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Music

  • Snotty Nose Rez Kids and the rise of Indigenous artists in the Canadian music scene

    By Isabella Lopes Meet Snotty Nose Rez Kids (SNRK): the duo of Haisla rappers who express their Indigenous experience through hip hop View this post on Instagram We took some time off on our homelands to do what we needed to do to reground ourselves and refocus after an amazing year of touring 🌹 2020…

  • Artist Profile: Max Cohen – From Twitter to Billboard

    By Hadi Azad Photo courtesy leanflavoredkoolaid via Max Cohen (mxxchn) on Instagram Max Cohen, a 19-year-old graphic designer from Waterloo, Ont., went from making thumbnails for YouTubers to landing his artwork on the Billboard Hot 100. Cohen started to develop his craft in high school with the support of the online gaming community. “I started…

  • The Weeknd’s story: Toronto’s most elusive pop star

    Courtesy of WEEKEND XO, LLC From homeless to Forbes list  By Christina Flores-Chan Abel Tesfaye, commonly known and loved as The Weeknd, presents himself as the shy and mysterious (but also kind of cool) guy we all secretly wanted to be friends with in high school, and we’re here for it. But before he was…

  • Kanye West is reborn on Jesus is King

    Kanye’s ninth album has a very prominent Christian theme throughout, and features three songs with writing credits from Toronto artist and producer Sean Leon Photo courtesy Peter Hutchins/Wikimedia Commons By Xavier Eeswaran “No more living for the culture, we nobody’s slaves.” The last words Kanye West speaks on the chorus of  “Closed on Sunday” sum…

  • 6 Canadian music producers you should know

    Photo courtesy Jesman Fabio Who are the Canadians behind some of the world’s most influential artists? By Rosie Leonard Behind many famous musicians are producers who help with not only the technical process, but also the creative process of making music. From creating beats, to mixing, and — in some cases — co-writing songs with…

  • Daniel Caesar shines in his return to Toronto

    By Xavier Eeswaran Grammy award-winning artist, Daniel Caesar, brought his Case Study 01: Tour for two sold-out shows to Budweiser Stage on Sept. 28 and 29. Caesar’s set on Sept. 29 began with the opening skit of his newest album’s first song, “ENTROPY,” which was accompanied with black and red visuals shown on the curtains.…

  • Savadouchi: “For Big Boy We Mourn”

    Photo courtesy Christopher Jameer By Vanessa Nim “Here I say, ‘for Big Boy we mourn.’” Over the sounds of Bay Street construction, Savadouchi (Sava) played me a short line from his song “Man Down.”  Best known for his popular song “Katana”, the up-and-coming Scarborough rapper reflected on the subtle inspiration behind his music. “In the…

  • Canadian artists breaking into the mainstream

    Some of the highest-selling and best-known artists in the world are Canadians, but how does it happen? Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco. (Courtesy Imnotcmjames/Wikimedia Commons) By Manus Hopkins Drake is one of the most popular hip-hop artists in the world right now, outselling numerous American peers. A slew of pop-punk bands that rose to prominence in…

  • Yung Tory’s new EP is the comeback he deserves

    By Will Lofsky View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yung Tory (@yungtory) on Nov 27, 2018 at 5:07pm PST Photo courtesy yungtory on Instagram Yung Tory’s major-label debut, Still Here, is sure to rebuild his status in Toronto. After a tough year for Tory, the project shows that he is still having…

  • Language Arts: Soothing the soul through forward thinking art pop

    By Tashon Daley Image courtesy Language Arts “Neighbour” Official Video – Director of Photography Charles Hutchings Kristen Cudmore swiftly plays her guitar while her serene vocals fill the room, her eyes focusing intently on the words from a songbook she created. The sounds echoing from guitarist Patrick O’Reilly’s guitar causes Cudmore to pause for a…

  • Artist Profile: Superior

    Courtesy Michele Vu Toronto-based artist and director, Superior, is making a difference in the city By Will Lofsky When Jay Doodnauth, a Guyanese artist known as Superior, was in his last year at Ryerson University for the media production program, he decided to take a different approach for his final practicum than most other students.…

  • Positive messages in rap could evoke hope for Toronto

    By Will Lofsky As violence escalates in Toronto, celebrities and up-and-coming artists in the city are advocating for peace According to CTV News, by the end of 2018 there were 96 homicides and 51 gun-related murders in Toronto. These incidents included the daylight murders of 21-year-old Regent Park rapper Smoke Dawg following his release of…