Author: Vladimir Jean-Gilles

“We ain’t trynna bother nobody but we sure ain’t inviting no weak rappers to the party” The Written Word is the latest offering from Ottawa rapper G. Grand and music producer Jeepz, and ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got ourselves a winner.  For starters, the production on The Written Word, brought to you by former Ottawa Beat Battle champion Jeepz, is simply stellar. One could say the rapper-producer relationship between G.Grand and Jeepz is almost symbiotic. They’re like Han Solo and Chewbacca—they’re at their best when they work together. G.Grand’s old school flow embraces the melodies and instrumentals flawlessly. It would’ve been…

Ottawa gets a bad rap for being a boring city, but it definitely wasn’t this past Thursday night as OVO’s very own DVSN performed some of their biggest hits in front of a packed Barrymore’s Music Hall in downtown Ottawa. And top of that they did it for free. The show was organized by Canadian cannabis brand HEXO in collaboration with Breakout Squad. To say DVSN provided a hell of a show would be an understatement. This might have been one of the best local performances provided by B list talent, which makes us question why on earth DVSN has yet…

Astroworld projected to sell 422k copies in its first week At only 26 years old, Travis Scott is back with his most successful album yet, delivering on all levels. For years now, the Texas-born rapper has been delivering hit after hit without receiving the acknowledgment he deserved as an A-list act. Sure, you’ve heard songs like Butterfly Effect and Antidote, but for some reason, Travis Scott always seemed to be categorized as “that guy with a few hits who also performs really well”. Well, those years are now behind him, as Astroworld was on track to sell 325K copies in its…

Hey Shifters. I know it’s been a while since my last article. Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve participated in anything remotely productive. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and I think I might have been a victim of what many creators call the blank page syndrome. Bear in mind that I’ve never, not even once in my entire career, encountered such an issue. Okay, that’s a lie. I should start from the beginning. Before I continue, you should know that this will be my most personal article yet. I usually try to separate my career from…

“Hip-hop is more than just music. Hip-hop has crossed cultural boundaries that other genres never crossed. Hip-Hop is not only the music you listen to, but the way to walk, talk, dress and act. Hip-hop is a state of mind, an entire generation […] Rap is what we do. Hip-Hop is how we live.” KRS One After a long week covering the JUNO Awards for SHIFTER Magazine, I decided to spend my day off eating pizza and listening to old school rap albums and cyphers. It was all going well until I came across this nonsense: It all goes to…

Vladimir Jean-Gilles and Cy Kari of SHIFTER On Films recently appeared on CTV Morning Live in Ottawa, Canada to talk about the top films to watch over the next few months. Below are some behind the scenes pictures and the full video clip of the broadcast. Here are some behind the scenes pictures  

_______________________________________________________________________________ Our film section editor, Vladimir Jean-Gilles, and film critic Mathieu Chin-Quee recently interviewed the Oscar and Canadian Screen Award nominated director of Room, Lenny Abrahamson. They talked about his directing techniques on Room, how he chooses projects and what’s next. Vladimir Jean-Gilles: So, Mr. Abrahamson, congratulations on the film. We really liked it. It’s Mathieu’s favourite of the year. Mathieu Chin-Quee: And I’ve seen a lot of movies this year. Lenny Abrahamson: That’s really, really nice to hear. Thank you so much. VJ: The first job of a director is to pull great performances from his actors and performers,…

This question comes around everyone once in a while, especially when you talk with certain independent film makers. Just the other day, I was chatting with one of our foreign correspondents and he mentioned something that caught me off guard. He told me that he wasn’t too eager to rush into theatres nowadays because Hollywood wasn’t producing enough original material. It seemed to him as if every new release was either the next installment in a long established franchise, the sequel of a 30-year old blockbuster hit or a new comic book film. “It’s as if they can’t come up…

Hollywood has always been criticized for many things, one of them being the lack of recognition women receive for their contribution to cinema. Whether we’re talking about actresses, female directors, producers or even executives, women in Hollywood have yet to receive the same return for their hard work as their male counterparts do. Even today, there’s still a clear and observable difference between men and women in regards to their salary, job opportunities and even more in the respect they receive. Also read: AVA DUVERNAY: HOLLYWOOD’S BARRIER BREAKING DIRECTOR Here at SHIFTER Magazine, we’ve always made it our goal to…

Last week we got to meet with Delphine Saint-Fort. She will be holding her very first art exhibition at The Fritzi Gallery on October 27th 2015. In an interview with our Vladimir Jean-Gilles she shared a lot of details about her art, her hopes and what brings her inspiration. Vladimir Jean-Gilles: So tell us about yourself. Who is Delphine Saint-Fort and how did you get started on this artistic path? Delphine Saint-Fort: I’m a new local artist in the Ottawa community and I started in the 12th grade. I created an art piece dedicated to breast cancer awareness and when…

Directed by Ridley Scott, produced by Simon Kinberg, screenplay by Drew Goddard Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Chiwatel Ejiofor, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis and Donald Glover. When a manned mission on Mars goes wrong, astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead and left behind while his team evacuates the Red Planet. Badly injured and with barely enough supplies to last the year, Watney now has to determine how he will survive on a deserted planet, with no ways to contact NASA or his team. The Martian is an adaptation of Andy…

Written and directed by Simon Rouby “Adama is 12 year old hero who travels through a war-torn Europe in order to find his older brother Samba. Having never left the peaceful West African village he has lived in his whole life, Adama gets to explore the ‘Outside world’ for the very first time. He soon finds out that it might not be what he has expected.” The Ottawa International Animation Festival offered us many different masterpieces. Among them stood Adama, an independent film written and directed by the talented Simon Rouby. Adama tells the story of a 12 year old…