Author: Sheldon Barrocks

Toronto showed out on Good Friday night for another edition of Toronto’s Urban Music Showcase, Taste of the 6ix. The monthly event, produced by XOXO and Night Night Entertainment, gives emerging artists a necessary platform to not only share their music but to network with other artists, industry professionals, social media influencers, as well as music producers and labels. On Friday we didn’t just get a taste, but a full serving of R&B and hip-hop from some talented up and coming artists from around Toronto and other parts of the country. The six artists who took the stage were Fame…

The NFL had a rough week last week. There were not one, but two stories involving NFL players and domestic violence. If you’ve been lulled to sleep by negative headlines about on the NFL lately, and these stories haven’t caught your attention, here’s the breakdown: Kansas City Chiefs star running back and the 2017 rushing leader Kareem Hunt was released (essentially fired) by the team after a TMZ video surfaced showing him involved in a physical altercation with a woman in a hotel hallway. The video shows Hunt, with several others, being visibly upset with the woman, and being held…

The Sneakerhead community descended upon Toronto for it’s annual convention otherwise known as SneakerCon Toronto. What once was an underground cultural movement has now become a multi-billion dollar global business. Sneaker sellers and re-sellers from all over North America set up shop for a 2-day event, hoping to lure sneaker enthusiasts and hypebeasts of all ages to drop major coin on the kicks of their choice. But it’s not just the hypebeasts, re-sellers in the kicks circles are getting younger, with aspiring sneaker entrepreneurs starting as young as 12 years old. While some old heads complain about how inclusive the…

The NBA season starts today, and I’m sure every outlet in North America will be publishing a piece previewing the best players, top games, and all the other fluff they think hard core basketball fans care about. That may be true, but here at Shifter we’re gonna give you the real stories of the upcoming 2018-2019 NBA season that you really want to know about. So with that, here are the Shifter Sports Top 10 Intriguing NBA Storylines This Season: Is this a make or break season for Andrew Wiggins? The Simple answer: Yes. Wiggins numbers dropped off last year from…

Last Saturday I found myself at midfield in TD Place with hundreds of students from the University of Ottawa. I did what I could to capture the incredible moments following The U of Ottawa Gee Gees’ 38 – 27 victory over the Carleton Ravens in the 50th Edition of the famed Panda Game. As the final whistle blew, Gee Gees fans stormed the field to party as it marked the first Panda Game victory in 5 games for U of Ottawa. It was also the first win since the iconic 2014 ‘Hail Mary’ Panda Game when the Ravens shocked the…

Iconic music video director and producer, Julien Christian Lutz, a.k.a. ‘Director X’ was recently inducted into the Brampton Arts Walk of Fame for his over 2 decades of well known achievements in the industry, working with the likes of Drake, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Usher, Kendrick Lamar and too many others to name them all! Shifter Magazine’s Toronto correspondent Sheldon Barrocks was on hand for the ceremony and had an opportunity to sit down with Director X to discuss amoung other topics the Walk of Fame honour, his creative process and any advice he has for young creatives. • • • Sheldon…

The Ottawa Fury hosted the first ever edition of the CapCity Cup against the MLS club Montreal Impact last week. It was a traditional friendly match created to build the spirit of the game in the Ottawa-Montreal region. Both teams have growing fan bases and newly minted rivalry game gives soccer fans from both towns something to look forward to every year. Proponents like Fury FC GM Julian de Guzman sees real opportunity in the match up. “CapCity Cup is a representation of the nation’s capital,” explained De Guzman. “It’s not just another city in Canada, and this is something we…

“If people say your dreams are crazy…If they laugh at what they think you can do…good….stay that way. Because what non-believers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult. It’s a compliment.” – Colin Kaepernick in the new Nike ad. Nike leaked their much anticipated ad featuring Colin Kaepernick online this week and it wasn’t what most of us expected. The ad, scheduled to air during NFL’s opening weekend, features Kaepernick who plays the part of storyteller and motivational speaker, detailing inspirational stories of triumph from the likes of Serena Williams (from Compton, CA…

One of the most anticipated Netflix original series made its return late last month for a third go around. Last Chance U, the documentary mini-series that has captured audiences with its unique coverage of Junior College powerhouse East Mississippi Community College (EMCC), now moves to small town Independence, Kansas to give us an inside look at uprising Independence Community College (ICC) football team. As Shifter Sports Editor, I keep pace with all sports, but by far football (American football) is king in my house. So, you can image how hyped I was back when Last Chance U debuted in the…

The top high school basketball player in North America last season made a splash in his Duke debut last week in the Six. Freshman R.J. Barrett headlined a ridiculous frosh class that also includes the #2 rated high school hoops player Zion Williamson for the Duke Basketball Canada Tour. If you’re just getting word of this, here’s the breakdown: Duke Basketball scheduled exhibition games with Canadian Universities, Ryerson, Univ. of Toronto and McGill, with games set to play in Mississauga and Montreal respectively. Whoever planned the tour with Duke obviously sold them on the desire for Canadian fans eager to…

Late last week former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, aka “Johnny Football”, signed with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-cats. The Ti-cats, wanting to upgrade their quarterback situation, landed a much needed addition at the position. The CFL however will come out as the real winner, adding a personality to the league that they’ve never had in the social media age. Love him or hate him, Manziel is good for the CFL, especially for the CFL in Toronto. Not only does Toronto love star power, but major leagues survive on the weight of their stars and marketable personalities. The NBA, NFL and…

Sheldon Barrocks had the opportunity to sit down with womenswear designer Cherith B. of Cherith B. Designs who released her new collection “Forward” at this year’s edition of Fashion Art Toronto. The line embodies the modern woman’s realization of all that she is, and the reinvention of who she is perceived to be. Sheldon Barrocks: What initially drew you into the fashion industry? Cherith B: I’ve always been a creative DIY kind of person, especially growing up. I was gifted with a sewing machines as a child and have always been good with them. Clothing design was somewhat always around me. My…