Shi Wisdom featuring KJ Lovespeak

Dec 24, 2011

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I don’t know how I missed this email. Damn me! but I did. Never the less, good music is good music.  One of our Toronto singers to watch out for, Shi Wisdom, recently released the video for “Lovespeak” featuring rapper KJ. I dubb this single, one of the hottest joints in Toronto for 2011.

The first single off of the Burd & Keyz produced album “Keyz of Life” compiled as a tribute album in memory of producer Anthony “Durty Keyz” James (one half of the Burd & Keyz duo). Keyz unexpectedly passed away on June 29th, 2010 from a rare disease. At only 23 years old the producer, piano player and artist, along with his partner Burd were both known across North America for their production skills.  The untimely death of Keyz was a devasting blow to his friends and family.

Burd has gone on to promote the last productions from the duo with the tribute album. Burd will continue to go by the “Burd & Keyz” in tribute to his good friend.

No truer way to “speaklove”

 www.burdandkeyz.com

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Jalani Morgan x Nik Dudukovic for OTMzine

Dec 20, 2011

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Photographer Jalani Morgan recently shot Illustrator Nik Dudukovic for the Winter issue of Off The Map Magazine.  The finished product resulted in an unconventional way to combine photography and fashion.

Check out the images and interview here.

 

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Roc-A-Wear Pop Up Shop And When I Met Jay Z

Nov 24, 2011

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Well the early bird catches the worm, isn’t that what they say?  I’m headed to the Jay Z concert tonight but had the chance to view the pre-opening of the Roc-A-Wear Pop Up Shop  earlier on in the day, prior to the customer rush. Thanks to Sandro over at Richmond Day Marketing, I was given a sneak peek while the crew set up, cleaned, folded and made things are all things Jay Z. The shop crew worked frantically, just pulling in from Montreal only a few hours prior to landing in Toronto. The team hung various Jay Z posters and filled the racks with the controversial Occupy WAll Street tee’s. But the best part of my morning happened when the man himself showed up! Yes, Jay Z showed up to the shop….or at least I thought.

While watching the team in action, the shop doors flew open and the a member of the shop team yell’s “Jay’s here!”  Like any true Jay Z fan; my heart stops, sank and revives itself (all in that order) in a matter of 30 seconds.  I will admit, I thought I was about to pass out for a split second. This 6-3 frame with (what I believed to be) similar Jigga-like features walked through the door.  I said this ever so lightly “WTF, this couldn’t possible be happening to me, could it?”

Alas, the gentleman was only part of the shop team….lol. Who obviously must be related. Thank God I kept my composure, I would have been writing an entirely different story at this exact moment. Well, back to work I went taking pictures. At least I know my heart will go  on for the concert tonight.

I’ve been told that Jay, Kanye and Beyoncé, often hang out in the shop playing video games.

 

If you’re at the concert tonight send me a tweet, comment @iamwhatshot

Thanks Sandro & Tony.

Check out the pics.

Roc-A-Wear Shop
Air Canada Centre Grounds
Nov 23rd & 24th
Open: 11am – till.

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Talib Kweli & Mos Def in Toronto

Nov 16, 2011

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It’s not very often, I miss such an event in the city. However I was there in spirit.  Mos Def  & Talib Kweli aka Black Star performed at the Koolhaus this past Saturday.  I’m not going to indicate how extremely upset I was, that I wasn’t able to attend but shout out to blog contributor Kwame for the pics and making it.  According to the city it was one of the best hip hop concerts, Toronto has seen in a while.

Here’s what the national post said about the concert…

Def and Kweli walked out in their dapper vest and tie combos to relatively weak applause given their legendary status, but by the time the beat to Black Star highlight Definition dropped, the crowd was frantically jumping around, singing loudly to the chorus and throwing continuous props at the rappers, whose energy and silver-tongued vocal dexterity were oddly juxtaposed against a cheesy light-board background that featured the words Black Star rotating in a way reminiscent of Windows ’98 screen-savers. The duo, however, oozed more than enough cool to compensate: Mos Def paused confidently, mid-Definition, to take a long drink from his water bottle, and on RE:DEFinition, he coyly added the words “Watch the throne” to the song’s final lyrics, which assert that the duo are “ruling hip-hop.”

Full Story.

Pics…

 

Crowd Tweets…

RT @toronto_rt: RT @DelMiller  – Mos Def & Talib Kwali holding it down in #Toronto

RT @Spexxx: Doooooooooooooope SHOW!!!! Mos Def & Talib Kweli are KILLING it right now!!!!

RT @The_Guvernment: This is fantabulous!!!! Talib Kweli & Mos Def absolutely destroying the place tonight. All the classics being dropped.

RT @thisisbeebs: AmaZing night!!!!#blackstar was dope…wicked @ianandreespinet

RT @UrGirlZoi: @ianandreespinet crazy night!!! Thank you! One of my greatest hip hop memories EVER was the show tonight. Amazing performances.

RT @thisisbeebs: Dopeness at it’s best..thank you @ianandreespinet @DJFASE @wristpect @TalibKweli @MosDefOfficial …Love love Love love…

 

 

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Inside Out Project

Nov 13, 2011

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The 5th Annual Manifesto Festival were proud organizers of art project “Inside Out”, Toronto series. The Inside-Out art project, is a large-scale global movement that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world.

Our friends Steve Carty & Jalani Morgan (of Hermann & Audrey) were two of the twenty-four photographers to participate in the event. The group task; translate the theme of  “Intergenerational” by using public art installations to transform industrial space into urban galleries. The Toronto project executed up to 400 portraits, which made it one of the largest collaborative efforts, to date.

Source: Hermann & Audrey

www.themanifesto.ca

www.insideoutproject.net

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