In this edition of Dope New Music, we look at new hiphop and R&B, as well as other genres, from artists like Burna Boy, Portion, Charmaine, Haviah Mighty, Mindflip, Boslen, and more. BOSLEN | “Crazy” Boslen is one of the most talented artists in Canada. Period. His songwriting and creativity are top tier, and he can do any style. He shows it again on his latest single “Crazy” with his effortless vocals and laid back groove. There’s a nostalgic feel to it with hints of late 70’s, early 80’s inspiration. Everyone is trying to do genre-less music, but…
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.
Tensions are rising between Zac and Fatima while Andi hits Gary with the hard truth. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 5. **SPOILER ALERT** While last season there was a lot of drama with Maurice and Sabrina jail, season six is already shaping up to be a better season when it comes to storylines. There are stories evolving that will change the course of the whole show and Danni’s character has evolved compared to previous seasons when she was more in the background. Continuing from last episode, the show opens with Karen telling the girls that…
The Black Academy, CBC, Bay Mills Studios and Insight Productions have announced that singer and broadcaster Keshia Chanté will host the 2023 Legacy Awards. After a successful inaugural year, the Legacy Awards are returning to HISTORY this fall, but this time with a major change. Today, The Black Academy co-founders, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, alongside CBC, Insight Productions, and Bay Mills Studios have announced that award-winning TV host and singer Keshia Chanté will be holding down hosting duties this year. Anderson and James hosted the 2022 edition of the awards. “Keshia was always our number one choice to host…
The Sistas learn more details about what happened with Karen at the salon. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 4. **SPOILER ALERT** The fire at the salon is long gone, but after tonight’s episode, a few new fires have been started leading to a lot of new drama. While Sistas has give us good episodes, there aren’t many that would be consider excellent. Season 6 Episode 4 was one of them (not as much on the technical side as in the drama and storytelling, but we’ll get into that later). The episode continues where the last…
Pam and Aaron are worried about Karen and Zac’s daddy drama continues. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 3. Tonight’s episode of Tyler Perry’s Sistas opens what’s becoming one of the more unexpected and engaging storylines―what happened to Karen? While it probably won’t draw out too long, it’s a great piece of storytelling that has some wondering about the future of the character. Adding to the storytelling is Zac finding more about how his “son” is actually living. We’re seeing a different size of Zac as he before a father for the first time. Well, kinda.…
Joyner Lucas and NBA Youngboy team up for their Leo Son, ADHD Productions and Storm produced single “Cutt U Off”. Since arriving on the scene, Joyner Lucas has built a reputation as one of the best rappers in music today. Period. But there were still questions about whether he would ever rise to the level of stardom and recognition his talents warranted, especially in an era in hip-hop that values “vibes” or lyrics. Well, through a combination of elite bars and flow, memorable self-directed visuals, viral tracks like “I’m Not Racist”, remixes of popular songs like “Gucci Gang”, “Look Alive”,…
SHIFTER editor Kevin Bourne says of Lavi$h and his new EP You Made A Big Mistake, “his sound is indescribable, his tone and delivery are incredible, and his talent in undeniable.” If you spend time in Canadian music circles, one of the names buzzing right now is Lavi$h. With the backing of Chubbs from OVO, who is credited with discovering Lavi$h, and Def Jam Recordings, as well as a co-sign from Drake, the Zambia-born, Winnipeg raised, and now Toronto-based singer-songwriter is making a name for himself both north and south of the border. After dropping big tracks like “World In…
Maurice gets an earful from Sabrina and Danni gets an unexpected guest. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 2. Tonight’s episode of Tyler Perry’s Sistas was a good one, despite opening with an unnecessary scene. Still, there are good surprises and good storytelling throughout. We also see Hayden, arguably the least liked character on the show, for the first time this season as the Gary, Hayden and Robin storyline is reintroduced. Karen in trouble The episode opens with Karen dramatically falling to the floor after breathing in fire at the salon which is ultimately an unnecessary…
The latest Transformers movie is one of the franchise’s best yet says Kevin Bourne in his Transformers: Rise of the Beasts review. Set in 1990’s New York City, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts tells the story of the Autobots who must unify with the Maximals, a new faction of Transformers, to defeat the dark god Unicron and Scourge, leader of the Terrorcons. Also standing in Unicron’s way are Brooklyn natives Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), an unemployed ex-military with a knack for gadgets, and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback), a museum intern and aspiring archeologist. Together, they go on an unexpected globetrotting…
In this edition of Dope New Music, we look at new Canadian hiphop and R&B, as well as other genres, from artists like Baka Not Nice, Lola Bunz, Lil Berete, Gary Beals, Anaïs Cardot, EverythingOShauN, Private Name Private Number, and more. BAKA NOT NICE | “Thinking About Drilling” Fresh off his performance at the SiriusXM x Partynextdoor show last week, Baka Not Nice is back with a brand new single “Thinking About Drilling”. This comes after the April release of “Took A Trip”. Where “Took A Trip” was more upbeat and raw, the new single is still raw but…
Kevin Bourne calls The Weeknd, Madonna, and Playboi Carti track “a surprising treat that we didn’t know we wanted” in his Popular song review. The Weeknd shocked fans this week announcing the latest single off The Idol Vol. 1, the soundtrack for his upcoming HBO series The Idol set to premiere on June 4th. This is the second single off the soundtrack following the April release of “Double Fantasy” featuring Future. At first glance, the features may have raised a few eyebrows. With the unlikely additions of Madonna and Playboi Carti, what could possibly go wrong, right? Well, if fans…
Shots are fired and the girls have another intervention with Danni. Here’s our review of Tyler Perry’s Sistas Season 6 Episode 1. Tonight marked the long-awaited return of Tyler Perry’s Sistas and the show was sorely missed. As with last season’s premiere, we are introduced to a few new looks, including Fatima new blonde hair and natural makeup, which is always a nice touch, giving us a visible cue of her personal growth. The season five finale didn’t answer any questions, instead raising new ones, and the season six premiere was no different. This season we can expect the evolution…
