May
06
Yeaaaaaah!
Here is the first offering from the homie iLLvibe from his upcoming album “Don’t Look Down”.
The entire project features production from Abstrak and “Better Things To Do” features myself along with Tragic of hip-hop duo Philly Moves.
Take it in!
P.S: The entire video was also shot and directed by iLLvibe himself. Needless to say, he is a man of many talents.
Apr
03
If you’re in Toronto on Apr. 12th, you might want to roll through Velvet Underground (510 Queen Street W.) for #BigTicket, the best monthly Hip-Hop jam in the city.
The event will be hosted by Toronto legend Dan-E-O and I’ll be blessing the stage (with BC of course!) in addition to Philly Moves, OSIYM, Lord Quest, Nolely Nole and Epic The Grand. DJ Law will be spinning the cuts as always.
Chris Jackson and EasParkPro know how to throw a party so roll through if you can!
You can check out the FACEBOOK LINK HERE…
Mar
30
Other than a few shows here and there, I’ve been rolling fairly low-pro the last little bit and that’s because I’ve been tying up some loose ends on the business tip.
Up to this point in the game, all of the videos, albums, mixtapes, awards, photoshoots, album artwork, show bookings, etc. have all been funded, organized and/or handled internally. However, along with the growth and success, there has also been a growing need to link up with an established team of professionals to really take the next step.
With that being said, I’m grateful to let you guys know that I’ve officially teamed up with DreamFactory Talent Management Group and Heaven or Hell Studios as I pursue the next leg of this musical journey. I’m extremely happy to be working alongside a team of such talented individuals as they’re much better equipped than I am when it comes to the business side of things.
I think Michael Jordan put it best when he said “Talent wins games but teamwork wins championships”.
I hear that…
Feb
21
Your boy has been invited back to perform at Canadian Music Week once again!
For those of you not familiar with CMW, it’s basically one of North America’s largest music festivals with over 1000 artists scowering around downtown Toronto for 6 days, making noise in over 60 venues. In addition to that, it’s also a massive conference with a number of great panels covering everything from digital media to radio.
This will be my second go-around at CMW (2011) and it’ll all be going down at The Painted Lady (Dundas/Ossington) on Thursday Mar. 21st so come and rock out! The only downside is that I was a late confirmation (I hadn’t received their initial email) so I’ll be going up early (8 p.m). It’s not a big deal, it just means we’ll have more time to chop it up afterwards!
See you there…
Feb
20
IllVibe and Jus Frais – collectively known as Robots Wearing Sunglasses – are linking up with Gee Wunder to throw down a double release party on Mar. 15th at Rancho Relaxo (College/Spadina).
The lineup is looking HEAVY with a number of dope acts including Philly Moves, OSIYM & Blaq Roche set to perform, along with a handful of others (myself included).
If you’re in the area you know where to be!!!
Feb
04
With the 85th Academy Awards taking place in a few weeks, I figured I would pay homage to Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, which is leading the way with 12 nominations.
Another reason I chose the quote below is because I’m just finishing up Andrew Bacevich’s “The Limits Of Power: The End Of American Exceptionalism” and Lincoln’s prophetic words may ring more true today than they did back in the 1860s.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
I think the biggest lesson to take away from this quote is that it’s our duty to handle things responsibly once they go awry.
If you take a second to write down everything that got you worked up over the last month, what’s the common denominator? That’s right, YOU!!!
Pointing fingers doesn’t fix the problem and although some things might not be your “fault”, how you deal with the resulting circumstances is ultimately your responsibility.
Jan
26
The family over at FKN Famous reached out to me recently for a feature so you know I had to hold things down! You can check a little bit of the interview below but make sure to check out the full interview by CLICKING HERE.
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What inspired you to start rapping?
I was about 11 or 12 when I wrote my first lyrics and I think the biggest influence had to be hip-hop culture as a whole. I’m originally from a small town where hip-hop wasn’t exactly thriving at the time, but the unfortunate deaths of Tupac and Biggie really brought it to the mainstream and that’s pretty much when it caught my attention. I soon myself immersed in The Source, Rap Pages and pretty much anything else having to do with hip-hop and it eventually led to me putting my pen to paper.
Were there any hard challenges you had to face in the industry?
Yeah, definitely. I think one of the biggest challenges facing a lot of emerging artists is just trying to stand out from the crowd and be taken seriously. There are millions of artists and groups around the world who are making music but a very small percentage of them are willing to go to the lengths it takes to succeed. A lot of them are more-or-less “hobby groups”, which doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t share the same passion or love for the music as a serious artist, it just means they might not be willing to put as much time and money into it…and if you’re REALLY trying to give it a shot, it takes A LOT of both.
What ways have you found was the best way to promote yourself?
For me it’s all about being personable at shows. I know some artists’ like to carry themselves with a little bit of “superstar” arrogance – which is cool, the confidence is a good thing – but I really like vibing with the crowd after my set and showing them that I’m a normal person just like they are. Chatting them up for a bit and taking the time to pose for a picture or two goes a long way in leaving a lasting impression and it’s something they’re more likely to remember.
