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CBC NEWS INTERVIEWS EB: Death stops the music but not the royalties

By Jon Hembrey, CBC News

Dead celebrities can often exhibit an eerie pull on the world of the living, a cold dead hand reaching from the past and influencing events in the present.
The record sums fetched at auction for an original, one-of-a-kind work by Picasso or Jackson Pollock might seem obvious, but few may realize that recently departed modern artists — even musicians whose works are so easily copied these days — also rake in the cash.... READ FULL ARTICLE...

Reema Major

Born June 26, 1995, Reema Major is living out her dream as a multi-talented artist and the self proclaimed “Illest Kid” and “Mother to the New School Era.” Reema is definitely a force to be reckoned with in hip hop today. Reema speaks Arabic, Sudanese Tribal Tongue, as well as English and these colorful languages and cultures inspire her music, fashion and love of life. Reema’s music is a reflection of her personal experiences and not of others around her. Since being discovered on Myspace by Stephen Hill, BET’s President of Programming, Talent and Specials, and being invited to participate in the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards cypher, Reema continues to prove how talented she is amongst hip hop veterans, globally, despite her age.

Her style, lyrical content and focus stems from her upbringing in an Arabic household and exposure to situations that most people her age never endure. Born in Khartoum, Sudan as the youngest of seven, Reema’s family fled Sudan to escape the coup taking refuge in Kenya and Uganda, before making Canada home in 1998. In Canada, Reema was first introduced to music and hip hop at the early age of 5 by her cousin, who she witnessed engage in cyphers on the steps of their apartment building. At the time, Reema wasn’t aware that she was witnessing her destiny and that her love for writing would eventually be the catalyst to her becoming a rapper….

Read more at http://www.reemamajor.com

Melanie Fiona

Thank you to Melanie Fiona and artist manager guru Carmen Murray of Title9 Productions for joining founder Eb Reinbergs of the Canadian Urban Music Conference on Sept 22, 2012 in speaking to and supporting young urban artists in Canada at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Karl Wolf

First Africa, then the world. The phenomenal success of his inventive remake of Toto hit “Africa” launched Karl Wolf into the international spotlight, but this was far from a case of ‘overnight success syndrome’. This multi-talented Montrealer has long enjoyed serious peer and music industry respect in Canada as a producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer of true skill and vision. Thanks to “Africa,” Karl Wolf’s music is now reaching the global marketplace, and his new album, Nightlife, dramatically confirms he’s the real deal.

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DVBBS

DVBBS is an electro/house duo from Toronto, Canada. Alex & Chris write and produce bangers that are sure to keep the party going. Their unique style allowed them to quickly build a loyal fanbase, which in turn allowed them to release their EP “Initio” in March, 2012. You can check out their website at DVBBS.com.

Culture Shock

One of Canada’s biggest South Asian exports consisting of DJ Baba Kahn, punjabi singer Sunny Brown and RnB singer Lomaticc have quickly become household names in the south asian music industry and as a result the mainstream world is starting to take notice. This trio known for performing high energetic shows is also being sought after for their production ability. With Official remixes under their belt for Sean Paul, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Nicole Scherzinger and most recently world phenom Lady Gaga, the trio are currently working on bringing their urban desi sound to a few more major mainstreams artists set to release later this year. Their first album BLACKMARKET is over a million online downloads old and growing. Their sophomore release LEGALTENDER has spawned a global number one track in the asian scene “Ex’d Up” – a track which received mainstream exposure on BET and BBC. After signing a global deal with UNIVERSAL UK, the trio are beginning their assault on the eastern market with shows planned across Europe, UK and INDIA this year and major collaborations set to release in north america and Bollywood later this year.

Creature

The band formed in 2004 and names themselves “Pawel Czuraj” and released a debut album No Sleep At All on March 3, 2008. The following year, No Sleep At All became a nominee in the “Pop Album of The Year” category at the Juno Awards of 2009. The band’s sound incorporates elements of hip hop, dance punk and new wave music. All the band’s members contribute vocals to the music, which adds to the constant boy-girl dialogue in the songs.

In 2005, Creature opened for Our Lady Peace in Montreal at La Tulipe and has also opened for Mika at the Bell Centre. Creature also performed at Pop Montreal, South by Southwest (SXSW), taking part in the M for Montreal showcase and at Les Transmusicales de Rennes in France.

In 2009, the band was invited to perform at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Transmit Live showcase in Vancouver, the Transmit China showcase, they also played the El Evento 40 event at Estadio Azteca, a showcase presented by Los 40 principales and the FMTU Monterrey Music Festival both in Mexico and in France they performed at the Solidays festival. In August No Sleep At All was released in Mexico on Universal Music Mexico. They also played in New York City where they caught the attention of Blondie who said they were “completely unheralded in any way and fantastic”.

In early 2010, No Sleep At All was released in France on Universal Music France where they were previously invited to perform on Taratata. Creature also did charity work for War Child, by playing to collect money at Montreal metro station, Berri-UQAM.

During the summer of 2010, the band went to England to record their second album with Stephen Hague. The single “Who’s hot who’s not” was used in a commercial for BE magazine featuring Paris Hilton and “Pop Culture” was used in a television commercial for Telus.

For more info see http://creatureband.com

Bokeem Woodbine

Bokeem Woodbine is an American film and television actor. He was born in Harlem, New York, to an actress mother. He attended the Dalton School in New York before transferring to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in the city. He was an Instrumental Music Major, and the lead singer for the band, Mazard.

