Congrats to all the nominees!
]]>RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Classified
Handshakes and Middle FingersD-Sisive
Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye ByeDrake
Take CareKardinal Offishall
Anywhere (Ol’ Time Killin’ Part.2)Swollen Members
DaggermouthR&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
JRDN
IAMJRDNJully Black
Set it Off ft. Kardinal OffishallKarl Wolf
Ghetto Love ft. Kardinal OffishallMelanie Fiona
Gone And Never Coming BackRobin Thicke
Pretty Lil’ Heart ft. Lil Wayne
Shouts to Different Kitchen for the reminder! Artists…don’t sleep.
]]>I am actually screening all the hip-hop submissions for NXNE 2012 so for those of you who see the value in performing at Canada’s equivalent to SXSW, a citywide music festival attended by over 300,000 people, get crackin’ now. Artists of all genres are, of course, welcome to submit applications but note: I’ll only be f-ckin’ with the applications tagged as being hip-hop genre submissions for NXNE.
CLICK HERE to learn how to submit.
- Ian (Different-Kitchen.com)
CONGRATS to my celebrity crush. This is great! Tika’s BEEN on the grind with her “Intimate & Interactive” shows which have not only evolved into “The Known [UN]Known” (doper name) but have also now graduated to the next level of performance venues…Harbourfront Centre. This is EXACTLY how you’re supposed to do it:
Start small. Be consistent. Grow.
To announce the first show in the new venue, Tika’s written up a likkle blog post talking about the event, its history and the artists that will be blessing the stage on February 4th. It’s a FREE event and the headliners are Rochelle Jordan and Shi Wisdom aka THE SHOW IS GOING TO BE NUTSO. Anyways…here’s some words from Tika. Peep the link below for the full post.
]]>I don’t even know where or how to begin. In July of 2010, I began on a little journey that I would’ve never fathomed would’ve brought me here. Before I even start, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tika Simone. I am kind of a Jill of all Trades in this city. To say that I wear many hats is an understatement. I act, I am a musician, and I run the city’s first Urban Audition-only open mic night in the city.
I initially started this project because I noticed that for a city like Toronto that has amazing visibility in talent, there was a noticeable lack of local shows/platforms. I decided to take charge. I found a small venue and decided to have weekly shows. Each show had a headliner. A fabulous Headliner FROM Toronto with local fans, local pull & incredible talent. We had headliners from Erik Flowchild to Andreena Mill to Kim Davis to The Airplane Boys to Natasha Waterman to The OBGM’s to Tre Mission to Tanika Charles to Masia One. The list goes on and on and on. Each show had openers. Openers that HAD to audition due to the fact that they were opening FOR the headliner. Fastforward to 2012. 53 shows later. YES. 53 shows. Over 300 auditions. Countless audiences. Beautiful headliners. Amazing opening acts. Moments. Memories. Growth. Youth. Smiles. Thank-you’s. Love. TALENT. And most importantly SUPPORT. I am elated to announce that The Known UNKnown has partnered with Harbourfront Centre and this will officially be our new home.
Dope look and well deserved! Congrats to Son and the whole team (aka Byron, lol).
SonReal
Hailing from Canada, SonReal has found a way to make an impact on various U.S. Hip-Hop critics in a profound way. His honesty, and his sometimes hypnotic flows, will make you both bop your head and smile. SonReal, while versatile, disengages from the bandwagon rapper phenomenon. He doesn’t need to be someone else, which is a great thing for the listener, as his ability to tell a story as himself is the best part of this artist.
Previous: NEW MUSIC: SonReal – She Gone (Prod. Matt Brevner)
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Shouts to Ben Kaplan for covering Keyz of Life in today’s National Post. Really dope article even though Anthony’s last name is James, not Jones (fixed in the transcript below). Anyways…check it out on news stands today or peep the online version copied here. Keyz of Life is available now (below).
