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Although Vancouver is a long way from Toronto, some fans have connected that Rick Ross running into some static in the Western portion of the northern country is due to the Drake beef. According to a new report Rick Ross and his crew finished rocking a music festival in Vancouver and came across a group who tried to impede his progress through the crowd.
Several accounts posted the breaking news on their respective feeds, including DJ Akademiks, TMZ, and more. According to the reports, Rick Ross was in Vancouver for the Ignite Music Festival on Sunday (June 30) and was heading through the crowd after leaving the stage when the confrontation began around 10:30 local time.
The group, who has not confirmed their affiliation with Drake, at least publicly, were reportedly upset that Ross chose to end his set playing Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” as a closing track. As the reports go, one of the men trying to block Rozay’s progress reportedly swung at the Miami rapper with Akademiks claiming that a member of Ross’ crew was left unconscious.
Adding to this, blogger page @6ixaktv posted two videos of the fight with Drake liking one of the videos. According to the videos, it looked like the group didn’t want to square up when things were even but the owner of the page says that they have a clip of Ross getting punched.
An interesting thread of discussion also cropped up with many noticing that the men who confronted Ross appeared to be white and using the “N-Word” although, again, the group has not stepped forward to present their identity online.
On X, the reactions to Rick Ross being jumped by Vancouver goons have the Maybach Music Group boss’ name trending. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
WARNING: The images in the clips below may be disturbing to some so proceed with caution.
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Photo: Mireya Acierto / Getty
3. Too late.
Now that 2023 has come to a close and the year-end charts have been digested, it’s time to look ahead. 2024 is already looking to be a big year for music in Canada.
Upcoming Canadian album releases include a double album from long-running pop-punk band Sum 41, a new album from long-running rock band Mother Mother that follows the huge TikTok resurgence of their older song “Hayloft,” plus new ones from well-established bands like The Strumbellas, Chromeo, off-kilter pop artist Allie X, country singer Corb Lund and more. There are also plenty of albums from up-and-coming artists to keep an eye on.
Promising B.C. rapper Boslen’s Conversations Over Dinner project is tentatively scheduled for March. Singer/poet Mustafa announced his debut album is coming this year. Montreal rapper Lou Phelps announced his forthcoming album Chélbé, executive-produced by Kaytranada. Speaking of that in-demand Montreal producer, he closed out 2023 with a pair of new solo songs following his collaborative album as Kaytraminé, which seem to signify something new on the horizon.
Indigenous hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids could have a big breakout year coming. They signed to Sony Music Canada last year and announced their major label debut will come out this summer. And after appearing on Billboard Canada’s Punjabi Wave cover, Jonita Gandhi has her first EP on 91 North Records set to release in February.
Some major tours are hitting Canada in 2024 as well.
Diljit Dosanjh is set to play the biggest Punjabi concert outside of India at Vancouver’s BC Place in April. That Vancouver venue is surprisingly the only Canadian host for the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds tour. And aside from the six dates at Toronto’s stadium Rogers Centre, Vancouver will get the only Canadian dates on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour.
Pop-punk has reached its stadium era. Veterans Blink-182 and Green Day will both play Toronto’s Rogers Centre (home of the Blue Jays) this summer. Green Day is also joining SZA and Noah Kahan as headliners for Montreal’s biggest music festival Osheaga.
Head to ca.billboard.com for a full list.
Two Canadian Cities Establish Music Strategies
Canadian cities are getting strategic when it comes to promoting and supporting their music scenes.
Following the lead of its neighbour Toronto, Kingston, Ontario is moving forward with a music strategy and establishing an official music office. The Kingston city council approved $200,000 in funding from the capital budget in a meeting just before Christmas. The funding will establish the music office and support music programming in the city for the year. The city will also hire and appoint a music officer in charge of the office.
“The strategy hopes to improve living and working conditions for musicians and industry workers while also better leveraging Kingston’s existing music scene as a piece of the city’s tourism tapestry,” reports Yahoo’s Local Journalism Initiative.
Kingston is the 12th most populous city in Ontario but has a notable music history. It’s home to Queen’s University, which has made it a popular location for student bars and student bands. It’s also famously the city that spawned The Tragically Hip, one of Canada’s most beloved bands. Establishing a music strategy codifies music as a major identity for the city and helps it market its music scene while supporting the artists and infrastructure of those who play there.
Vancouver also has a music strategy and has just appointed a music task force to help the city implement it.
A press release explains that the task force will help the City “celebrate the sound of Vancouver and the music of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.” It will also aim to attract and retain artists, businesses, tourism and events that strengthen the local economy.
The city aims to build a music sector that thrives year-round. – Richard Trapunski & Kerry Doole
Rising TikTok Star Alexander Stewart Makes His Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Debut
Canadian singer-songwriter Alexander Stewart is starting 2024 off with a bang, making his debut on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 with the explosive “i wish you cheated,” off of his new EP, if you only knew. The lovelorn single arrives on the Jan. 6 chart at No. 100 after gathering steam since Stewart’s October performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Starting off with mournful piano and Stewart’s voice, the song has a strong premise: Stewart wishes his ex had cheated on him so that he could have clarity and a simple justification for feeling angry and upset. The piano cuts out at the end of the chorus as Stewart asks: “how do I move on / when you did nothing wrong?” Then, Stewart ramps up the energy with backup vocals, dropouts and a theatricality that calls to mind Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license.”
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The Toronto-born musician is now based in L.A. and has built up an impressive online fanbase, with six million followers on TikTok and 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube. He released if you only knew with entertainment company FAE, and according to a press release the initial TikTok campaign for “i wish you cheated” amassed more than 43 million views. Stewart was the second-most popular artist on TikTok in Canada in 2023, behind Lauren Spencer Smith, who charted on the Billboard Hot 100 last year with “Last Christmas.”
This is Stewart’s first time on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, and he could be poised to climb higher if he can gather momentum as holiday music drops off the charts in the coming weeks. The top 10 of this week’s Billboard Canadian Hot 100 are all holiday songs. – Rosie Long Decter
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Source: @liltay / Instagram
Lil Tay, the young Internet rapper and influencer thought to be dead a day ago, confirmed she’s alive after what appears to be a hoax.
On Thursday (Aug. 10), the family provided a statement to TMZ from the rapper debunking previous reports that spread Wednesday (Aug. 9) citing an Instagram post claiming that Lil Tay and her brother had died. “I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say,” her alleged statement read.
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“It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.” The family also claims that her Instagram account “was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors,” especially concerning her name. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope.’”
The since-deleted Instagram post was published with the statement reading: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock. Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation.”
The announcement caused some confusion as the Vancouver Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department and its county medical examiner stated that they had no information on Lil Tay’s death and that there was no current investigation. Adding to that, her father Christopher Hope said to Insider that he couldn’t comment on the post and declined to comment on whether she was alive.
Lil Tay shot to fame as a social media influencer at the age of 9, dubbing herself “youngest flexer of the century,” while creating foul-mouthed Instagram videos boasting of a luxurious Hip-Hop lifestyle. One video showed her purchasing a $200,000 sports car despite not knowing how to drive. It led her to be associated with Chief Keef and XXXTentacion, the latter whom she dubbed a “father figure.” She received heavy backlash for using the N-word, later apologizing for it in another post.
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