Farley Flex

Farley Flex:
From Tamarind Seeds to Urban Music’s Special Achiever
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
Nov 23, 2005

While he is probably best known to the public at large as “the Black judge” on TV’s “Canadian Idol”, Farley Flex has been known within the African Canadian community, as a guiding force for the Canadian urban music industry, for over 20 years.

Flex gets his due props next week, on November 28, at the 2005 Canadian Urban Music Awards, where he’ll receive a Special Achievement Award for his work in the music industry. Even though Flex considers the award to a great honour, he says he’s never been one to sit back and reflect on all his life accomplishments.

“I just keep moving. Success is in the eye of the beholder,” Flex tells Pride News Magazine. “The only time I really look back is when I do motivational speaking, so I have to, as it helps to include that content to motivate people.
“For the most part, I’m looking at the next chapter. I’ve always got goals beyond the ones I attain, so I try to keep my eyes on that prize.”


It was as a young kid selling tamarind seeds to his wide-eyed public school peers that Flex first recognized his own entrepreneurial spirit. Of Trinidadian descent, Farley “Flex” Fridal was born in England and raised in the Malvern part of Scarborough. He used to spend his Christmas holidays in Trinidad and, every year, he would bring back tamarind balls and would sell the seeds to kids at school as “precious stones” from the islands.

“I remember I was eating them at recess and someone was enthralled by the seed,” Flex says. “I started selling from there.”

From there, Flex “officially” started in business as a concert promoter at the age of 15; in his teens is when he really started demonstrating his business acumen. He started holding parties and rollerskating jams, often earning thousands in one night.
“I’m big on knowing who you are and knowing what your skill sets are. It’s about knowing what’s in your toolbox and building on that,” Flex says. “My thing was, I was a very social individual. I played a lot of sports, which allowed me to meet a lot of people. This fueled my confidence that if I had a party that people would come.”
He then segued into becoming an artist manager, handling the career of Canada’s most successful solo rap artist, Maestro Fresh Wes.

Way back then, Flex realized that Wes had the talent and charisma to make it big. The fact that the Canadian music industry didn’t have the infrastructure in place to support an African Canadian hip hop artist didn’t deter him in the least.

“I’m a very ‘cup is half full’ kind of guy,” Flex says. “The fact that no one had really done it before was motivation for me. We knew going in that there was no one out there doing this; I was very confident of Wes’s talent and what he represented in the grand scheme of hip hop.”
There was no blueprint for what Flex and Maestro were doing, but they made a go of it.
The moment they heard the beat for the groundbreaking hit, “Let Your Backbone Slide”, Flex says he knew they had something special. “There was an aura in the room. It was an amazing phase of existence,” Flex recalls.

They financed the video themselves, and soon recognized the importance for national exposure. They managed to book themselves on City-TV’s dance show, “Electric Circus”, which ultimately led to Wes’s record deal.

They then embarked on a cross-Canada tour, which saw them travel to places where the locals had never seen Black people before.

“We were adventurers and mavericks at the time. There’s no other word for it. The foundation we built was really strong relative to the time; there was no

infrastructure for Black music at the time,” Flex says. “It was a really invigorating to travel the country and educate people about the music.”

Flex was also extremely instrumental in submitting the CRTC applications that resulted in the first Black-owned and operated radio station in Canadian history, with Toronto’s FLOW 93.5 FM.

Flex was charged with educating the CRTC board and convincing them what the music represented and about its commercial viability. “I’m big on representing my community in any way I can; FLOW was a big opportunity to do that,” Flex says.
He also played a role in getting urban radio stations such as Vibe in Calgary and the CHUM/Milestone (FLOW) urban radio station in Edmonton off the ground.
“Toronto’s hip hop & R&B” radio station was launched in February 2001 with Flex as its first music director. And the early days weren’t easy, but they were well worth it, Flex notes.

While the station has its critics, Flex notes that FLOW doesn’t get enough credit for its community work.
“FLOW has both a social and economic imperative,” Flex says. “And FLOW does a ton of stuff in the community that people don’t know about.”
Just recently, the station was honoured by the Ontario Association of Broadcasters with the Community Service Award for its Peace Prophets anti-violence campaign.
“It’s wonderful for me that FLOW will stick around,” Flex adds.
His current role as a judge for “Canadian Idol” has expanded his national profile and made him a household name.

“The show’s been great,” the Canadian urban music pioneer says. He regularly makes public-speaking appearances and is committed to working with youth.
“When you work with young people, you’re fueling the game,” Flex says.

