Features

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    Stylus Spotlight: DJ Starting From Scratch

    DJ legend Starting From Scratch is a staple in the Canadian urban music scene and has been involved with the Stylus Awards since it began in 2006. After winning three awards during the first year, Scratch took himself out of the runnings to join the corporate side of the show. This year, he looks forward to co-hosting the event and taking in the new generation of DJs that he has helped pave the way for.

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    Guess Celebrates 30 Years In The Business

    As the doors opened, the crowd started to flood in. Served white wine, hors d’oeuvres of mini lobster tacos and wild rice cakes, Toronto’s most fashionable and elite got ready to see what Guess had in store for its 30th year anniversary launch. Guess, the sexy, rock & roll, pin-up style clothing line celebrated its three-decade anniversary with Flare magazine and approximately 200 of its closest industry and media friends at the retail chain’s Queen and Spadina location in Toronto. The store was packed wall to wall with influential names like Guess’ Director of Stores Greg Moreau and Flare’s Market Editor Erin O’Brian.

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    Stylus Spotlight: David “Click” Cox

    Stop by just about any Toronto urban music event — large or small scale — and there’s one face almost guaranteed to be there, that of David “Click” Cox. Known by many for his long-time stint at Universal Music Canada, for the last eight years, since the idea was born and given life, Click has been co-producing the annual Stylus DJ Awards along with longtime collaborator and friend, Mike Zafiris.

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    The 4th Pyramid Stays Scheming

    The 4th Pyramid has worn various hats in the music industry. The quadruple threat, known for his producing, engineering, song writing and emceeing abilities, recently dropped his solo album The Pyramid Scheme, with Universal Music. The Toronto artist, who is spending more time in the city to support his new imprint label, spoke with Urbanology Magazine about The Pyramid Scheme, touring and the love he receives abroad.

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    Erik Flowchild Makes His Comeback

    Erik Flowchild returned to the Toronto music scene with the release of his latest mixtape The Chixtape 2 earlier this year and a show at The Rivoli earlier this month, with performances by Redway, Brandon Dramatic and a beat battle featuring some talented upcoming Toronto producers. DJ Soul Child spun the 1s and 2s throughout the evening, as host Marlon Palmer kept the crowd entertained with his comedic antics.

Featured Videos

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Rich Kidd & DJ Nana – “Confusion 2″

Toronto heavyweights Rich Kidd and dj NaNa debut the visuals for their latest single “Confusion 2” from the duo’s highly anticipated Rich Kidd vs. dj NaNa 2 mixtape (released Tuesday, April 3, 2012). The strategy behind the video was to create as much optic confusion as possible. Several designers and visual artists from Toronto, as well as abroad (Spain, France, Italy) were given lyrics to interpret, with no clue what was before or after, ultimately offering an extra layer of complexity to the video. The track is produced by dj NaNa and Derek Wiggins.

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Famous – “Leggo”

Famous drops visuals for “Leggo” produced by Thrizzo. Make sure to download “Road To Center Stage EP: Part 2″ hosted by DJ Drama here Also check out www.roadtocenterstage.com to watch it all come to life.

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Mami Uno – “Papi”

Toronto songstress Mami Uno debuts “Papi” an ode to low-ryders, boys with tatz and Toronto Latin culture. All things she keeps dear to her heart. Check it out and leave a comment.

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JD Era – “Smoking Good”

ICEH20′s JD Era drops visuals for “Smoking Good” produced by Lex Luger.  The track is featured off his latest project “No Handouts”. Check it out and leave a comment.

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Belly – “I Drink, I Smoke” (ft. Snoop Dogg)

Belly releases visuals for “I Drink, I Smoke” featuring his long-time friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg. The video is directed by RT! and was shot in Amsterdam. “I Drink, I Smoke” is a track from his mixtape “Sleepless Nights 1.5″. Check out the video and leave a comment.

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Micah Freeman – “Racing Hearts”

Baltimore-bred, Atlanta-based lyrcist/vocalist Micah Freeman presents the Awful Media directed video for “Racing Hearts”. Featuring Keith Charles Spacebar. The track is produced by Djarum and is featured off of his forthcoming project “The Timepiece” dropping May 2012. Racing Hearts is about taking a woman on an exciting journey through the world of the Time Traveler which is meant to give her a glimpse of things from my perspective; of a man who is in search of timelessness.” – Micah Freeman Check out the video and leave a comment.

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L.A. – “I’m Alive”

L.A. drops visuals for “I’m Alive”, produced by Hippie Sabotage. K Dot Forbes Co-stars in the video. The video is directed by S(c)e(n)e Media. Check it out and let us know what you think.

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Drake – “Take Care”

Drake drops video for “Take Care” featuring Rihanna. The video was directed by Yoanne Lemoine

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “We Almost Lost Detroit”

“We Almost Lost Detroit” by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., from ‘It’s A Corporate World,’ out now. Video directed by Andrew Smart.

Reviews

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Senior Reporter Sean Watson Recaps Canadian Music Week 2012

Navigating the Fairmount Royal York Hotel during Canadian Music Week was pretty involved. There were spot checks at every entry point. It gave the experience a VIP feel. Every coffee table and fixture was painted with flyers, CDs, free 30-day subscriptions, etc. My favourite was the “Blunts and Roses” flyer, I made a mental note to download that when I get home.

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Local artists bring diversity to CMW Fest

The McKee Agency hosted its third annual showcase during the 30th annual Canadian Music Week Festival on the third floor of Faces Nightclub on Saturday, March 24. Featured artists ranged from Peter Jackson and Raz Fresco to Queen of Hearts. McKee, a booking agency founded by Chris McKee which represents North American hip-hop, R&B and pop artists, delivered the audience an energy–filled, genre-blending event.

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Toronto Gets Trippy With Juicy J

The Opera House was turned up last Friday night as Taylor Gang representative and Three 6 Mafia co-founder, Juicy J rolled into the city. NuDay Entertainment and the Highway Gang presented the event, which brought young and old hip-hop heads out to watch the industry veteran perform for the first time in Toronto.

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Jay-Z & Kanye West Storm Toronto’s Air Canada Centre

Toronto went H.A.M. on Wednesday night as hip-hop royalty Jay-Z and Kanye West rolled into the city on their Watch the Throne tour. The sold out Air Canada Centre went absolutely crazy as the “H.A.M.” beat boomed throughout the stadium. The lights rose, as the two legends stood on opposite stages in the middle of the ACC. As they began to spit, their stages began to rise into towers creating unbelievable visuals. Their giant platforms turned into holographic images of a Doberman about to attack, and sharks swimming below them, making their stage look like a giant shark tank.