Divine Old School Rocks The Toronto Urban Music Festival
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
Pride News
September 7, 2005
For the first time in the history of the nine-year-old event, it was a Canadian who headlined the Toronto Urban Music Festival (TUMF) at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) last weekend.
Past headliners for the TUMF have included rapper Mos Def and soul songstress Jill Scott, so for Toronto's own Divine Brown to be on top of the bill, that included American singer Jaguar Wright, was a huge deal.
"It's great to be able to play in front of my people," says the talented Brown.
It appears Brown's time is now, and judging from the crowd response, she is a hometown hero made good.
At TUMF, she performed cuts off her self-titled debut disc that has been getting local and national recognition off the strength of her throwback track, "Old School Love".
And after only a few months in release, the disc is on its way to going gold in Canada and is already a fixture on the Soundscan Top 50 sales chart.
Brown's apparent "overnight success" has actually been almost a decade in the making.
Formerly known as Divine Earth Essence, Brown (who has a five-octave vocal range) has been a longtime fixture in the Toronto nightclub scene and recently completed a stint in the hit musical Ain't Misbehavin', co-starring the legendary Jackie Richardson.
Brown's appeal has been strengthened by her captivating live performances, and, this past weekend, she didn't disappoint.
Joints like, "Twist My Hair", "Something 'Bout You", "Single Momma", and current second single, "U Shook Me", showcased Brown's polished sound and flair, and served as an excellent reason why her album will make her a surefire Juno Award nominee.
Brown's closing performance capped off a day that included other emerging African Canadian acts.
Former "Canadian Idol" contestant Jermain Maxwell performed a short set of songs off his recently-launched R&B/soul project titled, Longtime.
The first single of the same name can be heard on FLOW 93.5 FM.
Compared to a "young black Cyndi Lauper" by rapper/producer Saukrates, newcomer Andreena Mills rocked out with a lively collection of songs from her upcoming album.
Signed to Capitol Hill Management (Jully Black, Saukrates, Kardinal Offishall and Glenn Lewis), Mills has the charisma and stage presence to make waves in the very near future.
Montreal-based hip hoppers The Butta Babees (MC/producers Manchilde and Zip Loks) attempted to inject some life into the show with their unique brand of hip hop.
The Butta Babees sound is best described as positive, feel-good hip hop. The duo did songs from their Urbanelo album.
Philly-based singer/songwriter Jaguar Wright almost stole the show with a dazzling set, and scored some points with the crowd to boot.
"People say I'm insane because I'm a Black woman with a brain," Wright says. She railed against an image-conscious and sexed-up industry, much to the delight of the audience.
Best known for her Coca Cola commercial a few years back, Wright threw down with cuts off her new album, Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul.
Yet, the night truly belonged to Divine Brown.
Although her performance had to be cut short due to time constraints, Brown proved the time is now for Canadian urban artists.
Last week, TUMF also held its annual Toronto Urban Music Conference.
Held at Hart House, at the University of Toronto, music industry experts discussed important issues concerning Canada's urban music industry.
This year the conference featured panels on music publishing, how to network and how to obtain funding for projects.
The keynote speaker was hip hop historian Jeff Chang, whose critically acclaimed (and recent American Book Award-winner) Hip Hop 101 history book, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation outlines the roots of the genre.
Chang did his research in looking at the roots of the genre (from its Jamaican roots in the late 1960s, to its birth in the Bronx) - and it showed. He eloquently explained how hip hop got to be the global juggernaut it is today.
He reminds us that, even in its current "bling bling" incarnation, hip hop is not dead; rather it's been split in two.
Chang argues that you have the glossy, poppy, highly-materialistic and commoditized "50 Cent" version of hip hop, then you have the "real" underground hip hop, which consists of positive, conscious, and also traditional hip hop elements, such as b-boys and b-girls.
The problem, Chang says, is that mainstream hip hop has been hijacked and is now controlled by corporate interests, which pump money into artists they feel will sell to the masses.
All other subsets of hip hop get pushed to the fringes, leaving a popular (but erroneous) perception that hip hop is all about gangbanging and misogyny.
Hip hop is also cyclical, Chang says, and it reinvents itself every four to six years.
