Flo Milli and Maiya The Don were “easily among the best live performers we’ve seen all year” says Kevin Bourne in his latest concert review. Tonight, Flo Milli brought her Thanks For Coming Here, Ho tour to Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Centre presented by RAPSEASON. Fortunately, she didn’t come alone. She had a little help from Brooklyn native, Maiya The Don, fresh off her BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher appearance. When asked prior to the show what we can expect from a Maiya The Don performance, she told SHIFTER. “You can expect a lot of energy, dancing, a good time. I like…
Author: Kevin Bourne
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.
Sabrina is given an offer she might not be able to refuse. Here’s our recap of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 13. The episode begins with Bayo (Ellis E. Fowler) demanding that Sabrina (Novi Brown) marry him as a condition for the bail money. If not, she would be sent her back to jail. The girls show up at Karen’s (Ebony Obsidian) house for a another sisterly intervention after Karen’s visit to the law office. Karen is still confused (and seemingly delusional) about Zac’s (Devale Ellis) love for her. With everyone beating around the bush, Danni (Mignon Von) comes with…
Things escalate between Fatima and Karen, and Maurice confesses. Here’s our recap of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 12. It’s Christmas in October as Tyler Perry’s Sistas returns for its mid-season premiere. The episode opens with Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett) on the ground after being shot by Karen (Ebony Obsidian) with everyone in the office scrambling. Fortunately, as many fans suspected, it was just wishful thinking on Karen’s part. After the two exchange backhanded apologies, Karen threatens to get every dime she can from Zac (Devale Ellis) for her baby. When the dust settles, Karen wants Andi to choose between…
Just when you thought artists would be winding down for the year, we were hit with a number of new releases. In this edition of Dope New Music, we look at new Canadian hiphop and R&B, as well as folk, afro-fusion, Gospel and dancehall from Mustafa, AR Paisley, Nate Husser, TwoTiime, Töme, TOBi, Charmaine and more, in no particular order. AR PAISLEY FEAT. INDERPAL MOGA | “WHAT’S BEEF?” After signing a new deal with 91 North Records, a joint venture between Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India, AR Paisley is back with his new single “What’s Beef?” featuring…
Despite his success so far, his is “still just getting started” says Kevin Bourne in his Daniel Caesar Superpowers Tour review. Friday night, Daniel Caesar brought his Superpowers Tour to Toronto as the Oshawa native performed in front of a hometown crowd. Caesar joins an impressive list of hometown heroes who packed out the Scotiabank Arena in their own city in 2023, including NAV and Drake. Before Caesar took to the stage, opening acts took turns getting the crowd warm. While Toronto’s Charlotte Day Wilson accompanied by fellow Torontonian jazz band BADBADNOTGOOD are a lock to put on a good…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Drake latest project “may have just saved hip-hop” in his For All The Dogs review. When the clock hit midnight, hoards of Drake fans all of the world were left refreshing their favourite DSP so they could get their latest Drake fix. That’s when word spread that the album wouldn’t be dropping until 6:00am. On October 6th. Very 6 God of him. Then came the sound of the pitter patter of footsteps running down the stairs like Christmas morning as For All The Dogs finally arrived. Now. this album is very important for hip-hop which, aside…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Lil Yachty has shown growth and maturity as a performer in his The Field Trip tour review. Tonight, Lil Yachty brought his The Field Trip tour to Toronto, performing in front of a sold out crowd at History. Opening the show were the Concrete Family, made up of Camo, Draft Day, Moe, and Karrahbooo. Then Nick Hakim took to the stage, performing his brand of laid back, trans-inducing, almost psychedelic music. Before the show even started, there was a bit of an uproar when Drake and Adonis entered the balcony area. SZA would also discreetly enter the…
There a number of Black shows debuting or returning to the air and streaming services. Here are returning and new Black TV shows to check out. Over the past few decades, Canada has been sporadic with its offering of Black TV shows. Not only has the selection of shows from Black Canadian creators been few and far between, but we’ve also struggled to gain access to many Black shows available in the United States. Of course, there were some attempts and success stories over the years. There was Vision TV’s Lord Have Mercy!. set in Toronto’s Eglinton West neighbourhood, which…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Liyah Katana “can already boast superior vocals to more seasoned, mainstream artists” in his “8” EP review. Toronto has been churning out some of the best R&B talent in the world in recent years and now there’s another Greater Toronto Area product ready to take the R&B world by storm. Although just 20 years old, Liyah Katana already boasts an impressive résumé. She’s been building a name for herself in recent years with her vocals, live performances around the city, a string of radio hits, and frequent trips to rub shoulder with industry heavyweights in New…
Toronto’s favourite comedy duo, Marlon Palmer and Big Norm Alconcel, have announced their eight-city Extra Gravy Comedy Tour. Today, Marlon Palmer and Big Norm Alconcel, two of Toronto’s rising comedy stars, announced they’re set to go on an eight-city comedy tour. Titled “Extra Gravy” after their podcast and live comedy shows of the same name, the tour will them stop in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal, Scarborough, Kitchener and Hamilton from October 13th through to December. The duo first joined forces back in March 2017 to launch the Extra Gravy podcast where they put their comedic spin on the latest…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Sasha Leigh Henry’s new series “funny, well-written and pretty much perfect” in his Bria Mack Gets A Life review. Since the success of Kim’s Convenience, some have wondered when Caribbean people would get a comedy series of our own. Well, that day is just around the corner with the upcoming Crave Original Series Bria Mack Gets A Life, a coming-of-age comedy about a young Black woman’s transition from college student to adulthood. The series has been gaining buzz since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Created and written by Sasha Leigh Henry…
This morning, WWE made it official. Jade Cargill has joined WWE after signing a multi-year deal with the sports entertainment powerhouse. She becomes the second major AEW star to join WWE. This morning, WWE ended the speculation by announcing that Jade Cargill has signed a multi-year deal with the industry-leading promotion. She brings an impressive track record of dominance, including a 60-match win streak, and magnetic in-ring presence to WWE. The exact terms of the multi-year deal are unknown, but Cargill will report to the WWE Performance Center today. AEW founder, Tony Khan, had praise for Cargill in a recent…
