The internet is buzzing about Hair Love, the latest film from BlacKkKlansman executive producer and former NFL player, Matthew A. Cherry. Although the film was just released late last week, it was actually years in the making. It was back in 2017, that Cherry first launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance the film. The campaign ended up raising $300,000, exceeding Cherry’s goal of $75,000, en route to breaking the record for the most funds raised for a short film on the crowdfunding platform. Then earlier this year, Sony Pictures Animation announced they had picked up the film and it would be released by…
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.
Today, Jay-Z, considered by many to be the greatest rapper of all time, celebrated his 50th birthday. The rapper, who got his start as sidekick to fellow Brooklyn rappers Jaz-O and Big Daddy Kane, joins fellow hip-hop mogul P Diddy in the 50 Club. Diddy turned 50 years old on November 4th, exactly one month ago. Jay-Z celebrated the milestone by re-releasing his complete music catalogue on Spotify after a two-year absence. Hov is, of course, the owner of rival streaming service Tidal. Spotify shared their excitement for the re-release earlier today tweeting: Happy birthday, Hov ? Welcome back to Spotify.https://t.co/exr5QGgwCK…
A few weeks ago, Ottawa played host to the first ever Cranium Festival, an urban music festival that featured local, Canadian and American artists, as well as a number of panel discussions and networking opportunities. In a city where I’m used to seeing events flop after a lot of hype, Cranium was a welcomed surprise. The shows were good, the actual setup was well done, and using multiple venues across downtown made the festival feel “big”. SHIFTER played a small role hosting the industry tips panel at the Origin Arts & Community Centre moderated by yours truly. Featuring two artists,…
My beloved Torontonians (and beyond), here we are again. It is time for another edition of the Taste of the 6ix Global Music Showcase. Back from a short break, the team at Taste of the 6ix has carefully curated another brilliant line up. As the King of Pop would say, it’s about to rock your world. Taste of the 6ix is a platform founded on love, community and creativity. It’s a welcoming environment for artists and other pillars of the industry to come together to have fun, network and find genuine support. You will have the pleasure of witnessing emerging gems of…
October was a busy month in the capital! This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes 14 music videos. Artists include Timal Garnier, Chrissy Spratt, JustJamaal the Poet, Craig Cardiff, Dynamic and more! We’re continuing to ask you, the fans, to vote for the capital’s Video of the Month. Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the city for September. Special shout out to our sponsor Greg Campbell – Blue Panda Realty. Last month you voted for “Liu Kang” by Dip Black featuring Hevve as your video of the month. Video of…
Home to Bluesfest, Winterlude, Canada Day, and the Escapade Music Festival, Ottawa has built a reputation as one of the leading festival cities in Canada and around the world. Although it’s November and snowing outside, the festival vibes aren’t done. This weekend, the first edition of CRANIUM, Ottawa’s latest festival offering, will be taking place from November 14th to 16th. Spearheaded by hip-hop vets and community staples Patrick “Jugga” McCormack, Justin “Dynamic” Gunderson, and Michael “Rookie” Kirton, the festival will be hosted at indoor venues across downtown Ottawa. Performers include local, national and international talent, including City Fidelia, Lia Kloud,…
Toronto rapper and global icon, Drake, is set to team up with Smith Falls-based Canopy Growth on a brand new cannabis venture, More Life Growth Company, borrowing from his 2017 release of the same name. This is Drake’s first foray into the cannabis business and Canopy Growth’s second partnership with a rap icon after their collaboration with Canopy Growth shareholder Snoop Dogg. In an official release, the company stated the partnership will be “centred around wellness, discovery and overall personal growth with the hope of facilitating connections and shared experiences across the globe”. Under terms of the agreement, Drake will…
This past Thanksgiving I made the long trek from Ottawa to my hometown of Mississauga, Ontario as I usually do almost every Thanksgiving. Our destination was my mom’s house on Bristol Road that I called home for 16 years. The city just west of Toronto has changed a lot since I moved there 28 years ago. The year was 1991 and I was 11 years old. We just moved from our apartment on Keele Street in North York and my sister and I weren’t having it. The sign welcoming us into our new home read “Population 383,000”. There was a…
Social media is buzzing about Kanye West, his album “Jesus is King” and his newfound faith in Jesus Christ. Along with that has come his request that those working on his album abstain from premarital sex and that his wife stop wearing revealing clothing. To some it may sound weird but I went on a similar journey 16 years ago. The year was 2003. It was Lent, an important season on the church calendar. My best friend (who would go on to become my wife) and I started asking God questions. Are you real? If you’re real then_________. One by…
A week before City Fidelia and Night Lovell were set to hit to the stage at Rolling Loud Hong Kong prior to its cancellation, another Ottawa act was shining on the international stage. Egyptian-Canadian Malak Sound recently appeared on the October 12 episode of singing competition show The Voice in the Middle East, also known as The Voice Ahla Sawt. She is the first Canadian to ever appear on the show. When asked what appearing the show has meant for her career, the Ottawa-based singer-songwriter told SHIFTER, “Going go The Voice was not only a big step forward for me professionally…
This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes Dip Black, Selekwa, Nathan Miles and two time Video of the Month champ, Dynamic! We’re continuing to ask you, the fans, to vote for the capital’s Video of the Month. Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the city for September. Special shout out to our sponsor Greg Campbell – Blue Panda Realty. Last month saw our largest voter turnout ever with over 900 votes! You voted and crowned “Big Fish” by SVLM as your Video of the Month by a three vote…
This is the album Ottawa has been waiting for. Last Friday, City Fidelia released his latest and most highly anticipated project to date, Painkiller. We’ve been hearing about this album for a long time so anticipation was pretty high. With rich content and very few features, what we were given was a work of art and one of the best albums to ever come out of the city. The capital has reason to be doubtful. It has grown used to seeing its top artists leave, find success and never return, but today more and more artists are coming out of the…