He concludes: the "trinity of hip hop music" (Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and DJ Kool Herc) don't get the props they deserve for creating the music so many love today.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
the return
Haven't posted in a minute. This will change. I liked how my recent interview with Wes "Maestro" Williams turned out so here it is in all it's glory:
Wes "Maestro" Williams: Still Conducting Thangs
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
www.pridenewsmagazine.com
Wed Aug 24 2005
At this stage in his hip hop career, Wes "Maestro" Williams is not only still conducting thangs, he's doing so on his own terms.
Considering all that Williams has accomplished, he's definitely earned that right.
Evidenced by the fact Canada's pioneering rapper hardly goes by "Fresh Wes" anymore, Williams has evolved from being just a talented emcee into a talented actor with two hit television series on the go.
It's hard to believe that it's been more than 15 years since Maestro (then known as Maestro Fresh Wes) made Canadian history, with the now-classic hip hop single and video, "Let Your Backbone Slide".
To this day, that song is still the largest-selling Canadian hip hop track, and ranks in the top 15 of the best Canadian songs ever released. Maestro's platinum-selling Symphony In Effect debut album is still the biggest-selling urban music album in Canadian music history. On top of that, Williams is also the first Canadian urban music artist to release five albums: Symphony In Effect (1990), Black Tie Affair (1991), Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!! (1994), Built To Last (1998) and Ever Since (2000).
His achievements forced the Canadian music industry to stand up and take notice, with the implementation of a Hip hop/Rap Category in the Juno Music Awards, where he's been nominated 11 times, twice for Vocalist of the Year.
Other honours presented to Maestro include a Harry Jerome Award from the Black Business and Professionals Association; two Toronto Music Awards; and four MuchMusic Awards.
Simply put, Williams is the godfather of Canadian hip hop.
To celebrate and document his accomplishments, he's released the appropriately titled, Urban Landmark-1989-2005, which hit stores August 23.
The greatest hits album (featuring hits such as "Conducting Thangs", "Let Your Backbone Slide", classic B-sides, and five new tracks) is being touted as his final album, with the first single (a hip hop mix of Gowan's 1985 hit "Criminal Mind") already in rotation on MuchMusic.
Even though he's releasing a retrospective album, don't expect Williams to be resting on his hip hop laurels. "This is a good project to release - a retrospective - because it's been 20 years," the hip hop icon tells Pride News Magazine, over the phone from his Toronto home. "But I think it could be a crutch for me if I lie on my laurels and think about stuff that I've done before. If I have that mentality, it's a stagnant mentality."
Just as Canadian rock music has its history well documented, Williams feels it is time for Canadian hip hop culture to be recognized in much the same fashion.
"Ain't nobody sold more records than me, and it's been a decade and a half. That's something that should be documented," Williams says matter-of-factly.
"My new album symbolizes a substantial part of Canadian music history."
In terms of the future of Canadian urban music, Williams is content to take a back seat to the emerging players in the hip hop scene.
"I'm proud of these cats. I'm a big fan of k-os, a big fan of Kardinal [Offishall0. I feel good that I can buy Canadian [hip hop] records. That's a dope thing," Williams says.
Yet, even he is willing to acknowledge there may never be another Canadian hip hop artist to make the same sales and historical impact in the game he did.
"Right now, there are artists who are way more talented than me, but it's a different time, a different era. When I was around, the internet wasn't even out yet. In terms of sales and in terms of impact, I don't know if it's going to happen," he notes, "but I think that there's a lot more talent out there, and that's the main thing."
Evolution is the name of Maestro's game, and right now, he's looking to establish himself as an actor.
In the past few years, he's appeared in many TV and film projects, including: playing Tony Bogard in the Golden Globe-nominated film, Redemption; starring in The Stan "Tookie" Williams Story, which also starred recent Oscar winner Jamie Foxx.
Maestro was also featured in the Showtime series "Soulfood", and makes an appearance in John Singleton's recently-released film Four Brothers.
On the small screen, he can be found starring as nightclub owner Quincy Daniels on the television series "Metropia" (Omni TV) and also on CTV's "Instant Star", playing music mogul/manager Darius Mills.
Both series are in their second seasons, and "Instant Star" was recently picked up by US television network Nickelodeon. It's an accomplishment Williams doesn't take lightly.
"How many Black Canadian actors are on two television series at the same time?" he says, adding that there are both similarities and differences in the acting and music worlds.
"They're similar. The work ethic is very important. In other words, if you want to be a great emcee, you got to do certain things. I gotta work at it, and it's the same thing with acting. I'm among thespians, and I've got to be sharp with what I'm doing. Anything you want to be good at, you've got to work at," Williams says.