The new album Keyz of Life is a tribute to Anthony “Durty Keyz” James, the 23-year-old Toronto producer who passed away just six months before his dream project could be completed. A hip-hop record that celebrates life, the album is uplifting, emotional and vibrant, and was a labour of love for the 30 or so artists involved.
“I couldn’t get the words out, I just hit the ground and started crying,” says Andrew “Burd” Liburd, 25, James’s production partner who had spoken with his best friend a day before he succumbed to streptococcus, a rare bacteria infection that killed the budding musician in a matter of days. “There was no way to get my head around it – it didn’t make any sense – but it gave me the energy to finally finish the album. There was an outpouring of love, and everybody wanted to get involved.”
Some of the top-tier talent involved with the record, available for free at BurdandKeyz. com, include Rich Kidd, one of Drake’s production partners; Shi Wisdom, one of Toronto’s most up-and-coming new singers; and Kardinal Offishall, the godfather of the urban Canadian music scene.
“I met Burd a few days after Keyz passed, and he was so passionate that I’d do anything I could to keep his spirit up and carry on Keyz’s legacy,” says Offishall, whose three-minute verse on the album closer The Other Side is one of his strongest rhymes in a storied 15-year rap career. “It was strictly vibes and love – that’s what the project was about for me.”
This past Friday, a handful of artists involved with the project met at the Lakeview Lunch diner in Toronto to reminisce about James. In attendance were Reza Dahya, the popular former FLOW 93.5 DJ who executive produced the album, Wisdom and Redway, a promising 22-year-old MC from Mississauga who raps on the song Say a Prayer.
“I never met Keyz, but through my relationship with Burd I had a mutual love for the guy,” says Redway, who then performs his verse from the album in the crowded west-end restaurant, drawing applause. “I’m more of a cool kid, I’ve never really gone that deep before, but when I heard the hook and, given the subject matter, I decided to try something more emotional and raw.”
The album’s first single is Love Speak, featuring a beat from James and Wisdom, and it’s quickly become a hit on urban radio stations across the country despite only being released this past week online. For all of the artists involved, though, the album’s success seems to almost be beside the point – the record was simply made to honour a friend.
“You’re supposed to celebrate a man’s life when he passes, and so right from the start Keyz of Life is on the celebration tip,” says Dahya, who also produced a video tribute of Jones that played at his funeral. “On the record, there’s super highs, lows and really emotional moments: It’s a testament to what it’s like when you lose a friend.”
One of the highlights of the album, along with Offishall’s verse and the discovery of Toronto’s budding new post Drake talent pool, are the audio snippets of James himself. Recorded this past May in Liburd’s basement, James comes across as funny, humble and dedicated to his twin passions of playing piano and making beats.
“We always talked about someday making that Keyz of Life record, an album that would celebrate the city, make interesting collaborations and be something different, something exciting and something that’s dope,” Liburd says. “The album ended up being a real tribute to Anthony. It’s not fair that we lost him, but it feels good that his legacy, through his music, will live on.”
- Keyz of Life is available as a free download at BurdandKeyz.com.
Previous: NEW ALBUM: Burd & Keyz – Keyz of Life
Not sure exactly how this list is determined (most likely sales or spins) but I’m gonna go with amount of sheer utter Toronto-bred dopeness. Yep. That’s it for sure. Too sick.
