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…
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.
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…
One of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history is when Cuba Gooding Jr. asks Tom Cruise to repeat that memorable four-word phrase in Jerry Maguire – “Show me the money”. This has been my mood over the past week. Lately, I have been giving much thought to the economic disparity experienced by Black people across North America. While systemic racism in the justice system has been at the forefront of the conversation in recent months, I believe we have understated the importance of economic equity and narrowing the economic gap between Black and white people. As some have noted,…
It’s that time again! SHIFTER’s Canadian Music Video Roundup for June includes videos from Tory Lanez, Dax, Jessie Reyez, Roy Woods, Swagger Rite, Sinzere, Mischa, and more! Before you going any further, we want to explain why we do these roundups every month. In Canada, many artists still feel like they have to move to the United States to make it. One of the knocks on Canada is that we don’t celebrate, acknowledge and become fans of our artists until they make it elsewhere. At SHIFTER, we want to do our part to change that. We’re fans of Canadian music and…
On the heels of artists, including Jessie Reyez, calling for more Black staff and upper management at Canadian record labels, a new movement to applify the voices of Black music industry professionals in Canada is born. ADVANCE is a Toronto-based non-profit that “aims to provide a unified voice for Black people working in the Canadian music industry”. In a statement released yesterday on the group’s Twitter account they stated that they will “lead the change for real, tangible Black advancement and reform in the music business landscape and infrastructure in corporate, private and government sectors”. Branded as “Canada’s Black music…
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has taken his talents to New England in hopes of continuing in the footsteps of arguably the greatest player to ever throw a pigskin. With the love affair between Brady and Belichick done and over with, Newton is primed for a breakout season and the world has taken notice. The question that’s on everyone’s mind is, “Can superman fly again?” Belichick and the system With a new regime under construction in New England, Belichick is the perfect coach to help Newton resuscitate his career. If history has taught us anything, it’s that Belichick knows how…
After teasing us for months with his quarantine-inspired DAYZZ OFF video series, Montreal rapper Zach Zoya has released his long-awaited single “Slurpee”, the first release off of his upcoming EP Spectrum set to be released later this year. While DAYZZ OFF gave us a glimpse at Zach Zoya the skilled rapper and emcee, “Slurpee” introduces us to Zach Zoya the budding, charismatic hip-hop star. The visuals, directed by fellow Montreal native GED, are a dark and quirky, yet comedic and high energy display of Zoya’s full range of talent. The video opens with Zoya showing off some of his comedic…
SHIFTER’s Artist of the Month for July is Asuquomo, the musical project of the Canadian multidisciplinary artist, Morris Ogbowu. Since immigrating to Ottawa in 2012, he began his career releasing music from 2014 to 2018 under his birth name, followed by a rebirth in 2019, under the name Asuquomo. The Nigerian-born singer-songwriter has drawn inspiration from an interdisciplinary background in the arts. His 2018 LP, This That Mo, was the recipient of the Rick and Brune Sinneave Artist Award at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Asuquomo maintains an unmistakable and unique dexterity in both visual and auditory storytelling. The…
This Canada Day was rough. In recent years, especially since Canada 150, there’s been an increased awareness when it comes to the experience of Indigenous people in Canada. For most Indigenous people, Canada Day and Canada on a whole are sources of anger and pain, and rightfully so. Canada was created at the expense of Indigenous people; they lost their land, language, culture and identity in the forming of this country. At the same time, I’m a first generation Canadian born to immigrant parents who moved to Canada from the island of Barbados in 1975 with $500 Barbadian dollars to…