He currently acts as a board member of VideoFACT, which is charged with funding the production of music videos for independent Canadian artists. He also operates Plasma Corporation, where he develops and promotes new talent. Currently in his roster are In Essence, Toya Alexis and Belinda Brady, and “Canadian Idol” runner-up Gary Beals.
He is also developing projects for film and television.
Life, for Farley Flex, is good.

In fact, one could recall every single milestone made by the urban music industry in Canada, and Flex was probably a part of it. He has likely spent his whole career discovering, promoting and developing new Canadian talent.
“We, as a people, need to be confident in our culture,” Flex says. “I wake up on Monday morning feeling how most feel on Friday afternoon.
“That’s how I live my life.”

Kardinall Offishall: Toronto's Everyday Rudebwoy

Kardinall Offishall: Toronto's Everyday Rudebwoy

By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
November 16, 2005
Pride News Magazine

There's a song titled, "Everybody Gone Gangsta" on rapper-producer Kardinal Offishall's newest album that perfectly describes the spate of gun crime that Toronto has been experiencing. "I think the mentality that our younger generation has in Toronto right now is real messed up," Offishall tells Pride News Magazine over the phone.

The American rappers that are hot right now, he says, seem to be those glorifying a certain kind of criminal lifestyle that kids are emulating. "I don't believe that the majority of us are ignorant, but there are people that really can't tell the difference between what they see on TV and what is real life."


But the differences between the States and Canada are vast, and there are a lot more opportunities for youth over here, he says, adding that some youth are trying to create a situation that doesn't exist here.

"There are a lot more guns on the streets these days, but guns have always been on Toronto streets," Offishall says.

"It's the person behind the gun as opposed to the guns themselves. There's always been a code of the street, but right about now, a lot of those things are getting thrown out of the window. As far as how it connects to hip hop, there needs to be more balance in the music. The mentality right now is real jacked up."

The song is one of the 14 cuts off the immensely talented Offishall's latest, the aptly-titled album, Fire and Glory, which came out on November 15.

The Scarborough-born rapper's own experience with the music industry has been a trial by fire of sorts and he's long overdue for some glory. The long-awaited album (his first since 2001's Firestarter Vol. 1: Quest For Fire) is a testament to Offishall's matchless "reggae meets hip hop" style.

His first album had him on the cusp of international superstardom. His hits "Bakardi Slang" and "Ol' Time Killin'" earned a gold certification in Canada and were heavily requested on U.S. outlets such as Black Entertainment Television.

But, much like other Canadian artists that were courted south of the border with promises of U.S. record deals and superstardom, things didn't quite go as planned. A couple of years back, he was signed to MCA and was putting the finishing touches on sophomore LP, Firestarter Vol.2: The F Word Theory. A video was shot for the lead single, The Neptunes-produced "Belly Dancer", but the forward motion died when the record label abruptly went under and Offishall (government name Jason Harrow) got lost in the shuffle.

While he wasn't exactly dumped, he was transferred to Geffen/Interscope, the project was indefinitely shelved and Offishall was in a frustrating position where newer artists such as 50 Cent got top priority.

But instead of moping about, Offishall picked up his hustle, touring Europe and Japan, recording countless mixtape-side projects and making cameo appearances on records. His last big mixtape, Kill Bloodclot Bill, riffed off the popular Quentin Tarantino flick and graphically expressed his displeasure with the record industry.
The "Bill" in question was the record industry itself. But, ultimately, it's all about moving forward, Offishall says.

"You can't really deal with the spilt milk stuff," he says. "Really and truly, everything is for a reason, and there are so many things in life that you go through things and think 'Why am I going through this?' but there's definitely something to be learned in every single thing in life. I try to deal with the forward movements."
Offishall has always been about doing his own thing, in his own way. This mentality caused a minor kerfuffle recently, when, during his set at the August 14 Getting Up music festival in Toronto, he came out with a guitar on stage and attempted to play, saying, "They say I have to play an instrument to sell some records."

He then smashed the instrument, prompting some to say the antic was a veiled diss at fellow Canadian hip hop artist k-os.

Whether it was a diss or a subtle and clever commentary on the Canadian music scene is up for interpretation. Nonetheless, the event was reported in a local newspaper and, a week later, k-os himself wrote a harsh letter to the paper, which both criticized the fact the skit was reported and that it insinuated that Canadian rappers such as Offishall are trying too hard at imitating American hip hop instead of creating their own style.

When discussing the incident, Offishall remains diplomatic, insisting that there is no animosity between the two artists.

