Author: Kevin Bourne

“Hey CR”. If you’ve listened to enough Ottawa and Toronto hip-hop you would’ve hear this drop. And who exactly is “CR”? He’s the young blazing hot hip-hop producer who is working with some of the top up and coming artists coming out of Ontario’s two largest cities, from Duvy and Young Smoke to Lindasson. Fresh off the release of Duvy’s “Southway”, Young Smoke’s “Block Boy”, and Night Lovell, Lindasson and FTG Reggie’s “A Lot”, SHIFTER editor-in-chief Kevin Bourne aka KB The Boss had the opportunity to ask the Ottawa-based producer a few questions about his start as a producer, his…

A month after dropping “A Lot”, the biggest single of his career to date, alongside Night Lovell and long-time friend FTG Reggie, Ottawa hip-hop artist Lindasson is back with “Don’t Tell”, the first single off his self-titled debut album Lindasson. Produced by Ottawa hip-hop producer Dejesvs, the song has a laid back vibe with a slight bounce and shows off Lindasson’s wide vocal range. The Electric Dreamstate shot and edited video features unique camera angles and visual effects, including photo collages and ghost-like effects. Although visual effects are standard in music videos today, the use of seldomly used filters diverts from…

Following the release of his recent singles “Saucy, “Confusing,” “My Thang,” “Finessing” and albums, and “Made For This”, Mississauga rapper Fame Holiday is back with his next release in time for Black History Month. The versatile rapper has given us everything from bangers and slower tempo vibes for the ladies to anthems with a message and “Take Me Away” is no different. Directed by his go-to videographer, Trey Timeless, the video opens with references to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and depicts the difficult conversations Black parents have had with their children as a result. It relates to the struggle,…

Toronto is gaining attention for hip-hop and one of the people at the centre of it all is We Love Hip Hop founder, Friday aka Ricky Dred. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Toronto is having a moment right now when it comes to hip-hop and R&B. No, I’m not talking about Drake, The Weeknd and Tory Lanez. I’m talking about names like Top 5, Duvy, Pressa, LocoCity, Lil Berete and a long list of other young artists coming up in the city. Toronto has come a long way since the 90’s when young audiences would…

CBC Music is setting off Black History Month with the creation of two new national radio shows focused on the discovery of Black and global music. Being called “Canada’s new home for Black music”, THE BLOCK, hosted by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe, will play everything from Hip-hop to Soca and Reggaeton five nights a week beginning February 1st. The two-hour radio show will air Monday to Friday, from 7 – 9 pm on CBC Music and CBC Listen. “The Block is home. A place of belonging. It’s community and familiarity. It is a reflection of the depth and breadth of Black cultural contributions…

Since moving back to the capital in 2020, long-time rapper City Fidelia has made a splash in the community, mentoring Ottawa’s next crop of young hip-hop talent and opening a popular recording studio in the Byward Market. Despite the impact he has had in the community since his return, his next role could very well be his most impactful yet. Today, CHUO 89.1FM announced that City Fidelia has been hired as the new program director for the station, a role that sat vacant for over a year. “It is with great honour that I take on the role as Program…

Montreal based hip-hop artist, Joji Redback, has been steadily gaining steam since the release of “Puerto”, the first single off his upcoming EP A Stranger Everywhere. Since its release, the track has already accumulated over 150K streams after being added to Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” playlist and has been added to over 3K user playlists. Now the French and Australian rapper is back with “STOP”, the next single off the previously mentioned project. Although the song is an absolute banger, don’t get it twisted. Underneath the hard hitting drums baseline, Redback dives deep into some very serious and timely subject matter on the Sonj…

As many of you know, aside from running a media outlet, we also run a PR, content marketing and creative agency called SHIFTER Agency. Over the years, we’ve worked with many creatives, from recording artists to filmmakers. During that time we’ve noticed a number of trends and, dare I say, mistakes that a lot of creatives make that ultimately hinder them from being successful. Here are three common marketing mistakes we see creatives make. 1. They don’t think about marketing until they’re done creating This is the single biggest mistake we see creatives making. We’ve worked with countless filmmakers, recording…

To close out January, we’re introducing a brand new feature at shiftermagazine.com – our Hot Tracks of the Month. At the end of every month, we’re going to feature 10 of the hottest songs we heard all month. Our Hot Tracks for January includes Duvy, Lindasson, Toka Dinero, Lil Berete, Cartel Madras, and more! Here are SHIFTER’s Hot Tracks for January. https://open.spotify.com/track/01TfjDpIKnUXpJBjzv4j1i?si=QsnJBKbDQzaRUCSPBGYdgw Duvy Southway Producer: CR https://open.spotify.com/track/50HTMwI1kuSpqKNV2Y3qJE?si=fi6LmBxkTQOjSpJK0A9SQg Road Runner Deep Scars https://open.spotify.com/track/5KEK58ukEq4XD6WonOH8MM?si=yKxRaR04SnCZ5QmFOswPtQ Toka Dinero feat. FTG Reggie Best Days https://open.spotify.com/track/5E14KLRrMKatmYsz5jeqzc?si=NKwmo9JeQx63xj8jpHyZRQ Cartel Madras Drift Producer: Davey Rogala and Frankie Rast https://open.spotify.com/track/461qq5XnmwjXTt1sBgI4lX?si=501Jc1k5SeCyBHGSVnDhSw Night Lovell x Lindasson x FTG Reggie A Lot Producer: CR https://open.spotify.com/track/4asnG2FAYBaWsl4LO61RON?si=_JhdqGm_RiuWtMG2O0r3gQ Lil…

It’s been six months since we last heard from Omari Mydz when he released his last single “Ease”. Well, today he’s back with his latest release, an acoustic version of the same song, featuring Andrew Waines on guitar. Shot and edited by Viva Films, the simplicity of the acoustic video (featuring the pair in an empty white room) along with the stripped down sound, allow us to focus on the content in a way we may not have been able to on the original version. What stands out even more this time around is his vocals, reminding us that he…

Two weeks after Night Lovell, Lindasson and FTG Reggie set Ottawa on fire with their blazing hot track “A Lot”, the capital has been blessed with another memorable collab. On the heels of the release of his December 2020 single and short film “Prime”, Hueso is back with “Legacy”, his long-awaited collab with fellow Ottawa native City Fidelia. Where “Prime” represented the closing of a chapter, as the lead single off Hueso’s upcoming sophomore EP, “Legacy” represents a change of direction as he puts the R&B vocals on hold for a moment, introducing us to Hueso the rapper. On the…

When I first moved to the capital from Toronto, Ottawa was very slow and small. It was in a type of municipal puberty—that awkward phase where you’re no longer small and cute, but not yet fully matured. Not only did Ottawa still have the feel of a small town, but it also felt very…white. Fast forward to today, some of the vestiges of Ottawa’s small town past are still alive and well, but in recent years (especially over the past two years) Ottawa has a bit more pep in its step. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but over the same time…