What do the south bronx and Skratch Bastid have in common? They’re both the birthplace of Hip-Hop and they both have red hair. That’s what’s up. And from here on in, we’ll be referring to the subject as ‘Bastid’. Some people do call him ‘Skratch’ and some people also hate fried chicken. It’s just a matter of taste. You know how Bastid makes nachos? One at a time, that’s how. He puts a dab of salsa and grated cheese on each individual nacho chip and then puts them all into the oven like little nacho cookies. That’s dedication to a craft. That’s attention to detail and a creative mind. That’s a mad scientist. That’s also a really slow way to make nachos. LINK: read full story

“Fresh” – a Hip-Hop term used in the 80’s indicating something new and unique. As the Art of Fresh, D.O. and Slakah the Beatchild are a mission to bring butterfat boom bap to the funk nation. With an undeniable chemistry between the two, the Art of Fresh was formed in 2003 after several successful collaborations. Byram “Slakah the Beatchild” Joseph, is the groups producer and doubles as rapper and singer. Duane “D.O.” Gibson is the lead M.C. in the group, but also influences the musical style. LINK: read full story

Hip-hop was extremely under-represented this year at North by Northeast; and sadly, even when there was a hip-hop show in effect, it was often plagued by technical difficulties. When will the powers that be finally learn that even hip-hop shows need a soundcheck? LINK: read full story

God Made Me Funky (GMMF) is the Funky live ensemble, out of Toronto, Ontario, comprised of a diverse array of musicians ranging from classically trained Jazz artists to street schooled Hip-Hop and RnB vocalists, all of which share the common bond of moving crowds and bringing the Nu Funk in to the next millennium. Consisting of Vocalists - Kaybe (Snow, Just Cool) and Breanne Arrigo (Hair Spray), Rapper - PHATT al (Len, Raggadeath), Keys - Sean Nimmons, Bass - Cam Dougall (Graph Nobel, King Latifah), Guitar - Rich Grossman (Jimmy’s Groove), Trumpet - Mark Jarvis (Big Rude Jake, Fuzzy Love), Trumpet - Benji Perosin (Directions), Sax - Arthur Kerekes (Monkey), and Drums - Alan Witz (Funky Hi-Life, Millhouse); GMMF has been widely recognized in the Toronto music scene for thier highly energetic and outstanding ORIGINAL music and live remixes of Funk, Soul, RnB, and Hip-Hop classics. LINK: read full story

In 2004, teen girls fell in love with the boy toy in Keisha Chante’s "Bad Boy" & "Does He Love Me" music video’s. Born & raised, Jonathan Poirier, JDiggz became the music industry’s newest heartthrob. LINK: read full story

SEAZON is a lyricist, an innovator and a true ‘tell it like it is’ MC, but most importantly he is an entertainer. With endless potential, it has become very evident that this is just the beginning for this young new talent. SEAZON brings to life the everyday issues of everyday people, which is the true key to his universal appeal. His fresh perspective and conceptual approach to his music continues to separate him from the rest. LINK: read full story

Year after year, Canadian Music Week continues to appear ambivalent towards incorporating hip-hop into their music festival, which sees 500 bands on 40 stages over a span of 4 nights. Of these 500 bands, only a handful fall under the umbrella of urban music. Still, just when all looked lost for this year’s event, Just Entertainment stepped in to promote three solid nights of hip-hop starting March 8, 2007. LINK: read full story