When it comes to African Canadians, there are going to be forces that try to create a "divide and conquer" type situation, he notes. "It wasn't really anything. I know k-os, so, when we spoke about it, it was a 10-second thing. It's one of the things that come with the business."

The artists have known each other for a while and retain a mutual respect for each other, he says.

Offishall's new release is a partnership/distribution deal between his Black Jays imprint and Virgin Music Canada, which provides for greater flexibility and creative control. "I'm constantly in hustle mode. I've always functioned as an indie artist, no matter what the circumstances, so it keeps me in a mind-state of hustling, and [I] take whatever I'm doing to the highest possible heights. Not so much has changed…I keep it moving."

The first single, "Everyday Rudebwoy", is a delicious adaptation of Sly Stone's (by way of Arrested Development) "People Everyday", and touches on racial profiling issues.

It's a standard example of his trademark dancehall-hip hop fusion. Indeed, Fire and Glory (largely produced by Offishall) is a carefully balanced mix of humour, conscious tracks, party jams and straight-up hip hop, and features a veritable melting pot of guest appearances, including Vybz Kartel, Spragga Benz, Busta Rhymes and Toronto's own Ray Robinson.

Even though he owns the masters from the F-Word Theory, the new album had to be fresh and function as a cohesive whole, Offishall says.

"The good thing is that I make so much music, that I'm able to just choose the ones I want. With me, there's so much material, it's a fun process going through and having all the bases covered."
This everyday rudebwoy has become Toronto's unofficial hip hop ambassador, and Offishall is living proof that a Canadian rapper can embrace his Toronto roots and still retain street cred. He proudly reps Toronto and his West Indian heritage every chance he gets.

And things seem to be paying off - he's gearing up for a major tour with 50 Cent, the official U.S. launch of Fire and Glory, upcoming guest appearances on some high-profile records and the continued development of his Black Jays clique (a assortment of emcees and vocalists, including core members Lindo P, Ro Dolla, Solitare, Darryl Riley and Nicole Moses). Right now, he notes, international recognition is a bonus.

"Everything feels like a blessing right now," he says. "I don't do this for accolades. I do this because I love music.

"A lot of people in my shoes might have given up a long time ago."

50 Cent Relives Some Pivotal Life Moments In Get Rich

50 Cent Relives Some Pivotal Life Moments In Get Rich

By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
Pride News Magazine
Nov. 9, 2005

More a frivolous popcorn flick than a cinematic tour de force, megastar rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's new semi-autobiographical film, Get Rich or Die Tryin', entertains nonetheless. The gritty film - which borrows its title from the rapper's 2003 multiplatinum debut - is a cautionary, bullet-ridden tale of sorts that examines

50 Cent's origins as a fatherless child growing up on the dangerous ghetto streets of Queens, N.Y. The film, directed by six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan and produced by Interscope/Shady/Aftermath and MTV Films, opens Wednesday, November 9.


The urban crime drama - parts of which were shot in Toronto - chronicles his life, but takes a few liberties here and there, says the charismatic 50.

"I would say that about 75 percent of the film is real-life," Jackson tells Pride News Magazine.

"Some situations have been expanded, while others have been minimized in order to make it entertaining. Overall, I want people to leave with a better picture of how my life has been.

"I figure, if they had more information about my past, they'd understand the things I'm doing in the future, and it will be even more entertaining for them."

It comes as no surprise that controversy surrounds the notorious 50 Cent, and the film itself, like a second skin. The artist has kick-started rap beefs with artists like Nas, Fat Joe, Ja Rule and former G-Unit (50 Cent's clique) member the Game.
He's been linked to actress Vivica A. Fox (and began insinuating after the breakup that Fox was "crazy" and using him to get her face on magazine covers).

He's also been accused of glorifying violence, drugs and the objectification of women.

In the States, billboards promoting the film have been torn down in the midst of opposition from local community groups. The offending billboards in question show 50 holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other.

To some, 50 Cent represents the worst excesses (bling-bling, drugs and guns) the hip hop genre has to offer. To others, he's simply a driven and talented individual playing the role of a gangster thug, and who currently happens to be the best at what he does.

Hate it or love it (to borrow from the title of his recent hit), 50 Cent ("Fiddy" to his legion of fans) is dominating the hip hop game these days.

His latest album - the platinum selling The Massacre - sold 1.1 million copies in a mere four days, smashing the record originally held by The Beatles.