What would be your most memorable moment while rapping?
That’s a tough question because I’m not sure if there’s one distinct moment that stands out more than the rest. However, one of my favorite things about performing is transforming people into genuine fans. I’ve performed at a lot of shows where, for one reason or another, people didn’t really have high expectations prior to our set. It can change pretty quickly though and I always love when people approach BC (my engineer and hypeman) or I afterwards and are beaming with enthusiasm and excitement. It’s a cool experience to see someone go from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Are there any goals that you would like to achieve?
Probably too many to list! A major goal of mine though is being able to make a living as a full-time songwriter and musician. It doesn’t have to be 6, 7 or 8 figures EVERY year, but if I can make a bank manager’s salary or a teacher’s salary making music then I’m cool with that.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I just finished putting together a tentative schedule/outlook for the next 8-12 months and the one thing I can commit to saying is that there will be a lot of new music coming out this year!
Are there any upcoming albums you are releasing?
Like I just mentioned, I have a batch of new music coming out this year and I’m actually just about to release the first edition of “A Side/B Side”, which is basically going to be a continuous stream of small two-song releases that I’m going to be putting out every couple of months. They’re basically just songs that I’ve had sitting in the vault that don’t necessarily fit in with any other releases but that I still want to put out. As of right now I’m thinking there will be about 5 editions of “A Side/B Side” which I’ll be putting out in between a couple larger projects including “Laundrymat Quarters”, which is due in early-May
Jan
21
I thought I’d share this nice little email I wrote to my besties at Paypal. Enjoy…
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Dearest Paypal,
Allow me to preface my email by saying to you, dearest Paypal employee, that the malevolent nature of my email is not directed at you personally but is rather a reflection of my rising irritation with Paypal the COMPANY. I’m sure you (personally) are a regular ol’ peach and enjoy sunshine, babies, cats and other cute shit just as much as the next guy, so this definitely isn’t personal. In fact I hope YOU personally have a great day!
That being said, my cage has been subjected to some rattling.
The details:
I transferred $400 from my Canadian bank account on Jan 16th with Jan. 28th stated as the expected clearing date. While I acknowledge the 6-8 business day “processing” time – whatever that means – the funds were withdrawn from my bank account on Jan. 18th so I just wanted to know where MY money will be sitting for the next 10 days…?
Seeing as it’s MY money to begin with, I find it utterly unacceptable that, in 2013, I would have to wait such a long period of time before having ANY access to those funds at all.
It’s quite a bit of inconvenience just to have the “convenience” of using Paypal, wouldn’t you agree?
And let’s just keep in mind for a second that it’s an ELECTRONIC TRANSFER!!! We’re not shipping circus monkeys across international borders here!!! (Fedex could do that in 24-48 hours by the way).
It’s not like you guys physically send somebody to my bank to physically pick up the money and physically bring it back to Paypal HQ; at which point you would physically drop it in a little cubby with my name on it and then grant me access. Right? Right???
With all of that being said, please let me know where my money is and also provide me with an exhausting and comprehensive explanation of your “processing” practices. Feel free to get as technical as required as well. I worked in a bank so I’ll be able to handle it.
Thanks,
Todd
P.S: Did you know there’s a website called paypalsucks.com? It has over 65,000 Facebook “Likes”.
P.P.S: I don’t believe everything I read but this article doesn’t seem so “out there” given our circumstances here, does it? http://www.zeropaid.com/news/103099/paypal-holds-users-funds-to-earn-off-their-interest/
Jan
05
There’s not much more I can say about Shantaram that hasn’t already been said by the hoards of critics who unanimously agree upon its status as a literary masterpiece.
It’s outstanding.
As a guy who doesn’t normally delve into many fictional books (I’m the reads-for-information type) I was absolutely blown away by Gregory David Roberts’ rich descriptions and contiguous storytelling.
Without giving too much away, Shantaram is narrated from the perspective of “Lin”, a former heroin addict who escapes from prison in Australia and flees to India where he eventually ends up working for a branch of the Bombay mafia. Upon this main premise, the real masterpiece lies in the details that fill out the rest of the 900+ page book, and the story soon becomes a chronicle of what it means to be human.
With elements ranging from betrayal, depression and revenge to redemption, spirituality and romance, Shantaram somehow manages to stitch everything together seamlessly, albeit poetically.
I think another big part of what makes the story work is that David Roberts was himself a former heroin addict who escaped prison in Australia and found refuge working for the Bombay mafia. With this obvious similarity to “Lin” in mind, you always have it in the back of your mind that perhaps Shantaram is somewhat of an autobiography, with the line between fact and fiction blurred to obscurity.
In the end, Shantaram is one of those books that you feel a sense of melancholy about finishing because it’s like you’re saying goodbye to an old friend, and as you close the book and reflect, somehow you seem changed.
9.5/10
