MEDIA COVERAGE SUMMARY REPORT

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MEDIA COVERAGE SUMMARY REPORT
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Drop The Needle: Stylus Awards
Last week the annual 'Stylus Awards' hit Toronto and we chatted with a handful of the Break Through DJ
of the Year nominees: DJ Rich-A, Dames Nellas, K So, James Redi, 4th QTR, DJ Ohh, DJ Darsh & DJ Snook.
They chose the one album that they'd bring with them if they were stranded on a barren island up north
and revealed some of their guilty musical pleasures.
And if you missed it, we had the nominees drop a few of their mixes on the Strombo Show a few
weeks back.
Published: June 4, 2013
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Published: June, 2012
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Michie Mee Talks Her Stylus Awards Hall of Fame Honour: "I Was
Overwhelmed"
By Del F. CowieEven though Michie Mee is widely recognized as a pioneer in the Canadian hip-hop
scene, the rapper was still surprised when she found out that she had been selected to receive the Hall
of Fame Award at the 2012 Stylus Awards.
"I was like, you're kidding, because I just like to support the Stylus Awards," Mee tells Exclaim! "I saw
them induct Maestro and I was happy that they were having MCs involved. This looks like it's going to be
the biggest awards show we have celebrating urban music in Canada, as we've tried many awards
before. When they said I was next, I dropped a tear, I was overwhelmed."
The Stylus Awards recognizes DJs across Canada for their work behind the turntables. As recently
reported, this year the awards will be held at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto tonight (May 28),
capping off a weekend of events bring DJs across the country together through networking, panels and
conference events.
Mee's links to DJs goes back to the very beginning of her career. As a teenager, she performed with
Toronto soundsystem crew Sunshine Sound Crew before she committed anything to wax.
Mee's style of meshing hip-hop with dancehall earmarked her as a pioneer in Canadian hip-hop and has
also proved to be influential to both her peers and artists who have followed in her footsteps. While
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Maestro Fresh Wes, who also received a Stylus Hall of Fame Award last year, is often thought of as one
of the most important historical figures in Canadian hip-hop, he has said that Michie's success was an
inspiration to him. Similarly, her influence can be traced in the work of Canadian artists such as Kardinal
Offishall.
"It's really cool hearing that from Maestro 'cause he was older than me," she says. "I truly respect it, I
appreciate it, because you just never know how other artists think. [You think] they are focused on their
own career. To hear it was humbling. Big time. To have that influence on two totally different right and
left MCs, that's big. It makes me feel good."
Past Hall of Fame winners have included Toronto hip-hop radio pioneer Ron Nelson and the late
Edmonton DJ Teddy P, father of Cadence Weapon.
The awards ceremony will also feature a tribute to Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who passed away earlier
this month. That tribute will be produced by Saskatoon's DJ Anchor, who is nominated for four Stylus
Awards this year.
Other DJs and producers nominated include 4 Korners, Wristpect, T-Minus, Boi 1da, and Noah "40"
Shebib. Also among the 2012 Stylus Awards nominees are Kardinal Offishall, Melanie Fiona, the Weeknd
and Drake"
Published: May 28, 2012
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Drake, Weeknd, Kardinal Offishall, deadmau5 Nominated for 2012
Stylus Awards
By Gregory Adams
Ready to toast some homegrown talent, the 2012 instalment of the Stylus Awards has rolled out its list
of nominees.
The festivities, now in their seventh year, will take place throughout the weekend of May 26 to 28 in
Toronto through SpinFest, a three-day event celebrating DJ and club culture via concerts and speakers
(which have yet to be revealed). The weekend's activities will culminate in the awards show, which takes
place May 28 at the city's Danforth Music Hall.
Heavyweights like Drake and the Weeknd raked up a couple noms each, with both being pre-approved
for Fan Choice Artist of the Year award. Drake also earned a nom for Canadian Hip Hop Single of the
Year ("The Motto"), while his buddy the Weeknd grabbed a nomination for Canadian R&B Single of the
Year ("High for This").
Nominated as well this year are Noah "40" Shebib (Canadian Producer of the Year), Slakah the Beatchild
(Video of the Year), Rich Kidd (Artist Mixtape of the Year), deadmau5 (Electro DJ of the Year), Kardinal
Offishall (Canadian Hip Hop Single of the Year, Fan Choice Artist of the Year), A-Trak (Electro DJ of the
Year) and Classified (Canadian Hip Hop Single of the Year).
