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…
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.
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…
Social media is buzzing since Capcity Hip-Hop released its top 50 Ottawa rappers list. Since then a few lists have emerged so I decided to weigh in on the action. I’ve been to a lot of studio sessions, rap cyphers, and live shows. I’ve reviewed quite a few local albums, played local music on our radio show, and written my monthly Ottawa music video roundups so I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Now, quick disclaimer. Before you label me an “old head”, I actually spend more time listening to trap and modern hip-hop than I do…
This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes Dax, SixOneTrey, Hevve, 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 June. Last month you voted and crowned “Popular Demand” by Hueso featuring JKing as your Video of the Month. Video of the Month (May) – Hueso featuring JKing – “Popular Demand” Who will win this month? Dax Wack Ass Rappers Freestyle Release date: June 4, 2019 Shot by: Logan Meis There are few…
The main attraction on the final day of Bluesfest was the Backstreet Boys, but first we were treated to a performance from Ottawa native Vi. After competing on CTV’s The Launch and recently moving to Toronto, it would be expected to see growth in Vi as a performer and we were right. Vi appeared to be as comfortable as ever in front of her hometown crowd. She performed all her songs we’ve grown to love, including “Make Believe”, “Demons”, “Black Water”, and “Clover”. She even got acoustic on “Heart” and even gave us covers of a few of her favourite…
