Only a year after Ghostface Killah tore down the Kool Haus with five other Wu-Tang Clan members, he has returned to Toronto for a solo show. Ghostface is the one artist I’ve seen the most in concert, as I’ve seen him perform in all kinds of settings over the past five years. I’ve seen the…
Category: Concert Reviews
Concert Review: Run The Jewels at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, ON
I told you so. Run The Jewels are back in Toronto, filling up an even bigger venue than the last time they were here (not counting the free show they had in Dundas Square during the NXNE Festival). They have released a new album that’s longer and could potentially be more successful than the first…
Concert Review: T.I. at Guvernment/Kool Haus in Toronto, ON
It feels like forever since I wrote a concert review. I wasn’t even planning on going to this show because the ticket prices were too expensive, and I haven’t really been a huge T.I. fan since around 2010; but by the luck of the draw, I was able to win some tickets the day before…
Concert (+Film) Review: Nas (Time is Illmatic) at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto
Nasir Jones is a man who shouldn’t need much of an introduction, as he is often regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. I had previously seen him perform at my very first rap concert, the 2009 Rock The Bells Festival in Los Angeles with Damian Marley, and again at the 2011…
Concert Review: Tech N9ne at Rockpile East in Toronto/Scarborough, ON
I almost didn’t go to this show, partly due to a tight budget and also because I had already seen Tech N9ne perform just over a year ago (at the original Rockpile West). Luckily, one of the local opening acts was selling tickets at a discount, and I was in turn able to fit this show into…
Concert Review: J. Cole at Roundhouse Park in Toronto
J. Cole has had a lot of success in Toronto. Every time he came here in 2013, he sold out every show he did and had to do extra shows to meet the demand. While I couldn’t get into his one-dollar small-venue show last summer, I got to see him at his second consecutive sold…
Concert Review: De La Soul at Celebration Square in Mississauga, ON
This concert came up at the last minute, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the legendary hip-hop trio known as De La Soul for free. De La Soul’s critically acclaimed debut album came out in the year I was born, so naturally I was slow to become a fan of theirs. I’ve…
Concert Review: eMC at This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton, ON
eMC is a hip-hop group I knew nothing about until this year, which is surprising because it is led by hip-hop legend Masta Ace. Masta Ace is like the Tim Duncan of hip-hop; the way Tim’s been consistently great, winning NBA championships in three different decades, Masta Ace has released classic music in the 1980’s,…
Concert Review: The Carnivores Tour (Linkin Park + 30 Seconds To Mars) at The Air Canada Centre in Toronto
The last time I was at the Air Canada Centre for something other than a Raptors game was for Kanye West’s Yeezus Tour back in December. This time, I was here mainly to see Linkin Park, arguably my first favourite band I discovered when I was around 11-12 years old. I know this is primarily a…
Concert Review: Cam’ron at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto
Finally, Cam’ron has been able to get his business straight and cross the border to go on a Canadian tour. Starting in Montreal the previous night, Cam’ron touched down in Toronto for the first time at the Danforth Music Hall. Dubbed The First Of The Month Tour, Cam is out to promote his new series…
Concert Review: Rakim at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto
Often considered the greatest rapper of all time, your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper’s favourite rapper, The God MC, Rakim has returned to Toronto. While I didn’t grow up on his music, I studied his work years after I got into hip-hop, with my first couple times hearing him being on Eminem’s 8 Mile Soundtrack and…
Concert Review: Apathy, C.L. Smooth & More at The Cookout Festival in Hamilton, ON
The Cookout is a relatively new festival to emerge from the Steel City, Hamilton, Ontario, featuring barbeque cooking and live hip-hop music. In just its second year, the 2014 edition of the festival featured D-Sisive, Saukrates, Apathy, and was headlined by C.L. Smooth performing his entire 1994 album, The Main Ingredient. On top of these four…
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