Always outspoken, the savvy 50 Cent has never been afraid to speak his mind. On Kanye West's remarks that President Bush "doesn't care about Black people", because he responded too late to Hurricane Katrina victims, 50 recently said: "I think people responded to it the best way they can. What Kanye West was saying, I don't know where that came from. The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God."
On homosexuals: "Being gay isn't cool - it's not what the music is based on. There's always been conflict at the centre of hip hop because it's all about which guy has the competitive edge, and you can't be that aggressive if you're gay."

On actor Samuel L. Jackson's refusal to work with 50 Cent on screen: "Saying he wouldn't work with a rapper is like saying he wouldn't work with Will Smith, Queen Latifah or Ice Cube. Basically, he didn't want to play second fiddle. He knew that because of my success, people would come to see the movie because of me. And he couldn't handle that."

Contentious comments aside, Jackson's well-publicized rise to the top of the hip hop world has been well-documented. His drug-dealing teen mother was murdered by drug rivals when 50 Cent was around eight years old. He moves in with his grandparents, and at age ten, he starts selling drugs himself and quickly rises though the ranks in the drug world.

Along the way, he becomes a father (to son Marquise, now nine years old, and who goes by the name "25 Cent"), establishes a mile-long criminal rap sheet, and eventually does some prison time.

But Jackson also dreams about becoming a successful rapper, and devotes long hours honing his lyrics and perfecting his signature flow and style. He eventually gets his coveted record deal but, after getting shot nine times and nearly dying, he ultimately gets dropped by his record label.

Yet, demonstrating the ambition and work ethic for which he's known, Jackson perseveres. With the help of a longtime associate, 50 Cent makes an independent mixtape that catches the ear of hip hop stalwarts Dr. Dre and Eminem. Jackson signs a millon-dollar record deal, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The film will inevitably draw comparisons with other "rap genre" movies like 8 Mile and the recent Hustle & Flow. The screenplay by Terence Winter makes comparisons to the Italian mafia, in detailing the ins and outs of Jackson's "gangsta" environs. Director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) does a solid but rather workmanlike job of drawing the parallels between 50 Cent's real life exploits and his on-screen persona.

Yet, for a gangsta flick, the violence, while present, seems surprisingly downplayed and sanitized. (It's interesting to note that the film takes pains to show that Jackson doesn't actually directly kill anyone.)

In the film, 50 Cent plays Marcus aka "Little Ceasar". It opens with a gripping robbery sequence that ends with Marcus getting fatally wounded. Narrated by Marcus, we then get a flashback and see how he got to this point in his troubled life.
We see Marcus as a child (excellently played by Marc John Jeffries, who has 50 Cent's mannerisms down pat) and learn about his loving relationship with his mother, the drug-dealing Katrina (played by Serena Reeder).

When Katrina is brutally murdered, Marcus quickly turns to hustling drugs to support himself, but he quickly clashes with his grandparents (Delroy Lindo and Viola Davis) and heads out on his own.

Under the guidance of local kingpin Majestic (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) Marcus becomes a ruthless dealer. His life gets complicated when he has a child with longtime girlfriend Charlene (the attractive Joy Bryant) and has a son.

Then, when Marcus tries to get out of the drug game to become a rap star, things take a turn for the worse.

50 Cent gives an earnest but, ultimately, one-dimensional performance as Marcus.
While he has the moxie and charisma for the silver screen, he currently lacks the range and emotional depth to make Marcus a wholly convincing character.

In the face of stellar performances by co-stars Terrence Howard (who does a fabulous job playing Marcus's crazy manager) and Bill Duke (a Godfather-type figure linked to Marcus' past) 50 Cent's shortcomings as an actor are even more pronounced.

This isn't to say that 50 Cent doesn't do a capable job. He is willing to go that extra mile for the film, whether it is a nude prison shower scene or a crucial moment that requires him to shed tears.

The pivotal scene when he gets shot and is lying on the operating table was an emotionally draining one, 50 admits. "It was eerie lying on the operating table. The shooting sequence in the movie wasn't the same as what happened to me, and I was more focused on the physical aspect of it, making it look real," he notes.

"When it happened for real, I wasn't conscious by the time I got to the operating table; I was already under anesthetic. So lying there, still and awake, for eight hours, while they shot the scene with the actors pretending to be surgeons standing around me, that was weird."

Overall, Get Rich or Die Tryin' stands on its own as a flawed, yet entertaining, flick. It also functions as yet another piece in 50 Cent's growing multi-million dollar empire, along with the music, the G-Unit clothing line, and the soon-to-be-released "Bulletproof" video game.

