Author: Kevin Bourne

Canada’s R&B scene has been on fire in recent years and now there’s another name to look out for. International fashion model turned artist, Brent Williams, recently dropped his new single “Songs About You”, an early 2000’s inspired take on the classic break up song. On the track, Williams masterfully combines his soft vocals and smooth delivery to depict the harsh realities of pain and heartbreak. The long-time poet tells the story of a toxic relationship and love gone wrong, turning it into a story of growth and self-love as Williams doesn’t allow the experience to taint his ability to…

Ottawa rappers Yungcudii and 4Steppa are back with their latest single “Dior Socks”, a follow up to their previous joint releases “Youngins”, “2nd Guessin'”, their EP Scared 2 Love, and their 2019 album Purge Season which landed on Apple Music’s top 100 albums chart. This time they brought fellow Ottawa rapper Turky along for the ride. The trio also dropped a high energy music video for the single, shot and directed by Solaris Media, that shows the crew outside and having a good time. “After writing and perfecting ‘Dior Socks’, adding 4Steppa and Turky was something I knew I wanted”, Yungcudii…

SHIFTER’s new “People On The Move” feature takes a look at people in our moving on to new and exciting roles in our community and culture. Today, Craig Mannix is “on the move”. Following the murder of George Floyd and the increased awareness surrounding anti-Black racism, artists including The Weeknd and Jessie Reyez took to social media to condemn the lack of Black professionals at major record labels despite the popularity of Black music and the financial benefits reaped by labels from the work of Black artists. Today, Universal Music Canada responded by hiring long-time industry vet, Craig’ Big C’…

Toronto hip-hop artist, Loco City, recently released the visuals for “Dead N*gga”, the latest release off 6ixbuzz’s upcoming compilation project. The track is a follow up to recent 6ixbuzz collaborations with 88Glam and Top 5. We last heard from LocoCity in June when he dropped the video for “Credit Card” which has over 442K streams so far on YouTube. Directed by King Bee Productions, the video opens with shots of Loco City’s Bleecker Street neighbourhood. We also get the occasional shot of LocoCity flashing some jewellery and sitting in a white Rolls Royce. Once again, some great melodic storytelling from…

After a big 2020 which saw him drop big singles like “Bigger Issues”, “Up2Me”, and “Keep It Real”, which has been featured in Fortnite gaming videos with a combined four million views on YouTube, rising Ottawa artist, TwoTiime, is back with his first single and video of the New Year titled “Slower”. The Sixty-produced track sees TwoTiime explaining the need for patience and doing things right as he steps closer to stardom. “Nowadays, in a world full of instant gratification, everyone wants everything now,” says TwoTiime of the single. “Sometimes you gotta take things slower. Whether it’s relationships, business, or…

In recent months, we’ve been treated to a few Ottawa hip-hop collabs that we either always wanted to see or never knew we needed. Bobby Brugal and Dip Black came together to drop “Juice The Game”. We also saw some IG videos of Lia Kloud, Jahriia and Baëbe Ruth recording together, and more recently Night Lovell, Lindasson and FTG Reggie had Ottawa buzzing with their single “A Lot”. You only need to look at the rise of Atlanta as today’s hip-hop mecca and the demise of New York to see how important inter-city collaborations are for both developing a growing…

On the heels of the release of his debut EP Lubalin EP, Montreal-based singer-songwriter and Tiktok phenom Lubalin is back with his new single “Long txts”. The song is a sort of commentary about our lack of authentic communication today  – sending long texts instead of just talking – and how we’ve overcomplicated things as a result. “Sometimes we try to simplify complicated things, and in the end, it only makes them more complicated. Like trying to be efficient and sending a quick text when really it should be a whole conversation”, Lubalin explains. “Or when someone says ‘I love you’ for…

It’s that time again! SHIFTER’s Canadian Music Video Roundup for November includes videos from Vancouver to Toronto, including Tory Lanez, Dax, Pressa, Eva Shaw, anders, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Drezus, Hueso, Hoodlum, and more! Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the country for December. Special shout out to our sponsor, realtor and Canadian hip-hop legend Greg Campbell. Last month you voted and crowned “Worthy” by Justine Tyrell as your Video of the Month. Video of the Month //  Justine Tyrell – “Worthy” Who will win for December? Kofi Twenty One Release date: December 3,…

The new CBC original Canadian high school basketball docuseries ANYONE’S GAME premieres Friday, January 15 at 8:30 pm on CBC TV. All six episodes will be available to stream on CBC Gem beginning January 15, while the series will broadcast weekly on CBC TV. The series follows the high school players on the 2019-20 Orangeville Prep team for the Athlete Institute in Orangeville, Ontario, as they pursue the excitement and experience the challenges of securing an NCAA Division 1 scholarship, seeking a career in basketball, and one day possibly making it in the NBA. Orangeville Prep (OP) is the lead…

Last week, Ottawa rappers FTG Reggie and Lindasson took to Instagram to post what will no doubt be remembered as an iconic Ottawa hip-hop photo – the two alongside Night Lovell, who is considered by many to be the #1 underground rapper in Canada, sitting on a GMC truck. The photo was teasing an upcoming single, one of the biggest local hip-hop collaborations in recent memory. Today, the trio dropped their new track ” A Lot”. The song was produced by Ottawa producer CR Beats and the video shot by Ben Telford. According to Lindasson, the whole thing came together…

SHIFTER’s Artist of the Month for January is Makadi – an American R&B/Soul and Hip-hop artist of Zimbabwean descent but currently based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. A champion of versatility and melodic finesse, Makadi consistently pushes the envelope of authenticity. He currently releases music based on “The Color Spectrum” which explores what colour music sounds and feels like. In January 2019, Makadi released his debut album YLLW (pronounced yellow) and in February 2020 he released his sophomore album BLU. His third project TNGRNE released on July 31, 2020 and his fourth project BLCK recently released in December 13th 2020, which…

South Africa is set to host its first annual South African Music Week with the help of some friends from the Great White North. The two nations will partner on the first edition of the event to “build a robust cross-border music industry based on collaboration and making the most of ‘Music in the 4IR’”. Inspired by Canadian Music Week, SAMW 2021 will see South Africa and Canada come together to explore ways in which to maximize how music, technology and business are converging, and to forge a new path for success for all musicians. SAMW is free to attend and…