Also scoring some noms are Saskatoon's DJ Anchor, Toronto's 4 Korners, Charlie Brown, Lissa Monet and
Dames Nellas, as well as Mike Tomas and Keith Dean. Plus, Hall of Fame awards will be given to iconic
Canadian rapper Michie Mee and DJ Bunny.
Published: April 11, 2012
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Stylus Awards 2012 featuring Michie Mee, Maestro Fresh Wes,
Kreesha Turner, the Airplane Boys
Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON May 28
By Kevin Jones
Canada's annual celebration of urban and club culture, the Stylus Awards, received a bit of a slimming
down this year, stepping away from its usual home at Toronto's flashy Liberty Grand Entertainment
Complex and choosing instead to take up residence in the newly renovated Danforth Music Hall. This
slight scaling-back had no effect on the show's historically smooth production, however, and perennial
show host Trixx was back in the driver's seat, keeping the generally well-paced presentation on the rails
with his deep belly-chuckle-inducing comic relief.
Helping kick things off was a series of well-produced video cyphers (see below), which would return with
various heat-dropping lineups throughout the night, with such notables as Rich Kidd, SonReal, Shi
Wisdom and a baby-sporting Blake Carrington each blessing the mic. That initial video was closely
followed by an animated performance by the Airplane Boys, who rode their backing band's boisterous
bounce out into the crowd as their music video flickered across the stage's multiple screens in the
background.
Things really picked up when Trixx finally enter the scene, who, taking cues from other award-showconducting greats, immediately began snapping on everything and everyone who caught his eye. The
Weeknd was promptly called out as the new depressing face of R&B (and one that should more aptly be
calling himself "Monday"), the show's attendees were each given licks by area code, and the white
people up front earned their lumps for being, well, the white people up front.
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The ongoing comedy routine that would inevitably help to carry much of the night's proceedings
continued on in a special edition of MTV's popular Jackass-style Silent Library competitions, featuring
local DJs Starting from Scratch, Ritz (who bore the brunt of the abuse) and few other music industry
mainstays. The unusually lengthy vids started out funny, but the laughs only lasted for as long as you
could stomach frat-boy humour, which, dishearteningly, seemed to be the entire night for most in the
venue.
Musical performances, most of which served as a showcase for artists up against the likes of Drake, the
Weeknd and other global stars in their respective categories, ran hot and cold. Most performers,
including singer Kreesha Turner and the aforementioned Airplane Boys, held their own given the
circumstances. However, low marks go to A-Game, not for the poor audio mix that left everything but
the cussing nearly indecipherable, but for not so much performing their songs as screaming them while
flying around the stage flashing the finger to every camera pointed in their direction (in a show of
rebellion against photography, you might presume).
For the most part, the night moved along at a decent clip, with top prizes handed out to Drake
(Canadian Hip Hop Single), the Weeknd (Fan Choice Artist of the Year, R&B Single), Charlie Brown
(Breakthrough DJ) and, among others, Tasha Rozez, who earned one of the night's biggest applause for
her Top Female DJ win.
Honoured Hall of Fame inductee Michie Mee helped wind things down with a gracious acceptance
speech following a praise-filled video introduction, after which she took to the stage for her own
showcase of classics, a Jamaican flag waving proudly in the background by contemporary Lindo P. Of
course, the show wouldn't be complete without Canuck hip-hop godfather Maestro Fresh Wes taking
some time to drop a little history of his own, as the MC legend took the crowd on a memory-lane trip
back to the birth of the term "T. Dot," and to his memories of fallen Beastie Boy MCA stage diving back
in '84, in reference to a tribute earlier in the show.
As awards shows go, this year's event played as an entertaining lmoment of self-congratulations for a
industry teeming with folks doing big things, in spite of the notable absence of some of the night's
biggest winners and nominees. With its high production values and professionalism, joke-man Trixx at
the helm, and, perhaps most importantly, no real drama, 2012 should go down as yet another successful
year in the minds of organizers and attendees alike.
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Culture_music
What do you say, Michie Mee?
On the eve of her induction into the Stylus DJ Awards Hall of Fame, the revolutionary Canadian emcee
talks about rap, racism, and why “Canada Dry” is a stale diss that’s lost its fizz.
BY: Sarah Liss
1. She’s a rap legend who will school you, literally.
The first Canadian emcee to get signed to a major label, 41-year-old Michie Mee (née Michelle
McCullock) released “Elements of Style,” her groundbreaking single with DJ L.A. Luv, 25 years
ago. Back then, Michie would grit her teeth and endure listening to hip-hop fans wax ecstatic
about some underground artist named “Mitchie” they’d discovered alongside Salt N’ Pepa in
New York. The Canadian hip-hop scene was a game of broken telephone, she says, and videos
weren’t as de rigueur as they are now, so folks had no idea what she looked like—or even that
she was from Toronto. Today, “Michie Mee” is a topic on the TDSB syllabus—students are
provided with an overview of the performer’s career and asked to research other female hip-hop
artists.
