REFLECTION & REASON

The news reports are buzzing again. There have been multiple murders of black youth under the age of 16 this month in Toronto , and it's bringing issues of identity, support, and responsibility back into the public eye. It hurts. No one wants to see a young person lose their life to violence...but it REALLY hurts us to see one of our young brothers or sisters become another statistic of a problem that's difficult to identify, and even more challenging to solve. But it's a conversation that needs to be had , so despite the tragedy, I embrace the discussion. I embrace the opportunity for the media, and politicians, and educators, and community members to speak about the circumstances that create violence, and the possibilities of eradicating particular types of activities and stereotypes from the 'black' Canadian experience. I found a book, through Toronto Public Library's Black History Month recommendations , and it touched my soul. Entitled "Basode...

Mrs Beyonce Carter is fabulous. There's no other word to describe her. She has an amazing voice, she's gorgeous, she's a wicked dancer, she's humble and soft-spoken, she's a talented songwriter, and she'll go down in history as probably THE best female performer of our time. But the documentary.... meh ! I wanted to love it. I wanted to be moved to tears, and motivated, and inspired to go conquer the world (GIRLS!), and I wanted to walk away from the TV (um, YouTube...no HBO for me!) and feel like I had a new found respect for the singer. But...meh. I kinda feel the same. If not sliiiiiiiiiightly disappointed . After all these years, and to hear that Beyonce was finally gonna let us the fans in, and show us a side never seen before. And there would be exclusive footage, and we'd see the baby's face, and hear all her deep dark secrets...no such a thing. This documentary "Life is But A Dream" that inconveniently aired on NBA All Star Sa...

John Singleton is awesome. I've known this since the 90s when Boyz N The Hood first came out, and captivated me and millions of other viewers around the world, when we saw our first representation of "realistic" young black people on the big screen. But to see him up-close-and-personal about 20 years later, to watch that same classic movie on the big screen at the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre, AND to have Mr. Singleton right there in the room talking about the slight sounds of a baby crying and traffic in the background as Riiiiiickkyyyyyyyyy!!! gets shot. Now that was an phenomenal f*cking experience. And I use the "f" word loosely, because it was a common term this evening, in different variations, because John Singleton is a raw, real, and to-the-point kinda brother . He cussed, he told candid stories, he recapped his career with the right amount of class and braggadocio...and he reminded me exactly why to this day, he is the creator of about 3 of my top ...

Author Dalton Higgins never thought he would see it happen in his lifetime: the hottest rapper in the game coming from...our Toronto? For those of us that grew up in the Canadian city, we would probably agree. For years we saw our talented local rappers hustle, grind, and work hard on their craft, only to be snubbed by even our national radio stations, television stations, and awards shows. Sometimes even snubbed by each other. But it happened. Hit after hit, radio stations around the world were playing Drake songs, Drake collaborations, and everyone from Jay-Z to Jamie Foxx was singing his praise. Loudly. Torontonians everywhere couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Drake's success and acceptance was our success and acceptances. Canadian hip hop had finally broken the barrier, in the most spectacular way. And then on Sunday night, our hometown hip hip hero Aubrey Drake Graham took home the Grammy award for best hip hop album: "Take Care." The award ...

Saturday, February 2, 2013 was a great day. At the Malvern branch of the Toronto Public Library, we gathered to discuss a topic that is of utmost importance to Kya Publishing--the definition of the genre urban fiction, and what it specifically means in a Canadian context. Moderated by journalist Angela Walcott , and featuring panelists relationship blogger Telisha Ng , Christian non-fiction author  Tanika Chambers , Life Fiction author D. A. Bourne , TDSB educator Camille Ramnath , hip hop artist General , and children's author Angelot Ndongmo , the discussion took the panelists and attendees through a discussion based on ten questions, and leading up to the final question: "How would you define Canadian Urban Fiction?"  Angela Walcott (left) & SMR The event began with a welcome address from Toronto Public Library's Joanne Bainbridge, the Senior Branch Head of the Malvern District Branch , who let everyone know that urban fiction is a hot commodity on th...

It's a story I wanted to tell , a genre I wanted to celebrate, and a demographic that I genuinely believe needed to be highlighted and publically celebrated. I love reggae music, I love my Jamaican culture, and I wanted the world to know about the females in the reggae music industry, and what they represent. I was going to call the book "Reggae Divas" simply to honour the music and the vocalists that help reggae transcend beyond boundaries of gender. I've been thinking about it for years, gathering information, and mentally preparing myself for the exciting journey or research, music, and enlightenment. I set up social media sites, began the conversation with a few artists, their managers, and publicists...and then after a series of events in the past few weeks, I've decided that it is not my story to tell. As a writer, I realize all content is pretty much open for intepretation and study. As an artist, we receive inspiration from a variety of sources regard...