Although he doesn't go by his old "Fresh Wes" hip hop moniker anymore, Williams is still fresh; while Urban Landmark is supposed to be his last album - a swan song of sorts - he isn't going away anytime soon.
"I'm looking to grow as a multimedia artist," the artiste says. "Right now, I'm not really stressing music like that as an artist.
"In other words, it's not my main focus."
As an elder statesman of Canadian hip hop, Williams is more than willing to be a mentor of sorts to up-and-coming urban music artists, helping them hone their craft.
"I'll always make music and be involved in music in some capacity," he says, "but I'm more looking at assisting the industry, right now, and being an asset that way."
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Ebonnie Rowe: Driven
EBONNIE ROWE: DRIVEN
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
www.pridenewsmagazine.com
(June 1, 2005)
Those who have worked with African Canadian businesswoman Ebonnie Rowe are well aware she is driven - even without a driver's license.
"I never learned to drive," the affable Rowe tells Pride News Magazine, with a laugh. "I could never commit because these things took precedence."
"These things" include creating a youth mentorship program and being the brains behind the annual Honey Jam all-female music showcase. Rowe, daughter of the late Barbadian diplomat Owen Rowe and the youngest of three children, is a perfectionist at heart and only knows how to do things one way - with 100 percent effort.
It is this effort that was recognized at the YWCA Toronto's Women of Distinction awards show held May 31 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Rowe was this year's award recipient in the Arts & Entertainment category. The prestigious award (now in it's 25th year) is presented annually by YWCA Toronto to identify and honour seven women and one young woman who have made amazing contributions to improving the lives of other Canadian women.
To be a recipient during the 25th year was an even bigger deal, and Rowe says, "I'm happy, honoured and humbled." The fact that Rowe's mentor - the late African Canadian entrepreneur Beverly Mascoll - was also a recipient of the award makes the award that much more special. She says, "It means a lot to me."
No stranger to community involvement, in 1992, Rowe and two partners kicked off Each One, Teach One, a mentoring program to offer African Canadian youth examples of thriving Black role models. The initiative links youth with professionals working in various trades and occupations and has inspired hundreds of Black youth to chase their dreams.Things started with Each One Teach One and built from there, Rowe says, adding, it was the untimely passing of two close friends that prompted Rowe to start the program.
It was also at this time that she changed her name from Bonnie, adding an "E", to spell Ebonnie, as a sign of support for Black culture. "I was feeling this need to hurry up and do something purposeful. I was very aware of mortality and wanted to leave something behind, a legacy," she says.
"Starting with the [Each One Teach One] program, the ideas succeeded and people really gravitated towards it. The momentum builds, and you become energized by that, and you start thinking about other natural things to start doing; things snowballed from there."
Rowe is probably best known as founder and CEO of PhemPhat Productions.
Launched a decade ago, PhemPhat is a production company designed to offer Canadian female artists a viable outlet to develop and hone their craft, not merely as artists, but also as managers, label owners and promoters.
Rowe has said PhemPhat was borne of the frustration with Canada's male-dominated music industry, a lifeline of sorts for talented female artists who were being dismissed, disrespected and disenfranchised by the system, and who were without a viable outlet for their craft.
Indeed, Rowe has been outspoken about calling out the music industry on its misogyny and less-than-stellar treatment of women.
To showcase the fact that females are far more than highly-objectified "bootyshakers", throughout the years, the urban company has produced a series of events to display women artists: an Urban Music Seminar, the Brown Girls in Da Ring poetry/spoken word event, a Women on Wax DJ series, and of course, the uber-popular Honey Jam, a platform/showcase for up and coming female artists.
Artists who have benefited from the exposure gained from Honey Jam events include Toronto's Jully Black and Grammy winner Nelly Furtado. PhemPhat also produces the annual Honey Jam Magazine, and in 2002, hooked up with record label Universal Music to produce Honey Drops, Canada's first all-female urban CD compilation.
Rowe is currently hard at work for the 10th anniversary Honey Jam show, taking place this summer.
"It's only as I prepare the 10th anniversary [of Honey Jam] and look back through the old photographs, that's when I get a sense of how much we've done. It's overwhelming."
For all of her work and accomplishments, the accolades have come fast and furious.
Rowe's been profiled in Who's Who in Black Canada, Chatelaine's Who's Who of Canadian Women, and she's received the Toronto Sun Woman on the Move Award.