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2. Her son has no interest in following in his mother’s footsteps.
Since her debut, she’s watched hip-hop morph from an underground art form that struck fear in
the hearts of white, suburban parents into the de facto template for Top-40 pop music. But
Michie’s quick to note that the evolution of hip-hop culture goes way beyond the genre’s
mainstream popularity. “It’s a very serious business,” she says, “and these days, kids realize they
can go to school, finish university, get a degree, and then start their rap careers.” In other words,
being a starving artist’s no longer enough; thanks to well-established role models like Jay-Z and
Lil Wayne, next-gen talents have the sense that mogul status is within their reach. Michie’s 20year-old son, for example, “doesn’t want anything to do with being an artist,” she says, laughing.
“He wants to engineer, produce—really, he wants to manage these 10-million artists who are all
coming up.”
3. Jamaica looks to Canada for its hip-hop heroes.
For years, Michie explains, Canadians were a punchline in hip-hop. “Hell, Drake still gets
clowned,” she says, pointing to his widely publicized “beef” with fellow rapper Common as an
example. “It was all marketing, really, but Common had that lyric about ‘Canada Dry’? I love
that guy, and he knows it, but it’s such an old, overused diss, and we’re at a stage where it’s not
even funny. The best producers are coming from Canada, and the joke’s not on us anymore.”
She’s seen proof of this, she says, through her work with Toronto-based Manifesto, a
community-oriented non-profit dedicated to promoting and developing hip-hop culture. Michie’s
been involved with the organization since it was founded in 2007 and insists it changed her
life—especially after it expanded to include a satellite chapter in Jamaica. “It gave me a new
perspective on Toronto and the impact we have on a worldwide scale. Jamaica’s a tiny island,
but it influences the whole Caribbean, and they look to Canada.”
4. Segregation still exists in pop music.
Michie’s extensive CV also includes acting and a serious stint in the band Raggadeath, a
collision between dancehall and hard rock (hence the name), which released two full-length
albums and an EP before fizzling. Sure, she’s celebrated as a founding mother of Canadian hiphop, but Michie’s also got the heart of a rocker. “Your friends have a huge effect on your
musical influences, and the guys I hung out with, they had apartments and worked at bars all
along Queen West. Whenever I just needed to get out of Rexdale, I’d head there.” Michie had
already established herself as an emcee, and the industry Powers That Be couldn’t figure out how
to explain to people that their queen of hip-hop wanted to make rock ’n’ roll. “These titles were
given to me before I was ready for them,” she says. “There was nothing for me in hip-hop.
Women weren’t selling records and the industry was changing. All my buddies were rock guys,
and they went off to be in bands and won Junos. I got beat up, damn right. It’s a test. It’s a damn
racist, segregated world. Only tough girls can make it, and once you get a taste of getting in, you
don’t want to let go.”
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Melanie Fiona livin’ ‘The MF Life’
It’s a warm weekday afternoon in downtown Toronto, and inside The Hoxton nightclub, dozens
of fashion-conscious club kids, dancers and extras stand around waiting for their next cue. A
music video is being shot for Canadian R n’ B singer Melanie Fiona’s song “Change The
Record.” And while all the hustle and bustle is taking place on the dance floor, Fiona is tucked
away in the venue’s basement.
The sheer chaos going on around her on this day mirrors the whirlwind the last year has been for
Fiona, culminating with winning two Grammy Awards earlier this year for her work on Cee-Lo
Green’s song “Fool For You.” A Juno Award also hasn’t hurt either and she’s up for a BET
Award in a category with some music heavyweights including Beyonce, Rihanna and Mary J.
Blige.
“Phenomenal,” the singer says in describing the past year as her hairstylist frantically gets her
ready for the shoot. “It’s been thus far the greatest career year I think of my life. I’ve been
fortunate enough to accomplish a lot and do a lot and see a lot. You know, it’s a wonderful
feeling. I just feel inspired to keep pushing and continue to achieve.”
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Despite a few scheduling hiccups which delayed her album ‘The MF Life’ getting to fans, Fiona
also dealt with switching labels while creating the record. She says she kept her focus on
creativity.
