Author: Kevin Bourne

Ever since the Wu-tang Clan made national news with their fundraiser in the nation’s capital in support of the Ottawa Mission, Ottawa Food Bank and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, landing Ottawa mayor Jim Watson on CTV’s etalk, Ottawa hip-hop has been uncharacteristically making headlines on some of North America’s biggest media and entertainment platforms. Here are the Ottawa artists who have been making major headlines in recent months. CODY COYOTE – Sway’s Universe, etalk, Global News Long before it was known as “Ottawa” or “Bytown”, the unceded and unsurrended land now known as the nation’s capital has been…

It’s that time again! SHIFTER’s Canadian Music Video Roundup for July includes videos from Haviah Mighty, Pressa, Swagger Rite, Lia Kloud, Dip Black, TwoTiime, and more! As usual, we ask you (the fans) to once again vote for our Video of the Month. Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the country for July. Special shout out to our sponsor, realtor and Canadian hip-hop legend Greg Campbell. For the first time last month we had a tie in our Video of the Month voting. Our joint winners were Kalix Breezy’s “No Justice…

One of Toronto’s premiere DJ/producers, DJ Agile, is back with his latest album We’re Never Done, a celebration of the sounds of the city he calls home. The award-winning artist, who has worked with some of the industry’s top talents, including Melanie Fiona, Dwele, Kardinal Offishall, Method Man, Jully Black, Ivana Santilli and Glenn Lewis, has assembled an impressive roster of features on this release. Making appearances on the project are Ammoye, Desiire, and Canadian R&B legends Glenn Lewis and JRDN. With its feel-good island vibes, uptempo soul tracks, and classic R&B sounds, We’re Never Done is a timely and well-needed release as…

Today, rapper and producer BLikeBrett released the visuals for “Ten Toes”. Shot and Edited by Palmer Media Co., the video features BLikeBrett in the studio rocking the microphone with his signature long hair and bucket hat. “The concept for the music video was to keep it simple. The song starts with the line ‘Give me a minute, imma tell you how I live’ and how I live is exactly as shown in the video; locked in the studio doing what I love to do most”, he explains. “In the same verse I emphasize the fact that I came from Ottawa and…

SHIFTER’s Artist of the Month for August is Vancouver hip-hop artist Boslen. Born and raised on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada, 21-year old artist Boslen is rapidly making a name for himself with a growing global fanbase. Boslen excelled as a rugby player for team Canada prior to facing the adversity of two career shaking ACL injuries. This change of reality was the beginning of “Boslen”, transitioning to a music career with the release of his debut EP Motionless in 2018. Boslen continued to fine tune his skills, proving to be a versatile West Coast act with the release of…

After taking a hiatus from music to refocus his life, Vancouver rapper Paul Hernandez is back with his debut EP Deeper Things, an exploration of what he’s learned about perseverance during confusing times in his life. The five song EP takes listeners through Paul’s desires to become a more self-aware, selfless person and the anxieties he suffer from that plague many people today. The 2012 Rapzilla Freshman, interweaves themes of faith in a hip-hop and pop into a signature sound with introspective and vulnerable content. What you notice immediately from Hernandez is the tone and delivery of a polished, seasoned vet, balanced with the…

It’s been three months since the release of Queenyy’s last single “What I Like About You”, but fans of the soulful Canadian hip-hop and R&B singer-songwriter won’t have to wait any longer.  Monday at midnight, Queenyy celebrated her birthday by surprising fans with the release of her brand new single “That Way”. The single comes just ahead of her upcoming EP set to be released this fall.  While the Ottawa-based Queenyy has made sure to keep our appetites whet dropping singles over the past year, “That Way” is Queenny as we’ve never heard her before. Recorded in London, England, it’s…

Yesterday, Reggae superstar Popcaan surprised both fans and the music world alike by taking to social media and announcing his new project FIXTAPE; the perfect end to Jamaican Independence celebrations. The star-studded track list includes the Nineteen95-produced “TWIST & TURN” featuring OVO label mates Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Drake appears again later on the album on “ALL I NEED”.  The Unruly/OVO Sound release starts off with “CHILL”, a laid back vibe as expected from the title. This song and title pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the project. Popcaan releases FIXTAPE on the heals of hit December 2019 project Vanquish and includes features from French Montana, Preme, Masicka, Stylo…

Hip-hop artist and songwriter Mischa recently held a listening party for close friends and collaborators ahead of the release of her highly anticipated project Alpha Barbie at the Origin Arts & Community Centre. The EP is a follow up to her 2019 release Like, Whoa. Alpha Barbie was a family affair with Gatineau, Quebec producer Quest of Dreamland Studios and Toronto producer Jonny Brown holding it down on production. Engineer Geoff McNeely, noted “Mischa’s ingenuity is very much showcased in Alpha Barbie. This new EP exhibits a wider range of artistic vision than her previous projects. It reveals a depth to Mischa’s writing…

Ahead of the release of his debut release set for this Fall, Ottawa rapper TwoTime is back with his latest single “Up2Me”, a song about the artist’s quick rise in the music game, and the obstacles he’s encountered along the way. It features TwoTiime’s signature vocal style as well as storytelling about street life and his come up as both an artist and a man. “‘Up2Me’ is about being independent,” said TwoTiime. “As a young 18-year-old artist, I realized people you have around aren’t who they turn out to be. Nobody takes their craft as serious as you, especially when it…

From the civil rights movement to the war in Vietnam, injustice has always found a way to inspire artists to create, lend their voices to the voiceless, and shed light on the times they are living in. The same is true of Ottawa singer-songwriter Nambi who recently released her first single in three years entitled “SHOTANOTHADOWN” ahead of her upcoming performance at the RBC Bluesfest Drive-In Festival on Saturday, August 1st. Fresh off a name change and new identity, the artist formerly known as Rita Carter blends a Bob Marley-like call to action with Rita Marley-esque soul and vocals on this…

On the heels of winning Album of the Year at Faces Magazine’s Ottawa Awards 2020 with his debut spoken word album Thorns and being named one of “Canada’s Most Slept On Artists” by our readers and social media followers at SHIFTER, TheSoulfulPoet is back with “Invisible”, the latest single off his album Live From the Basement. The single features Gatineau, Quebec producer Quest of Dreamland Studios with Dominique Gorley on vocals. The award-winning spoken word artist, songwriter and rapper has a unique style, mixing both elements of hip hop and spoken word to create pieces that are enlightening, inspirational, as well as…