Ottawa-Toronto artist Shubz releases the stunning new visuals for “Don’t Let Me Go”, shot in the deserts of Morocco. Ever since the world saw artists such as French Montana film his breakout hit “Unforgettable” in Uganda, travelling for the sake of music videos has become widespread. Ottawa-Toronto recording artist Shubz has joined in on this practice. While visiting Morocco, he filmed the visuals for his second single “Don’t Let Me Go”. Music videos may have the reputation of being a lost art, yet there is no doubt that stunning visuals can bolster a musicians career. “Don’t Let Me Go”’s video…
Author: Rose Basu
“People On The Move” takes a look at people moving on to new and exciting roles in our community and culture. Today, we look at urban Canadian music staple Craig Mannix, also known as ‘Big C’ who has been promoted from his position of Senior Director, Urban Marketing to VP, Black Music at Universal Music Canada. If you know anything about the music industry, you know at least one of the three notorious labels. These being Warner Music Group, Sony Music and Universal Music Group. These giants run the business, with Universal leading the way in Canada. While the ins…
City Fidelia’s latest album may be his most impactful work to date. Here’s Rose Basu with her review of the City Fidelia album Painkiller. “I hope this Painkiller helps you heal in this lifetime”, says City Fidelia regarding his latest album Painkiller. City Fidelia has spent countless years cultivating his talent and creating a thriving name for himself in the Ottawa community. Not only was he a program director at Ottawa’s 89.1 FM, he is also the co-founder of professional development program FRMULA and a rapper with millions of plays across DSPs. After honing his talent as an artist, his…
Gatineau, Quebec producer and photographer, Quest, flexes his creative muscle on his new photo exhibit and album. Here’s our SND*TRK album review. When you think about hip-hop producers in the capital region, you have to mention Quest. A pupil of XO producer and Gatineau native Da Heala he’s been churning out beats for the region’s top artists for almost 20 years. Over the past 12 years, he’s added both photography and videography to his arsenal, all while being an advocate for the Gatineau side of the scene. Following the opening of Dreamland, Quest launched “Dreamland Sessions”, a series of 16-bar…
Savannah Ré serves up vulnerability and sonic distinction on her new sophomore EP, No Weapons. From the JUNOS to billboards, Savannah Ré has reached many milestones within the past year. Ré has now released her new sophomore EP, adding to this extensive list of accomplishments. This eagerly-anticipated release comes via Universal Canada, the country’s leading label. Ré has introspectively dug deep and has pulled out the expressive and unapologetic project No Weapons. Mez, Dylan Sinclair, Jack Rochon, RAAHiim, Kevinshideout are some of the names who have invested into collaborating with Ré for this project. Grammy award winners Boi-1da and…
Queendemme offers a stunning artistic visualization in the final element of a 7-part experimental multimedia journal featuring 60 Black Calgary-based female millenials. Ask any hip-hop head’s top 5 rappers, rarely does a woman’s name show up. many notorious female artists, from Nicki Minaj to Lil Kim, have been overlooked time and time again in many “Best Rappers of All Time” lists and even on the cover of Vogue. Minaj even spoke on this issue by stating that Billie Eilish set a trend and was instantly on the cover of the iconic fashion magazine. Whereas, Nicki Minaj has been on the…
Today, R&B singer-songwriter Savannah Ré releases her latest single “Closure” from her upcoming EP No Weapon. Two-time JUNO Award winning R&B singer-songwriter Savannah Ré is hitting us with a new single “Closure”. Following in the footsteps of the greatest women in R&B such as Jhené Aiko and Erykah Badu, Savannah is owning her power. “Closure” follows hot on the heels of the steamy “About U” and allows Ré to show us a side we haven’t seen. She admitted herself “it became this hybrid of a bunch of different genres – something that I haven’t really made before.” For an artist,…
Six episodes in, Maestro Fresh Wes has brought energy and passion to season two of CBC’s Race Against The Tide. Maestro Fresh Wes, the godfather of Canadian rap, has been busy as of late. He recently performed at the All Canadian North Stars show during OVO Fest weekend alongside fellow Canadian hip-hop legends Choclair, Saukrates, Michie Mee, and Kardinal Offishall. However, one thing that flew under our radar was Maestro taking over as the new host of CBC’s Race Against the Tide. The rap pioneer branched out into film and television many years ago with roles in shows like Metropia,…
With support from playlists and radio, 16 year-old Toronto R&B phenom, Quincy Isaiah, is gaining traction with his debut single “System”. Toronto is full of talented artists looking to make their big break; many of them spending years of their adult life grinding. One artist, however, has begun this journey at a young age. Quincy Isaiah is only 16 years old and has already been gaining recognition from his single “System.” This fresh single has made it on to multiple Apple Music playlists from Breaking R&B to Northern Vibes and has also been featured on CBC’s “The Block” hosted by…
The LJ and Jaioftherise bring fans into a real life game of Need For Speed with their new video for “One Life”. After the success of “Filthy” and being able to open for the late Pop Smoke, The LJ and JaioftheRise are back to collaborate on another banger. “One Life”, produced by Australian producer PAW, has a heavy bassline and endless bars about indulgence. “Time and time again, you go through things in life and you realize that you only have ‘One Life’ to live and it’s all about making the biggest impact possible in whatever way you can,” explains…
Ottawa’s very own NTHN puts in a self-nomination for contender of the year on his new EP, “ARTIST OF THE YEAR PACK”. Read the EP review by SHIFTER’s Rose Basu. Ottawa artist NTHN is fresh off of the success of being awarded 2022’s Ottawa’s “Artist of the Year” by Faces Magazine. Through this triumph came great pressure to live up to the Award’s standarInsert popupds. NTHN turned this pressure into a diamond with the release of Artist of the Year Pack. This three-song collection was released on July 15th to reward his listeners for their support. The first song of…
Éz drops the video for “2CB”, an explosive blend of trap cuts and cinematic scenes that’s rooted in the Toronto rapper’s Columbian-Canadian roots. Read the song and video review by SHIFTER’s Rose Basu here. The drill sub-genre of rap has risen in popularity since Pop Smoke entered the scene. Since then, many artists have chosen to do their own take on drill. Toronto based rapper Éz has recently joined in on this wave, and it’s greatly paid off for him. “2CB ” is Éz’s first release of 2022 and comes just after the Boslen Gonzo Canadian Tour, which the Colombian-Canadian…