“I just stayed in the studio and just kept making music,” she says. “I had a lot of push backs
when it came to my album release date. That was a little bit frustrating. But I do believe that
nothing happens before it’s time and everything happens at the right time.”
The sophomore album, the follow-up to 2009’s ‘The Bridge,’ contains a fine mix of radiofriendly R n’ B along with some old-school, heart-tugging soul. Fiona also has guest appearances
from rapper Nas on “Running,” T-Pain on the album’s finale “6 AM” and John Legend on
“L.O.V.E.” The singer says it was just a matter of scheduling to land the artists except for
Legend.
“John Legend and I actually did the song together in the studio,” Fiona says. “Yeah, it was
logistics and every artist has their own crazy hectic schedule. I’m so appreciative of the fact that
every artist made the time to be able to be a part of it. I’ve fortunately built some great
relationships with these fellow musicians in the industry. It’s a very humbling experience to
know that they want to collaborate with me as much as I want to collaborate with them.”
Although she has a fondness for every song off ‘The MF Life,’ Fiona is particularly attached to
“Wrong Side Of A Love Song” which she describes as being “the most emotional and
vulnerable” moments off the record.
“That came together very naturally and very honestly,” she says. “I free-styled the song in the
studio and Jack Splash (Alicia Keys, John Legend) produced it. He kept saying, ‘I have this
music that I want you to listen to. I really think you’re going to love it.’ I went into the booth and
I virtually free-styled about 85 per cent of what you hear on that record. I then just went back in
to plug in the missing links to complete the story.
“I think everybody’s been there,” she adds about the song’s message. “I’ve been there where it
just seems like in an instant your whole love life is turned upside down and you’re on the wrong
side of that record, the b-side. It’s my proudest moment on the album as an artist vocally and
songwriting wise, performance wise. I hope that that record becomes a big record for my career
because so far people are loving it.”
Having moved from Toronto to Los Angeles, Fiona picked up and relocated to New York City
recently. But regardless of where she lays her head, the Grammy wins have made her known
internationally.
“It was such an influx of emotions,” she says. “I was very excited and overwhelmed and I was
sad over the death of Whitney Houston. Having my family there was just an amazing support
system. It’s just an amazing feeling and it’s beautiful to be a part of music history and to know
that you’ve created something that’s going to last a lifetime.”
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The only snag might be the fact Fiona is still waiting for a certain something, namely receiving
the actual Grammys.
‘I haven’t gotten them yet,” she says with a laugh. “I just got my Juno which is exciting so it’s
got two little wing spots for the Grammys (to be placed) right next to the Juno.”
Following the video shoot in Toronto, Fiona has a busy remainder of 2012 slated. There are the
BET awards on July 1 and a tour tentatively set to start in August. She’s also already thinking
about the next album.
“I really want to get started on the new project, I want to get started on it sooner than later,” she
says. “I have a vessel of creativity ready to explode.”
And speaking of creativity, the album’s title has had many people asking what the “MF” in ‘The
MF Life’ stands for. Most people have obviously cited her own initials and a certain well-known
expletive, but have there been others Fiona’s heard?
“Melanie Fiona, Mighty Fine, Magnificent Fantastic, Mother ….,” she says with a laugh. “Matter
of Fact Life, Music For Life, yeah I’m loving it and loving all of them.
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Hedspin, Vancouver DJs scoop up 2012 Stylus Awards nominations
The Vancouver DJ community will be well-represented at the 2012 Stylus Awards, with eight
of the city’s best deck masters scooping up nominations, including Redbull Thre3style champion
DJ Hedspin vying for Fan Choice Club DJ of the Year.
Other nominees from Vancouver include:
- DJ Flipout (of The Beat 94.5 FM), Radio Mixshow DJ of the Year
- DJ Rich A, Breakthrough DJ of the Year
- DJ She, Female DJ of the Year
- DJ Sage and DJ Marvel, Underground Hip Hop DJ of the Year
- DJ Doe-Ran (of CiTR 101.9 FM), College Radio Show of the Year
- DJ Kevin Shiu, House DJ of the Year
The 7th annual Stylus Awards, described as the leading award show in the DJ community in
Canada, will take place May 28 at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto
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Stylus Spotlight: Pre-Award Show Nominee Party
Showing love to the DJ
and supporting Canada’s
music industry was the
motive of the night at the
third annual DJ Stylus Pre
Award Show nominee
party at The Mod Club
Sunday night, which was
hosted by Rock Da House
and sponsored by vodka
brand Stoli Canada.
