen Awards, and has interviewed everyone from Kevin Hart and "Fast and the Furious" star Tyrese Gibson to Ziggy Marley, Ava DuVernay, Dascha Polanco, Lilly Singh, and Howie Mandel. His years of work as an entertainment journalist led to him being named a Golden Globe® Awards voter and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved critic and being quoted as a critic in national ad campaigns for Black films and TV shows, both in Canada and the United States. Pivoting into the world of film and television, Kevin co-founded the film, TV, digital content, and live experiences company, SHIFTER Entertainment, alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah. Through SHIFTER he has produced a number of projects, including the Bell Fibe TV1 unscripted reality series A Date In The Life, serving as showrunner, executive producer, writer and co-director. Now, with a number of pilot and feature film scripts written and projects in development, KB is poised to continue to be a champion for Black entertainment and culture alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah.
Whether he’s doing his thing on TikTok or releasing single after single, Ottawa-based Egyptian artist, Mazyn, has been putting in work in 2021. Now, the rapper and singer formerly known as Capé, who started writing raps in his dorm room as an Egyptian international student to cope with homesickness, anxiety, and college stress, has returned with his new single “Wanna”, an R&B-infused, Afro Beat influenced track where he finds himself in a state of euphoria over the object of his affection. Now baby tell me why waste time Come closer let me go and hold ya Grab you by that…
Artist and free spirit, Isaiah Maxwell (played Kofi Siriboe) is busy navigating Washington, DC’s competitive arts scene until he meets Georgetown law student Stevie Richmond (played by Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing). Together, they go on a journey of fulfilling their dreams and ambitions, all while cultivating their blossoming love. Rounding out the all Black all-star cast are Michael Ealy, Uzo Aduba, Mack Wilds, Naturi Naughton, Blair Underwood, and Suzzanne Douglas who passed away in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The 2020 film, which was recently released on Netflix, is refreshing for a few reasons. First, the film is set in…
City Fidelia, returns with his new single and music video “College Dropout” addresses the stigma around dropping out of school. Ottawa rapper and songwriter, City Fidelia, recently hosted a block party and premiere in front of Margo Caribbean & Canadian Restaurant in downtown Ottawa to unveil the new music video “College Dropout”. There was a palpable buzz and energy in the air as members of Ottawa’s music scene gathered to watch the highly-anticipated video projected onto a large rooftop screen. The single and upcoming album Painkiller are the first releases under a new partnership between Fidelia’s Ensemble imprint and Public…
It’s that time again! SHIFTER’s Canadian Music Video Roundup for June includes videos from Tory Lanez, Belly x The Weeknd, Dax, dvsn, Unimerce x Yung Tory, NorthSideBenji x Charlie B, Amaal, Swagger Rite, Omega Mighty, EverythingOShauN, Cartel Madras, Alessia Cara, Duvy, and more! Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the country from July. Now, last month you voted and crowned “Paranoia” by Sammy Keys as your Video of the Month. Who will win for August? Dax Britney Spears TOXIC Remix Release date: July 1, 2021 Directed by: Logan Meis and Aser Santos Jr…
Today, it was announced that OVO founding member and Scarborough native, Nicholas Carino, and Sam Ibrahim, founding member of The Playground, the largest basketball only facility in the Greater Toronto Area, have come together to launch the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s eighth franchise—the Scarborough Shooting Stars. The team is the first GTA-based franchise to join the CEBL, Canada’s first division pro basketball league. The CEBL took to social media to welcome the duo the league. “Both born and raised in Scarborough, Carino, and Ibrahim are honoured to promote the dream-big mentality and encourage the next generation of young dreamers to go…
Fresh off appearing at the Hive Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah (his first live performance on a stage in front of a crowd) and back to back trips to L.A. where he met the 6 God himself, Drake, viral sensation Tiagz has dropped his brand new single “I Just Wanna Dance”. Where his previous singles “They Call Me Tiago” and “My Heart Went Oops” were viral Tik Tok hits that caught the attention of influencers and celebrities everywhere, his latest release is a radio-friendly pop/dance track that signals a transition for the genre-bending artist. Known previously as a “Tik…
After a brief hiatus, which included hanging out with Polo G in Los Angeles, a stop in Miami, and walking away with Single of the Year at the Capital Music Awards for “Hood Cry”, Ottawa hip-hop artist TwoTiime has returned with a brand new summer hood anthem “Did A Lot”. On the Trillo Beatz produced track, TwoTiime reminisces about growing up on Ritchie Street and the loss and hardships he faced along the way. As we’ve come to expect from TwoTiime, he returns to form contrasting the youthfulness of his vocals with the harsh reality of life in the streets.…
Rihanna is officially a billionaire through her Fenty Beauty line, a joint venture with French beauty and luxury global powerhouse LVMH. Bajan singer turned beauty and makeup mogul, Rihanna, has hit many accolades in her career. Now, she has another rare achievement to add to her impressive resume—billionaire. While the world is waiting for her elusive album R9, today Forbes confirmed Rihanna is officially a billionaire on the back of her highly popular Fenty Beauty line, a 50-50 joint venture with French beauty and luxury global powerhouse LVMH. Founded in 2017, to help “women everywhere (feel) included”, the line of beauty products offers a range…
GiftedbyGifted is back with his new single “22”. While the song talks about night life in Kensington Market, there’s an even deeper meaning. Toronto has been on a run in recent years, launching a number of talented R&B artists who have gone on to mainstream success. Now, there’s another budding Toronto artist quietly dropping heat right under our noses. His name is GiftedbyGifted and if his sound is any indication, it’s only a matter of time before Canada and the world catch on. Although he may be new to some listeners, his love affair with music goes back to childhood.…
If you grew up anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area and were a fan of local hip-hop, you would’ve heard of Play De Record—the record store turned institution that played an important role in the coming of age of Toronto hip-hop. Now, Play De Record is set to be immortalized in an upcoming documentary titled “Drop The Needle”. Produced by Canterbury Productions, the doc will feature store owner, Eugene Tam, and an impressive list of Toronto hip-hop luminaries like Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, Russell Peters, Starting From Scratch, Mastermind, DJ Melboogie, Kid Kut, Dan-e-o, David “Click” Cox, Skratch Bastid, and more.…
While the world was waiting in vain last night at midnight for Kanye’s new album Donda, our team at SHIFTER was looking forward to another release—”Over The Top”, the brand new track from Smiley featuring Drake. Not only have they released a song together, but Smiley has also been signed to Drake’s OVO Sound. Smiley was recently added to the artist page on the OVO Sound website. With Drake rarely collaborating with up and coming Toronto artists (reportedly because of street politics in the local hip-hop scene), it’s especially impressive for Smiley to secure this kind of co-sign from the 6 god…
