Author: Kevin Bourne

Ottawa’s on the verge of blowing up as a music city. Depending on who you ask, the capital is anywhere from three to 10 years away from getting the credit it deserves. Solo artists like Night Lovell, City Fidelia and Maurice Moore are leading the charge, but also following suit are some strong hip-hop and R&B crews and collectives that are heavily influencing the sound of the capital, perhaps even more so than their solo counterparts. Here are six hip-hop and R&B collectives shaping the sound of the capital. View this post on Instagram A post shared by…

September’s edition of Taste of the 6ix was a night to remember. The six artists showcased were undoubtedly talented in every aspect. In fact, I am still humming their songs. We started with David Sully, who created his rendition of Talk by Khalid, making the best of the loop pedal. He performed playing the acoustic guitar covering this masterpiece with his perfectly tuned and soothing voice. KRSRAGA poured-out her feelings over progressive bass lines immersing the public in her own space and time. Following KRSRAGA, the young Liv Mannara bravely showed she is poised and ready to walk into her…

Today SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne, aka KB The Boss, appeared on CTV Morning Live for the television edition of our local music video roundup. In case you missed it, here’s the segment and the featured music videos. Mischa – Up Now Taming Sari – Wake Up Boy Emma Lamontagne – Love Games DJ Prosper – Famous (remix) SVLM – Big Fish

The 10th anniversary of Ontario Culture Days (OCD) features an eclectic roster of free activities and events taking place across all of Ontario from September 27–29, 2019. This vibrant weekend of activities marks the official end of the summer and the kick off fall with family activities in various intersections of visual art, theatre, cinema, dance, and much more—plus there’s no cover charge.  One of the many interactive cultural experiences include the BIG Draw Festival, which brings together fourteen museums in Toronto to partake in the celebration of drawing and creative expression; a story-telling series hosted by the Toronto Public…

This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes Timal Garnier, DJ Prosper, SVLM and BLikeBrett! 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 August. Last month you voted and crowned “Nothing To Lose” by Dynamic as your Video of the Month. Video of the Month (July) – Dynamic aka Ya Favourite Lightskin – “Nothing To Lose” Who will win for August? [Updated] Mischa Up Now Release date: August 2, 2019 Filmed by: Quest Edited by:…

September 1, 2019 marked the end of an era. After a long, 20-year run, the Gospel Skates, an ongoing series of roller skating events held at Scooters Roller Palace in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside of Toronto, has come to an end after a business decision by the host venue. While there were other Gospel skate events in the Greater Toronto Area over the years, the skates at Scooters were the longest running (and perhaps the most impactful). They were started 20 years ago by local radio personalities who saw the demand for the event, and were carried on by Warren Hamilton,…

Charles finally noticed I was hungry. He said, “You should come and have a taste of some fresh bites steaming out of the oven; some hot plates by some of the most talented people in the city”. “Hmmm…Steam? Ovens? Heat? Fresh bites? Yasssss! I’m in!”, I said in heavenly delight.  We love Toronto. It’s a real vibe out here. There’s “truly something special” about the Six, as the 1998 Tamia track suggests. Personally, I think it’s our cultural diversity that makes the city special. As Torontonians, we love to feast on roti, scones, rolls, injera, baguette, tapioca, dumplings, pita, biscuit,…

This week, Houston’s very own, Travis Scott, dropped his much anticipated Netflix documentary “Look Mom I Can Fly”. Trailers were posted online prior to the release, but they really didn’t do the film justice. What we’ve been given is the most intimate look at the life and career of one of hip-hop’s leading artists; the privilege of being a fly on the wall during the best run in hip-hop in 2018. The film opens with an interview on a roller coaster; a fitting intro given the Astroworld concept for his latest project. In fact, Astroworld, which SHIFTER crowned its album of…

During March of this year, Hamilton Tiger-Cat linebacker Justin Tuggle and former teammate Terrance Plummer II released their first pair of singles, “Where the Cash at”, and “Dried Tears”. Twenty-three days later, the duo dropped “Thin Air”, and on May 15, 2019, the CFL defenders released their first album titled “Life on Beats” featuring 14 songs. Fellow CFL players “Diesel” (former Argonaut Troy “Diesel” Davis) and “Nak” (current Argonaut Nakas Onyeka) made appearances on the album. Known on streaming platforms simply as take1 & YGP, the duo currently attract 24,531 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Prior to the album release,…

Major changes are underway in Canada’s capital; changes we probably thought we’d never see in our lifetime. We’re a few weeks away from the opening of the LRT line. A film and television studio was approved earlier this year. The waterfront is finally being developed. A “super library” and “super hospital” are in the works. We recently hit 1 million people in June. The local music scene is on the verge of blowing up. Tall buildings up to 65 storeys are either under construction or were approved. Ottawa is growing up, both literally and figuratively. Despite all the changes underway…

This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes Namour x Omari Mydz, Capé, Eazy Finesse, Dynamic, and OTG! 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 July. Last month you voted and crowned “On A Quest” by Dynamic as your Video of the Month. Video of the Month (July) – Dynamic aka Ya Favourite Lightskin – “On A Quest” Who will win this month? Namour x Omari Mydz On Me Release date: June 28, 2019…

Now that we got the top 10 rappers in the city when it comes to actual spitting and bars out of the way, let’s talk about the top 10 overall hip-hop artists. For this list, I’m expanding the criteria include: 1. Music: Bars, flow, vibes 2. Buzz in the city: Are people talking about you in the city? 3. Buzz outside the city: Are you getting media coverage, shows and general buzz outside the city 4. Social media buzz: Are people talking about you on social media? 5. Streaming numbers: This is important, but the least important on my list because people…