DJ Ritz, who is a 2012
Toronto DJ of the Year
nominee, spun hip-hop
and R&B tracks throughout the evening while guests, which consisted of industry heads, DJs,
artists, producers, management and supporters of the craft, took the opportunity to mingle and
celebrate their achievements and recognize those who are making a large impact on Canada’s
music industry.
David “Click” Cox, coproducer of the annual DJ
Stylus Awards, says that
the pre-party is a big part
of the Stylus weekend as
it allows for a more
laidback, casual vibe than
the awards ceremony and
gives an opportunity to
artists to showcase
themselves at an industry
event.
“They deserve the
recognition, they deserve
to be heard and they deserve to be seen,” he says. “That’s the main motive behind it all.”
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The seven performers of
the night which consisted
of artists such as Raz
Fresco, Shaun Boothe,
Shi Wisdom, Son Real
and JRDN all varied
immensely in style, yet
all were welcomed
equally by the audience.
With acts from
Vancouver, Montreal and
Toronto who ranged in
music genres such as
R&B, hip-hop, from
young to mature and
involved both male and female acts, the event exemplified the diversity of artists in Canada.
M.A.G.N.U.M, hailing from Montreal, nominated for Mixtape of the Year, also hit the stage and
spit a lyrical set, which energized the crowd for the remainder of the evening. He says the more
relaxed vibe of the night was the motive in order to celebrate and enjoy the music and
networking, as opposed to the award ceremony, where the spotlight is solely on giving the DJs
the recognition they deserve. The Montreal emcee says it’s not all about performing and winning
awards; everyone involved, or who attends the Stylus Awards, wins.
“It’s a good scene; it’s a
platform for all these
artists to get recognized
on a national scale.
Whether you’re
nominated, or you win,
or even if you’re in
attendance, it’s a good
place to network,” he
says.
Four awards were given
out throughout the
evening which included
Most Original DJ
Mixtape of the Year to
Dames Nellas for his work on Hip-Hop Ain’t Dead, It Lives In The North Vol. 4, Club MC of the
Year was awarded to Almighty Chops, DJ Manifest & Flo took home the Stylus College Radio
Show of the Year for their Toronto Morning Live show on CHRY 105.5 FM and Underground
DJ of the Year was awarded to DJ Law.
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“We have so many talented
artists in Canada,” Cox
says. “We have so many
different awards that we
really can’t do it all in one
night.”
Words By. Samantha
O’Connor + Photos By.
Michelle Green
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Stylus Spotlight: It Starts With A DJ
For Toronto-native Steven Chexx, who now lives
in Dallas, attending this year’s 2012 Stylus Awards
It Starts With A DJ conference just reinforced what
he’s been telling his Dallas people for awhile now.
“I’ve been telling people Toronto’s about to be on,
Toronto’s about to be on, and it just proved it,”
explains Chexx. “All those producers up there are
making a name for themselves outside of the city,
nationally and into the U.S. now,” he adds, making
reference to the conference’s producer panel
discussion which featured A-listers, like Boi-1da,
Arthur McArthur and Rich Kidd. “I thought [the
conference] was a beautiful experience.
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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Photos of the 2012 Stylus Awards
The 7th annual Stylus Awards took place Monday night at the recently revamped Danforth
Music Hall, with Keith Dean and The Weeknd taking home fan choice awards for Club DJ of the
Year and Artist of the Year, respectively. Other notable winners included Lissa Monet as
Toronto DJ of the Year, Drake's "The Motto" for Canadian Hip Hop Single of the Year,
Deadmau5 for Electro DJ of the Year, and Tasha Rozez for Female DJ of the Year.
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Hosted by TRIXX, in addition to the award ceremonies a series of performances livened up the
night, the highlight of which was a Dj Anchor-produced special tribute to the late Beastie Boy
Adam Yauch by SUPERNATURALZ Crew. Kreesha Turner, A Game, Dru, The Airplane Boys,
and Hall of Fame inductee Michie Mee also graced the stage on Monday evening.
Founded by Mike Zafiris, the Stylus Awards are designed to recognize homegrown DJs, hop hop
artists, producers and Canadian club culture in general. Although mainstream artists do often
take home awards — and why wouldn't they? — the event also highlights up and coming DJ
talent in Canada. For a full list of winners, check out the Stylus website.
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PHOTOS
TRIXX
Blake Carrington
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Queen of Hearts
Ken Galloway, DJ She and DJ Rich-A
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Dru
Airplane Boys
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DJ Starting from Scratch
Maestro Fresh Wes
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Michie Mee
Spinning
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MEDIA COVERAGE SUMMARY REPORT

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