Author: SHIFTER Staff

The world of hip hop was shocked to find out of the tragic murder of 30 year old rapper PnB Rock on Monday, September 12, 2022. In an armed robbery at a South Los Angeles restaurant, Philadelphia-born rapper PnB Rock was shot and killed. According to LA Times, while dining with his girlfriend, he was ambushed by a lone suspect who demanded valuables before getting into a physical struggle with the artist and opening fire, as detailed by Los Angeles Police on Tuesday. Allegedly, the rapper was tagged online at the Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles restaurant. Police are…

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National Arts Centre and SHIFTER are spotlighting Canadian women of colour in live performance with its first ever Innovators and Icons lists. One of the criticisms of the Canadian entertainment industry is that we haven’t always done a great job of celebrating and launching our homegrown talent; especially people of colour. Well, the National Arts Centre, Canada’s national performing arts institution, is stepping up to do its part. As Canada’s stage, the NAC is partnering with SHIFTER to spotlight Canadian women of colour in live performance with its first ever Innovators & Icons lists. As a part of this groundbreaking…

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Today we learned that The Black Academy founders, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, will host the first annual Legacy Awards. Just over a year after the first annual Legacy Awards were announced, today we learned that The Black Academy founders, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, will be hosting the live ceremony. The brothers from Scarborough are also the executive producers for the show. The festivities will include performances from some of Canada’s leading Black entertainers, including Jully Black, Deborah Cox, Keysha Freshh; Izzy-S, Kardinal Offishall, SATE, Savannah Ré, and DJ 4KORNERS. Meanwhile, presenters are set to include Arisa Cox, Brandon…

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The KIND Summer Fair is set to feature some of Canada’s top Reggae and Afro-pop talent, including Kirk Diamond, Jonelle, EverythingOShaun, and Soji Joseph. On July 5th and 6th, Toronto’s newest festival, the KIND Summer Fair, is set to take over the Cabana Poolbar along the city’s lakeshore. Presented by KIND Magazine, the cannabis festival features live music, food and drink, cannabis brand experiences, and an impressive line-up of talent set to take the stage. Day one features Dwayne Gretzky, The Royal Foundry, Robbie & Matthew, and Jed Harper. Day two, presented by Jones and Jones Group, features a line…

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R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison on nine federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking. Today, disgraced R&B star, R. Kelly, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine after being convicted for nine charges in 2021, including one charge of racketeering and eight charges of sex trafficking. Kelly had been accused of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, using his stardom to lure fans and aspiring artists, many underage. He was also accused on giving some of the victims herpes after not disclosing he had the infection. Prosecutors had requested that…

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Trinidadian-Canadian actress, Mishael Morgan, made history this week winning the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Toronto native, Mishael Morgan, recently made history becoming the first Black actor to win the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of lawyer Amanda Sinclair on The Young & The Restless. She beat out Days of Our Lives actors Marci Miller and Arianne Zucker, and General Hospital actors Cynthia Watros and Laura Wright to win the award. She initially joined the cast in May 2013 in the role of Hilary Curtis…

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Timex Group has released a new adidas Originals Timepiece collection geared towards Young Creatives, their lifestyle and unique self-expression. Timex Group recently released their new adidas Originals Timepiece collection. Designed, manufactured and distributed by long time watchmaker, the new collection also marked the debut of adidas’ TIME FOR ME campaign. For Timex Group, the collection is about design meeting functionality. “The new collection is where design exploration and watch functionality converge,” said Giorgio Galli, Chief Executive Creative Director of Timex Group. “This collection tells a story of purpose and thought and lends itself to self-expression and self-awareness. The collection includes…

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Cranium Conference, Showcase and Block Party is set to take over downtown Ottawa this weekend. Here’s all the information you need to know. This week, the Cranium Arts Project (previously known as Cranium Festival) it’s first ever Cranium Conference, Showcase and Block Party. The three-day music event will connect active industry professionals with musicians, artists and people making moves in the music and entertainment business. The weekend will feature networking sessions, information panels with music professionals, a showcase featuring the emerging artists, and a block party with some of the biggest name DJs. The event will also host a photography…

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New York hip-hop artist Lil Tjay shot and in surgery after late night shooting. Hip-hop is reeling from the news. Here’s the story. Both the hip-hop community and fans are grappling with the news that New York hip-hop artist, Lil Tjay, was shot last night and is currently undergoing emergency surgery. The shooting took place Wednesday night just after midnight in Edgewater, New Jersey just outside of New York City. According to a release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the shooting took place at 14 The Promenade, a residential and outdoor shopping district located along the Hudson River. TMZ…

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Ottawa-based Guatemalan-Canadian rapper Romeo Don’t Die defies his opps on his new DMX inspired track “DMX”. Ottawa hip-hop artist, Romeo Don’t Die, is back with a new single titled “DMX” inspired by the late rap legend and Romeo Must Die star. Produced by Montreal’s Dice Playy of the Canicule collective and recorded at the Real House of Ensemble in Ottawa, the track shows off the multilingual, Guatemalan-Canadian rapper’s flow and world play. Where his previous releases have featured bouncy production and catchy hooks, on this release he gives us his signature flow over a simple and timeless beat as he…

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After the All American season four finale, fans were in an uproar over development of Liv’s character, the falling out between Liv and Spencer, and the lack of real college experiences, and more. Well, KB and Koliah from SHIFTER will be sitting down with All American executive producer and the writer of the season four finale, Jamie Turner. We’ll be unpacking season four, talking about the fan outcry, asking him about his favourite character, and going over the writing process on All American. The interview is going on Saturday, June 18 at 3pm EST/12pm PST. To join us, click here…

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Toronto artist Road Runner returns with a brand new self-directed music video for “No!”, a defiant story about life in the streets. Fresh off his recent performance in downtown Ottawa, east end Toronto artist Road Runner is back with a brand new music video for “No!”, the follow up to his 2022 release Trapistan The Mixtape which features fellow Toronto artists Portion, 3MFrench, Yung Tory and Brooklyn native ABG Neal. Edited by Mikita and directed by Road Runner himself, who gained popularity with big tracks like “Scars” and “Nightmares”,  the video features shots of Road Runner’s Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood in…

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