¡Mayday! is probably my favourite band to debut in this current decade, and they’re back for their second ever Canadian tour! After rocking this same venue two summers ago for their first show in Toronto, ¡Mayday! have since gone on to release their fourth album on Strange Music, Future/Vintage, and earlier this year Bernz released his…
Concert Review: Atmosphere, Brother Ali & deM atlaS at Rebel in Toronto
It was another night of tough decision making for Toronto Hip-Hop heads. On a Friday night there were two major Hip-Hop acts performing at two different venues at the same time: Danny Brown, who had recently released his fourth album Atrocity Exhibition, and Atmosphere, who released their eighth album Fishing Blues this past summer. I…
Festival Review: The Roots Picnic in New York City
One of the most gifted and musically diverse bands on the planet, The Roots are in their ninth year curating their own music festival. Always co-headlining alongside some of their favourite artists, collaborators and friends, the festival has been one way The Roots’ celebrate their hometown, Philadelphia, every year. For the first time in 2016…
Concert Review: Nitty Scott, MC at Blank Canvas Gallery in Toronto
One of my favourite ladies in Hip-Hop, Nitty Scott, MC has returned to Toronto! Every time she has been here, she has headlined her own shows, and has done so in support of noble causes. Her first ever show in Canada was at Lee’s Palace in 2015 to support Can I Live Charity, and she returned…
Concert Review: Anderson .Paak & Kaytranada at Manifesto Festival
Celebrating its ten-year anniversary, Manifesto Festival is doing it big for 2016. Over the past decade, the festival has brought the Toronto community together, giving young local artists a platform to both develop and showcase their skills. The festival typically consists of art exhibitions, mentorship workshops for young artists, and is wrapped up with a…
Concert Review: Banks & Steelz at the Mod Club in Toronto
Talk about tough decisions. On this night in Toronto, 90’s Hip-Hop heads had two dope options for live shows. There was the much hyped Bad Boy Records Reunion Tour hitting the Air Canada Centre, featuring Diddy/Puff Daddy, Mase, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, The LOX, 112, Total and Carl Thomas, or there was Wu-Tang’s RZA and…
Concert Review: Kanye West – The Saint Pablo Tour in Toronto
Well this was a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t planning on attending this show, but encountered some tickets at the last minute. Kanye West is of course a high demand artist, as this would be the last of two consecutive nights in Toronto’s Air Canada Centre for his Saint Pablo Tour. The last time he was…
Concert Review: Elzhi, A-F-R-O + More at The Cookout Festival in Hamilton, ON
Arguably one of the coolest music festivals in Hamilton, Ontario, The Cookout Festival is back for its fourth year! It combines the feel of a small, intimate rap concert with a community barbeque, creating a fun, laid-back atmosphere. It also creates a strong sense of community with all the local food vendors and artists from…
Concert Review: Prophets of Rage at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto
There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Prophets of Rage, and until recently a lot of mystery. On paper the newly formed group looks epic, as it is a combination of three well known groups that were prolific in the 1980’s and 90’s: Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill. All three groups,…
Concert Review: Run The Jewels, Joey Bada$$ + more at Time Festival
Time Festival is one of the most diverse single-day music festivals in Toronto, with a lineup of artists representing several different genres. As the name may suggest, they tend to get artists that represent the musical landscape of current times. As such, Time has developed a reputation for being an EDM-heavy festival, but they also…
Concert Review: Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa at OVO Fest
It finally happened. It’s been no secret (based on some album reviews I’ve written) that I am not the biggest Drake fan, yet here I am attending one of his OVO events for the first time. This came about at the last minute, as some homies encountered some cheap tickets for day one of the…
Concert Review: Rittz at The Rockpile in Toronto
The Strange Music roster is slowly building their presence north of the border. Label head Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko have spent years consistently selling out the Rockpile every time they tour Canada, upgrading last year to the larger Phoenix Concert Theatre, and Rittz and ¡Mayday! each had their first shows in Canada in 2015,…
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