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Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Producers
Issue Date: 2011
# Producer Titles 1 NOAH ’40′ SHEBIB 8 2 T-MINUS 6 3 KANYE WEST 7 4 LEXUS ‘LEX LUGER’ ARNEL LEWIS 11 5 CHARLES ‘CHUCK HARMONY’ HARMON 5 6 STARGATE 8 7 CHRISTOPHER ‘DRUMMA BOY’ GHOLSON 7 8 HAPPY PEREZ 1 9 SHEANDRAE ‘MR. BANGLADESH’ CRAWFORD 2 10 J.U.S.T.I.C.E. LEAGUE 5 11 FREE SCHOOL 2 12 ROBERT KELLY 6 13 JUST BLAZE 3 14 JAMES ‘JIM JONSIN’ SCHEFFER 5 15 ANDREW ‘PAPA JUSTIFI/POP’ WANSEL 6 16 NO I.D. 2 17 MARIO WINANS 1 18 RICO LOVE 9 19 THA BIZNESS 2 20 MICK SCHULTZ 2 21 WARRYN ‘BABY DUBB’ CAMPBELL 3 22 SALAAM REMI 5 23 THE LEGENDARY TRAXSTER 2 24 KELVIN WOOTEN 1 25 FISTICUFFS 2
Keyz of Life. December 13th. Here’s the official tracklist:
]]>01. Intro | Divine Brown
02. Keyz of Life | SonReal x Nickelus F x Blake Carrington
03. Say A Prayer | Promise x Redway x Rochester
04. Interlude 1
05. Faithful | Luu Breeze x A-Game x Jahron B
06. Duet | Lokz
07. Burdstrumental (Never Get Over You)
08. Interlude 2
09. LoveSpeak | Shi Wisdom x KJ
10. Burdstrumental (Losing My Bestfriend)
11. Interlude 3
12. R.N.T. (Real Ni**a Tears) | Rich Kidd x DJ Grouch
13. Shine | OmarLunan aka Oh! x Dwayne Morgan x O’Sound
14. The Other Side | Divine Brown x Kardinal OffishallAll songs produced by Burd & Keyz except:
01 produced by McCallaman, 05 produced by T-Minus & Burd & Keyz, 13 produced by T-Minus
This past Friday Montreal and Canada’s hip-hop scene lost one of its most important stalwarts. Matt ‘Dutch’ Garner was a promoter and founder of EscapeMTL.ca. Current reports state he, along with another victim, were killed when purposely set ablaze during a dispute last Friday evening. Personally I knew Matt via back and forth emails with respect to music coming out of MTL’s local hip-hop scene. His death is a huge blow to that city’s movement – but most importantly an extremely tragic one based on the reported circumstances. Our condolences go out to Matt’s family, friends, loved ones, and the entire Montreal hip-hop community.
Rest in peace Matt ‘Dutch’ Garner.
For more details check the links below.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Montreal+police+probe+double+homicide/5702081/story.html
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2011/11/12/18959316.html
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Via ATF!
And on that note, Track 13 is officially the first song I’ll be skipping to when I pick this up November 15th.
Bonus cuts are off the deluxe and iTunes versions.
1. Over My Dead Body
2. Shot For Me
3. Headlines
4. Crew Love ft. The Weeknd
5. Take Care ft. Rihanna
6. Marvins Room
7. Under Ground Kings
8. We’ll Be fine
9. Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj
10. Lord Knows ft. Rick Ross
11. Cameras
12. Doing It Wrong
13. The Real Her ft. Andre 3000 & Lil Wayne
14. Look What You’ve Done
15. HYFR ft. Lil Wayne
16. Practice
17. The RideBONUS
18. Hate Sleeping Alone
19. Untitled ft. Lil Wayne
Previously: PIC: Drake “Take Care” (Toronto Billboard Promo)
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It’s that time again. This call out probably applies to the R&B category as well. At the very least singers should be getting their submissions together too.
2012 JUNO AWARDS CALLING FOR
SUBMISSIONS IN THE CATEGORY OF RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Toronto, ON (October 20, 2011) – The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced that the 2012 JUNO Awards is now accepting submissions in the category of Rap Recording of the Year. JUNO Week unfolds in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, ON March 26 – April 1, 2012. The celebration includes a series of exciting events leading up to the JUNO Awards presentation on Sunday April 1, 2012, which will be televised nationwide on CTV.
