CIUT 89.5fm as we knew it...

Gentrification and hip hop are close cousins, some might even say the parents of hip hop culture.  Ever since the monstrosity of a highway carved up the South Bronx and Brooklyn, you can be sure where ever people need to be uprooted for increased profit...hip hop culture will be affected.  The latest in Toronto-- University of Toronto community radio CIUT 89.5 fm must vacate the building for the expansion of the Rotman business school.  It was a fight in the U of T community but of course, community always looses to profit...CIUT has been significant in nourishing Toronto's hip hop community from the Masterplan show that started in 1989 to the overnight (literally) success of Project Bounce (R.I.P.).  I have literally walked into this building to find  Doug E. Fresh hanging out, Crazy Legs just chillin' or OHNO promoting his show on three separate occasions when I would just be hanging around on a saturday night.

Other shows still, like Oral Ammunition which eventually became Stylistic Endeavours, have been around for more than a decade providing this city with quality hip hop unheard on commercial radio....

Rockdabells Toronto 2009

You just never know where and when a Tdot Pioneer might show up and blow up the spot. Krs-1 was hosting Rockdabells this year alongside Supernatural and of course, as Krs always does, he made sure he bigged up Michie Mee who was apparently set to joint Boogie Down Productions back in 1986 before Scott La Rock died. Later in the show just before Big Boi was set to grace the stage, out of nowhere with purse still on her shoulder Michie jumps on stage for a likkle greeting and to receive her props from the 12,000 strong crowd...I was really caught off guard by this... see the shakey camera work, my bad.

Canada Day

It is only fitting that since its Canada day we pay tribute to Canada's longest running hip hop radio show. Since 1989 the Masterplan show on CIUT 89.5fm has been banging out real hip hop long before dudes had to claim they were real. Nuff said.

Founded by DJ DTS (pictured left), Johnbronski, DJ Power,and Motion in '89 this show continues to air every saturday night from 8-10pm. Now 20 years deep, founding member DTS continues to keep the show live while mentoring several up and coming djs like L'Oquence, EV Star, Jazzy and others. This show is a Toronto hip hop staple, on a number of occasions as I passed through to hangout in studio over the last ten years I have 'bumped' into Doug E. Fresh, Crazy Legs, and OHNO. Callers from as far away as Pittsburgh regularly call up to bigup the show and make requests. It is great to see that 2 decades later people still devote their time (volunteer time!) for the love of hip hop

Catch history in the making...

http://www.ciut.fm/show_details.php?show=saturday8pm
themasterplanshow.podomatic.com/
http://fm416.wordpress.com/2006/03/18/the-masterplan-show-2005-03-05/
http://www.themeaningofdope.com/2008/05/16/no-school-cool-nov-1991-masterplan-show-mix/

The Blast Master a Tdot Pioneer?

People might think Tdot Pioneers are only Canadian artists. Think again, the Blastmaster and Scott LaRock go way back in Toronto Hip Hop history. KRS-One will be in town next week.... read below

STOP THE VIOLENCE TOWN HALL MEETING w/ KRS ONE + Special Guest Panelists

June 9th 2009 will mark an historic meeting at Toronto City Hall. The L.I.F.E. Movement and Manifesto have teamed up and are working to bring together front line youth workers, youth led organization leaders, young people, media, and a panel of expert and celebrity guests from across the GTA and abroad - to discuss the current state of violence in Toronto, and find ways of working together towards common solutions. The honourable guest speaker, KRS ONE, founder of the internationally renowned STOP THE VIOLENCE movement, attended a similar meeting to this one back in the 80s spearheaded by the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation Africa Bambaataa. Inspired by what he learned, young KRS started a movement, and this meeting has that same potential to have a ripple effect for generations to come. The meeting will look into the work that has already been done in the area of violence prevention in Toronto, examining studies such as “The Roots of Youth Violence Report” released last year, and aims to provide space for the development of an action plan fed by various community members towards a way forward.

Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Time: 6:00pm - 9:30pm

Location: City Hall, Committee Room 2

Street: 100 Queen St. W

Bridging the Gap...

My man Mindbender and Michie Mee chop it up outside the Stylus DJ Awards. Events like this allow younger cats to meet and network with Tdot Pioneers like Michie who was all smiles. Gotta love Toronto for events like this, where you get Michie, Sauks, Maceo Soundcrew, Lindo P, Killowatt, Solitaire, Ian Andre Espinet and more under one roof . More on Maceo shortly. Straight up there were legends from 1973 to the present up in the house.
Gotta bigup Mike Z and Click who had a vision back in 2006 and have worked hella hard to bring Djs from Halifax and Vancity together to network, celebrate and move the scene along.

Doin' it Real Big

The Stylus Group did it up large monday night...1200 attendees. Performances by mans like Saukrates, Luu Breeze, Andreena Mill and more

The Stylus DJ Awards...

So its that time of the year again where DJs from across Canada meet in Toronto for the Stylus DJ Awards. Starting in 2006 the Stylus Awards have become a major event in the hip hop/urban music scene supporting and recognizing the amazing pool of dj talent the nasty north got. Bigup to Click, Mike Z and Scratch for getting this started. Each year young cats get to meet and learn about the foundation soundcrews that made the leap from funk to hip hop, making hip hop possible in Canada. Back in 2007 they inducted into their hall of fame the Killowatt soundcrew.... check out their trophy pictured above. Killowatt was very influential in laying the foundation, and opening the doors to the ladies (Lady P and DJ M&M) in the early 1980s. The awards go down tomorrow with legendary soundcrew Maceo being inducted in to the Hall of Fame...more on this after I interview Maceo...