50 Cent is well aware he has a stranglehold on the rap game, but, even he notes that grip is tenuous. All this coming from a man now living in a in a 4,500 square-metre mansion once owned by Mike Tyson.

"When I wake up every morning, I'm reminded that the man who had it before me made $500 million in his career, and doesn't have it anymore," he recently told the media. "This is where my work ethic comes from."
Jackson also tells Pride that he recently signed a movie deal with Sony Pictures, and is actively seeking new projects.

"The idea of creating a film that gives people something to judge me on is easier than them trying to piece together things that they hear in the media," 50 says.
"In the future, if I come across a script that affects me as much as my life story, I'll commit to it."

"Rare Breed" Carl Henry Does What He Can

"Rare Breed" Carl Henry Does What He Can

By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
Nov 2, 2005

As a relatively successful male R&B/dancehall recording artist in Canada, Carl Henry is well aware he is, perhaps, a rare breed.

"Hell yeah!" Henry says emphatically over the phone, in an exclusive interview with Pride News Magazine.

While there are female artists like Jully Black, Divine Brown and Melanie Durrant currently enjoying larger success in the Canadian urban music scene, there's the argument that the same can't be said for the African Canadian men. "To be one of the few males out there, I'm glad to rep the guys and, hopefully, set that bar [for other male artists]," Henry says.

And with his sophomore effort, I Wish, released this week (November 1), Henry hopes this album does even better than his Juno-nominated 2003 debut, (RNB). The Jamaican-born, Montreal-based singer's sound is best defined as a mix of R&B, gospel, soul and dancehall. Henry was recently signed to major record label Universal Music (via imprint CeSoul), and notes that the Canadian music industry is becoming a lot more receptive to urban artists.

"It's definitely a great time to be part of the urban scene," Henry says, adding that there are a lot more opportunities now than there were in the past.

"While there's still a lot of work still to be done, it's come a long way."

As a child growing up in Montreal, Carl Henry says he was exposed to a lot of gospel music. And like many R&B singers, Henry kicked off his musical career singing in his church choir.

"Growing up, I sang a lot of gospel, but, as I got older, I discovered a lot of the great soul artists like Marvin Gaye."

It was while he was attending Vanier College in Montreal that, at the urging of friends, the talented Henry decided to pursue music full-time. He eventually hooked up with Montreal-based record label CeSoul and simultaneously released his debut RNB project,in both English and French.

Being from Montreal and bilingual gives Henry an added advantage, he notes, and it allows him to tap into different markets. "There's definitely an advantage to that, and I'm really grateful to have come up in that environment," Henry says.

He has taken his act throughout North America and Europe, and has opened for artists including Mary J. Blige, De La Soul and Ashanti and, most recently, hip hop/pop supergroup Black Eyed Peas.

Whereas his debut was straight-up R&B music, I Wish features heavy dancehall reggae influences, no doubt buoyed by Henry's recent success with recent singles, "Bare as She Dare" and "Homie's Girl", which were both nominated for Best Reggae Recording Junos in 2004 and 2005.

Henry notes that, with reggae becoming a big part of the urban music scene, the release of I Wish is good timing. "[It's] the second album, so there's a little more pressure, but I'm feeling confident about it. It's an album that makes you want to dance," Henry says. The project features his hit singles ("Homie's Girl", "Hot Gal", and a new remix of "One Night Stand") along with a DVD of tour performances and live interviews.

The new album was co-written and co-produced by Joseph Stonestreet (formerly of Teddy Riley's R&B group Blackstreet) and also features appearances by Elephant Man, singer CeCile, and NY-based rapper JR Writer.

Coming from a West Indian background, Henry says, it feels natural to mix traditional R&B/soul with dancehall, and make it work.

"Some people say that if you mixed Sean Paul with Usher, that you'd get Carl Henry," he says with a laugh. While there are the heavy dancehall, rap and reggae influences in I Wish, it still has the traditional elements of R&B. "I tried to put an album out that people can relate to," Henry says.

He is also passionate about giving back to the community - he's been a part of the Make A Wish Foundation and regularly makes appearances at high schools during Black History Month.

Henry is also slated to perform at a "Stop the Violence"-type event in Toronto later this month. It's definitely in the works, Henry says.

"I think that an artist…whether or not you consider yourself a role model [or not], whether you want to admit it or not, you are because people look up to you," Henry says.

"I think that, if you're in that position, it's your duty to give back to the community that blessed you. It's important that I do my share; do my part when I can."