The Rap Advisory Committee includes seasoned label representative Jay Devonish (eOne Entertainment), David “Click” Cox (Stylus DJ Awards), Greg Baptiste (MuchMusic/CTV), Jody Laraya (Universal Music Canada), Jesse Plunkett (HipHopCanada.com), Melissa “DJ MelBoogie” Langley (DJ/Publicist), Jay Swing (Donnelly Group/NationOfMillions.ca), Kyle Kraft (Battle Axe/ Krafty Entertainment), Dice B (CINQ 102.3FM), Don Smooth (K103FM), Rez (CityOnMyBack.com), Darryl Rodway (Urbnet), and Marlon Wilson, (Music for Mavericks/Politic Live).
Collectively, the committee continues to make strides in developing outreach to rap artists across the country, both English and Francophone, to increase the number of submissions. As a result of these concentrated efforts, the number of submissions received by CARAS in the category of Rap Recording of the Year has been steadily rising since the category was established in 1990. By partnering with radio shows, online magazines and DJs across the country, the committee hopes to continue to raise awareness throughout the community about the submissions and judging process, specifically for rap artists. “We’ve assembled a great team of people from around the country who are actively working in various aspects of the urban music scene,” says Jay Devonish, Chairman / JUNO Awards Rap Advisory Committee. We’ve also worked closely with CARAS to ensure the jurors voting in this category are qualified and active within the urban community. We’re excited to work together with CARAS to ensure the rap community is properly represented at the JUNO Awards.”
The JUNO Awards have been proven to be an excellent networking vehicle, not only for artists who win, but also for nominees and/or participants in various JUNO Awards events.
Shad, winner of the 2011 JUNO Award for Rap Recording of the Year had this to say about his win: “The JUNO Awards have helped raise my profile both within and outside the music industry. My first nomination for “The Old Prince” and my second nomination and subsequent win for “TSOL” were both helpful in raising awareness for my music across the country.” The JUNO Awards have been proven to be an excellent networking venue, even for the nominated artists who don’t go home with the Award. Artist Prevail, from the four-time JUNO Award-winning rap group Swollen Members stated, “Before our win, there’s no questioning the positive impact that the JUNO Awards have had on our career. The momentum opened doors to more Canadian shows and the coverage elevated us to a new level and cemented our legitimacy.” Other previous nominees include Drake, K’Naan, Sans Pression, DL Incognito, Belly, Checkmate, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Classified, Dubmatique, Concise, D-Sisive, Eternia, k-os, Famous and Sweatshop Union.
Submission forms are available at http://junosubmissions.ca
All submissions must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 10, 2011.
More details after the jump!
]]>Submission Fees and Deadlines:
CARAS offers an early bird submission fee to those who submit between October 1, 2011 and October 21, 2011. CARAS members receive a reduced submission fee applicable to both the early bird deadline as well as the final deadline. If you are eligible to submit, you are eligible for membership. Please visit www.carasonline.ca for more membership information.The submission fee can be paid online with a credit card or by cheque.
October 1 – 21, 2011 (Early Bird Deadline)
$35 for CARAS Members
$60 for non-membersOctober 22 – November 10, 2011 (Final Deadline for craft or juried categories)
$70 for CARAS Members
$90 for non-membersJanuary 10, 2012 (Deadline for all sales-based categories)
$70 for CARAS Members
$90 for non-membersHow it works:
· 350 Judges – Each year, judges are recruited for each of the 34 judged categories to adjudicate the material that is submitted. These individuals are responsible for listening to each of the submissions and voting for the best product in the genre. The judges change each year and are spread out in different facets of the music industry and different regions throughout Canada.
· 50 Nominating & Voting Committee Members – The Nominating & Voting Committee is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the JUNO Awards. It is their responsibility to monitor any changes within the industry as it relates to the awards. The committee brings any necessary changes to the attention of the Board of Directors.
· 180+ Music Advisory Committee Members- Each category has an associated advisory committee who is responsible for ensuring that each of the submissions in their specific genre meets the required qualifications for the JUNO Awards.About CARAS:
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L’academie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l’enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music and recording industries and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards. For more information on The JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ (CARAS) website please visit www.junoawards.ca or www.carasonline.ca.