Her achievements have also garnered numerous awards, including the Urban Music Association of Canada's Special Achievement Award in 2000, and the Volunteerism Award from the Province of Ontario in 1997.
What people don't realize is Rowe has accomplished all this while maintaining a full-time job as a legal secretary.
A lot of people have wrongly assumed Honey Jam was the only thing on her plate, Rowe says, but, between Each One Teach One, PhemPhat, organizing meetings, music release parties and seminars, "I was running on adrenaline", Rowe says, and it was taking a toll on her physical and spiritual being.
In fact, in 1999, Rowe announced her "retirement" from putting together Honey Jam; even that was fleeting. "They pulled me back in," Rowe says of the musicians and industry people who didn't want her to give up on the show. She returned a year later.
"I didn't realize how much it meant to everyone. I can't abandon it. When…I look back, at the press clippings, the photos, the videos, I do think that it's been something."
Yet Rowe isn't content to sit back and bask in the glow.
Currently single, Rowe says she's often too busy to sit back and reflect.
"I'm so insanely busy I don't really think about it," she says with a laugh, "but when people write to me, that's when I think, 'Wow, this really meant something to someone'."
Yet, it was the recent and unfortunate passing of her father that has put life in a different perspective for Ms. Rowe. (Mr. Rowe - who was well-known and respected in the African Canadian community - passed away in April, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.) It just heightens the idea of living out loud now, she says.
And, she adds, "The slowing down is a process." "Sometimes it's difficult for me to quiet my mind because, even though I'm focused on the Honey Jam, my body is telling me to slow down."
But Rowe can't stop.
In the works right now are plans to expand Honey Jam into television, opening a PhemPhat clothing line, and she is also excitedly looking at the prospects of organizing a music festival in the Caribbean.
"I feel that I can die today and be happy with what I've contributed to society," Rowe says.
"But I really don't feel that I've scratched the surface in terms of what I can do."
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
www.pridenewsmagazine.com
(June 1, 2005)
Those who have worked with African Canadian businesswoman Ebonnie Rowe are well aware she is driven - even without a driver's license.
"I never learned to drive," the affable Rowe tells Pride News Magazine, with a laugh. "I could never commit because these things took precedence."
"These things" include creating a youth mentorship program and being the brains behind the annual Honey Jam all-female music showcase. Rowe, daughter of the late Barbadian diplomat Owen Rowe and the youngest of three children, is a perfectionist at heart and only knows how to do things one way - with 100 percent effort.
It is this effort that was recognized at the YWCA Toronto's Women of Distinction awards show held May 31 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Rowe was this year's award recipient in the Arts & Entertainment category. The prestigious award (now in it's 25th year) is presented annually by YWCA Toronto to identify and honour seven women and one young woman who have made amazing contributions to improving the lives of other Canadian women.
To be a recipient during the 25th year was an even bigger deal, and Rowe says, "I'm happy, honoured and humbled." The fact that Rowe's mentor - the late African Canadian entrepreneur Beverly Mascoll - was also a recipient of the award makes the award that much more special. She says, "It means a lot to me."
No stranger to community involvement, in 1992, Rowe and two partners kicked off Each One, Teach One, a mentoring program to offer African Canadian youth examples of thriving Black role models. The initiative links youth with professionals working in various trades and occupations and has inspired hundreds of Black youth to chase their dreams.Things started with Each One Teach One and built from there, Rowe says, adding, it was the untimely passing of two close friends that prompted Rowe to start the program.
It was also at this time that she changed her name from Bonnie, adding an "E", to spell Ebonnie, as a sign of support for Black culture. "I was feeling this need to hurry up and do something purposeful. I was very aware of mortality and wanted to leave something behind, a legacy," she says.
"Starting with the [Each One Teach One] program, the ideas succeeded and people really gravitated towards it. The momentum builds, and you become energized by that, and you start thinking about other natural things to start doing; things snowballed from there."
Rowe is probably best known as founder and CEO of PhemPhat Productions.
Launched a decade ago, PhemPhat is a production company designed to offer Canadian female artists a viable outlet to develop and hone their craft, not merely as artists, but also as managers, label owners and promoters.
Rowe has said PhemPhat was borne of the frustration with Canada's male-dominated music industry, a lifeline of sorts for talented female artists who were being dismissed, disrespected and disenfranchised by the system, and who were without a viable outlet for their craft.
Indeed, Rowe has been outspoken about calling out the music industry on its misogyny and less-than-stellar treatment of women.
