Author: Kevin Bourne

Kevin Bourne is the co-founder and editor of SHIFTER magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, Kevin currently resides in Ottawa with his wife Koliah and their three children. He's a big fan of hip-hop, pop culture, and urbanism and spends most of his time keeping up with the Kardashians.

Fans of DC comics and superhero films rejoice! Justice League is here and it is awesome. It may not be perfect (it is certainly far from it), but there is so much fun to be had watching this film. Boasting an excellent blend of action, astounding visuals and great characters, Justice League is the team-up film that many, including myself, have been waiting for for years. Being a film that has the unique circumstance of being directed by two directors with essentially polar opposite styles, Justice League should’ve been a mess. Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon (who directed both Avengers…

Read More

It was just a year ago that entrepreneur, Mehdi Jourabbaf, founded TEN, short for Tonight Ends Never, a creative agency specializing in artist and model management, creative direction, product production and marketing. You’ve probably seen his work on Instagram without realizing he was the man orchestrating things behind the scenes.  The vision for Tonight Ends Never is clear. When asked what inspired him to launch the agency he stated, “Everyone wants to become a superstar, but when we looked closer we realized no one was interested in managing those superstars to-be. Ottawa is our home and it’s fueled with limitless talent,…

Read More

Courtney Johnson is a freelance hairstylist based in NYC. She shares her journey on what it has been like in the industry, her passion for directing, loyalty and so much more. Courtney has extensive knowledge of the beauty industry since she was eighteen years old and has been mentored by the greats. Courtney talks about her upcoming passion projects for epilepsy & anxiety. Courtney truly has a big heart and wants to make a difference. Listen to this amazing woman’s story, she will definitely leave you inspired. Ep. 24 – New York hairstylist Courtney Johnson Click on the links below to…

Read More

BEACH HOUSE 3 Ty Dolla $ign As much as I try to keep up to date with the latest hip-hop/R&B news, from time to time a few projects manage to go right over my head. Most of those projects end up being straight garbage like Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv is Rage 2 (I didn’t review it and never will), but sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised. For example, Ty Dolla $ign’s Beach House 3 surprised me. I honestly totally forgot this album was coming out, but boy am I happy it did. Listening to this new generation of R&B, it’s clear that the genre has changed a…

Read More

Alexandra Newton, founder of FIT FOR THOUGHT podcast, is one to notice! After an accident, Alexandra needed to find her way back to herself. She put her all into fitness, meeting new people and opening herself to countless opportunities. Alexandra started a podcast that gave her an outlet to express her creative side even more. There she interviews fellow entrepreneurs, talks tech, fitness and so much more. We talked about trusting the process, not being afraid to ask for help, and so much more. Ep. 23 – Alexandra Newton of the Fit For Thought podcast Click on the links below to listen.…

Read More

WITHOUT WARNING Metro Boomin, Offset, 21 Savage Happy Halloween indeed. Hip-op fans woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning as Metro Boomin, Offset (Migos) and 21 Savage (No Heart) dropped an unannounced album out of nowhere appropriately titled “Without Warning”. The album consists of 10 songs entirely produced by Metro Boomin and also features Travis Scott and Quavo. It goes without saying that I went bananas in hearing this news as those three stand among the biggest names in hip-hop today. But does “Without Warning” deliver as one would expect from this dream worthy collaboration? Oh yes…yes it does. Let’s just get to the…

Read More

“I believe in the limitlessness of humans. We’re capable of incredible things. At times, that realization is frightening.” – Alicia Keys Alicia Keys is without question a supremely talented artist. Her voice is magical and captivating. Her musical ability is truly a gift from God that has impacted so many of us. We all have artists who we feel deeply connected with. Their songs have spoken into our experiences and we’ve sung them countless times over. Alicia has been that artist in my life. The days when I didn’t think it was possible to love any more, this glorified shower…

Read More

Marisa Walcott, the founder and creator of KYSO (knock your socks off) socks, is the girl boss you need to know! Marisa launched her line in early 2017 and has really begun to make a name for herself. Having TV personalites such as Lincoln Blades, a CBC news contributor and Teen Vogue columnist, wearing and promoting her socks, KYSO is definitely making some noise. With Marisa’s extensive background in marketing and fashion buying, she was already several steps ahead of the game. Marisa’s confidence, drive, and determination has brought her to where she is today. Listen to hear her full story! Ep.…

Read More

SHIFTER had the opportunity to profile dancer Artin Avaznia following the release of his film The Velvet Rope: A Dance Short Film celebrating 20 year anniversary of Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope album. For more profiles visit www.shiftermagazine.com/creators. Biggest accomplishment so far: My biggest accomplishment to date, would most definitely have to be my dance short film, The Velvet Rope: A Dance Short Film. This year marks the 20-year anniversary of Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope album and with its universal impact, as well as its impact on me personally, this film was created in homage. The film, which was released on October 7th 2017 -…

Read More

“Eminem dropped some harsh lines on Donald Trump…but it won’t change anything. Change requires major sacrifices and it’s obvious America is split on making sacrifices so the right change can come about.” I posted that on Facebook the day after Eminem’s freestyle. A couple of weeks have past and nothing has changed. I’ve noticed many reactions to the Eminem freestyle but next to no action. So I’m standing by what I said. After being called out by Eminem, Donald Trump ran off somewhere and buried his head in the sand. His Twitter fingers didn’t shoot out any 140 character tweets. He…

Read More

He’s a sought after event host/emcee and YouTuber and she’s a reality TV junkie and the daughter of a long-time radio show host. Together they’re the co-hosts of entertainment podcast Power Circle. Kevin Bourne had the opportunity to ask Reggie Cash and Cassie B. about how they met, how they started Power Circle, who inspired them and where they see their podcast going. Kevin Bourne: So how did you guys meet? Cassie B: Reggie Cash and I know each other from way back. I remember meeting him for the first time at my father’s workplace, CHIN Radio. I think we were either in…

Read More