To showcase the fact that females are far more than highly-objectified "bootyshakers", throughout the years, the urban company has produced a series of events to display women artists: an Urban Music Seminar, the Brown Girls in Da Ring poetry/spoken word event, a Women on Wax DJ series, and of course, the uber-popular Honey Jam, a platform/showcase for up and coming female artists.
Artists who have benefited from the exposure gained from Honey Jam events include Toronto's Jully Black and Grammy winner Nelly Furtado. PhemPhat also produces the annual Honey Jam Magazine, and in 2002, hooked up with record label Universal Music to produce Honey Drops, Canada's first all-female urban CD compilation.
Rowe is currently hard at work for the 10th anniversary Honey Jam show, taking place this summer.
"It's only as I prepare the 10th anniversary [of Honey Jam] and look back through the old photographs, that's when I get a sense of how much we've done. It's overwhelming."
For all of her work and accomplishments, the accolades have come fast and furious.
Rowe's been profiled in Who's Who in Black Canada, Chatelaine's Who's Who of Canadian Women, and she's received the Toronto Sun Woman on the Move Award.
Her achievements have also garnered numerous awards, including the Urban Music Association of Canada's Special Achievement Award in 2000, and the Volunteerism Award from the Province of Ontario in 1997.
What people don't realize is Rowe has accomplished all this while maintaining a full-time job as a legal secretary.
A lot of people have wrongly assumed Honey Jam was the only thing on her plate, Rowe says, but, between Each One Teach One, PhemPhat, organizing meetings, music release parties and seminars, "I was running on adrenaline", Rowe says, and it was taking a toll on her physical and spiritual being.
In fact, in 1999, Rowe announced her "retirement" from putting together Honey Jam; even that was fleeting. "They pulled me back in," Rowe says of the musicians and industry people who didn't want her to give up on the show. She returned a year later.
"I didn't realize how much it meant to everyone. I can't abandon it. When…I look back, at the press clippings, the photos, the videos, I do think that it's been something."
Yet Rowe isn't content to sit back and bask in the glow.
Currently single, Rowe says she's often too busy to sit back and reflect.
"I'm so insanely busy I don't really think about it," she says with a laugh, "but when people write to me, that's when I think, 'Wow, this really meant something to someone'."
Yet, it was the recent and unfortunate passing of her father that has put life in a different perspective for Ms. Rowe. (Mr. Rowe - who was well-known and respected in the African Canadian community - passed away in April, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.) It just heightens the idea of living out loud now, she says.
And, she adds, "The slowing down is a process." "Sometimes it's difficult for me to quiet my mind because, even though I'm focused on the Honey Jam, my body is telling me to slow down."
But Rowe can't stop.
In the works right now are plans to expand Honey Jam into television, opening a PhemPhat clothing line, and she is also excitedly looking at the prospects of organizing a music festival in the Caribbean.
"I feel that I can die today and be happy with what I've contributed to society," Rowe says.
"But I really don't feel that I've scratched the surface in terms of what I can do."
Common "Be" music review
Common
Be
Geffen/Universal
After pushing hip-hop’s boundaries on the psychedelic and poorly received Electric Circus, Chi-town’s own Common hooks up with super-producer Kanye West on what is surely an album of the year candidate. Short but sweet (only 11 tracks), Common hits the ground running with “The Corner (featuring The Last Poets) and things only get better from there. To borrow words from comedian Dave Chappelle, Com spits hot fire on joints “The Food,” “Testify” and the epic “It’s Your World.” Even John Legend joins in on the fun with the soulful “Faithful” and “They Say.” Common’s lyrical dexterity combined with West’s signature production is a surefire win. Be serves to remind us that hip-hop can be witty, intelligent, mature and commercial all over again.
Be
Geffen/Universal
After pushing hip-hop’s boundaries on the psychedelic and poorly received Electric Circus, Chi-town’s own Common hooks up with super-producer Kanye West on what is surely an album of the year candidate. Short but sweet (only 11 tracks), Common hits the ground running with “The Corner (featuring The Last Poets) and things only get better from there. To borrow words from comedian Dave Chappelle, Com spits hot fire on joints “The Food,” “Testify” and the epic “It’s Your World.” Even John Legend joins in on the fun with the soulful “Faithful” and “They Say.” Common’s lyrical dexterity combined with West’s signature production is a surefire win. Be serves to remind us that hip-hop can be witty, intelligent, mature and commercial all over again.
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