With the encouragement of his actress mother, Woodbine entered show biz at age 19 as a stand-in and extra in Ernest R. Dickerson’s directorial debut, the hip-hop classic Juice in 1992, starring Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps. In the following year, he made his TV acting debut in the CBS Schoolbreak Special entitled “Love Off Limits”. His appearance was noticed by casting director Jaki Brown-Karman who later recommended him to Forest Whitaker for the latter’s directorial effort, Strapped in 1993, in which he co-starred with Michael Biehn.

After playing a small part in Spike Lee’s semi-biographical film Crooklyn in 1994, Woodbine landed a featured role in Doug McHenry’s romantic drama film Jason’s Lyric as the title role’s bad brother Joshua, who obviously bound for a violent end, dealing drugs for short-term cash and joining a gang plotting a bank robbery. In the following year, he secured breakthrough screen roles in writer/director Mario Van Peebles’ semi-historic film about the origins of The Black Panther Party of Self-Defense, Panther, portraying a Panther member named Tyrone, and in the Hughes Brothers’ fact-based action/thriller film Dead Presidents, as Cleon, a religious yet deadly staff sergeant.

Woodbine subsequently co-starred with Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland and Brooke Shields in writer/director Matthew Bright’s dark comedy-thriller film Freeway in 1996, a modern riff on the Little Red Riding Hood story, and was cast alongside Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris for Michael Bay’s blockbuster action movie The Rock, as Gunnery Sergeant Crisp. That same year, he also appeared in the Tupac Shakur’s music video “I Ain’t Mad Atcha”. He has appeared in many other music videos including TLC’s video “Waterfalls”, Wu-Tang Clan “Gravel Pit”, “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)”, “Careful (Click, Click)” and in RZA’s “Chi Kung”, Busta Rhymes video “Light Yo Ass On Fire”, Eazy-E video, “Just Tah Let U Know”, and Jadakiss video “Time’s Up”.

Most recently Woodbine has completed his upcoming film, The Fifth Commandment, an action/adventure by director Jesse V. Johnson, and The Poker House, a drama directed by Lori Petty. He is currently filming writer/director Jake Torem’s Letting Go and writer/director/actor Sticky Fingaz’s Caught on Tape, along with Vivica A. Fox and Cedric the Entertainer. His 2010 films are Exodus of Charlie Wright, with Aidan Quinn and Andy Garcia, Little Murder, with Josh Lucas and Terrence Howard, Letting Go, and the supernatural thriller Devil. He has also appeared as an officer on Southland in 2011.

Read more about Bokeem at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeem_Woodbine

Robert Rainford

Celebrity Chef Robert Rainford is a Canadian chef, author and television host of shows that have aired on stations including Food Network Canada, Discovery Home in the United States and Asian Food Channel throughout Asia. Robert was the host of the wildly popular Food Network TV show, License to Grill (which aired in Canada, the USA, Australia, Africa and Asia).

Born in the parish of Saint Andrew, Jamaica on November 30, 1966, Chef Robert Rainford moved to Canada with his family when he was only three years old. In 1994, he enrolled in culinary school at George Brown College and began a professional career shortly thereafter in which he honed his skills at some of the City of Toronto’s finest restaurants.

Although Robert is a classically trained chef, he is best known as a connoisseur of the grill and for the unveiling of his signature “Rainford Method” unveiled in his new book “Rob Rainford’s Born to Grill” which takes grilling to a whole new level with over 100 recipes and 20 complete menus, all designed for your backyard barbeque.
For Rob, grilling is about entertaining. It’s about spending time with friends and family and sharing precious moments together. This sentiment is captured in the “Rainford Method” and is evident whether he’s cooking on television, on stage in front of hundreds of people, or at home on the backyard patio.

Lyzabeth Lopez

Lyzabeth Lopez is a health and fitness guru. She owns fitness franchise called The Hourglass Workout, which is designed for women to build round firm glutes, lean toned arms and legs, a narrow fit waistline while eating holistically for a sexy figure . She is a certified personal trainer, aerobics & gymnastics instructor, professional dancer, and cheerleader and a role model and celebrity in the world of fitness.

Lyzabeth has over 100 certifications in fitness completing education in kinesiology, health science, holistic nutrition, personal training, advanced pilates, sport kettle bell, and Olympics lifts to name a few. With numerous editorials, features and covers in fitness magazines and television, Lyzabeth has a large following of fitness enthusiasts dedicated to learning how to get fit with her. She has trained over 3000 athletes and also trains a large number of celebrities, models and actors. Lyzabeth is also a PRO Fitness Competitor turned judge and athlete trainer. She has established herself as one of the top trainers in Fitness Competition Stage Preparation. In addition to that she is known world-wide for her signature strut and works with fitness and runway models to help them create one too.

Lyzabeth believes in inspiring women to love their bodies and curves. As a teenager developing into a woman, Lyzabeth hated her curves and thighs and almost died from eating disorders. She’s learned so much through her own experience and now she shares her wealth of knowledge with woman on how to get a healthy, fit body while eating real food. Her has a “no diet” philosophy which means no counting calories and no diet foods. As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Lyzabeth teaches her clients how to decrease sugar cravings, bloating stomachs and feel better by learning to eat. With a passion for nutrition and fitness, online training programs and in-person programs, Lyzabeth has has transformed lives worldwide.

Check out Lyzabeth’s workout at www.hourglassworkout.com

Check out more about Lyzabeth at www.LyzabethLopez.com

Vita Chambers

Vita was born in Vancouver, B.C and was raised in Barbados. She began her career at age 16 when she was signed by Universal Motown after posting her own songs on Myspace. Vita’s first major performance was with the opening act at the 2009 Thanksgiving Day NFL half-time show featuring a Motown review, where she singing “Heat Wave.”

Vita’s first single, “Young Money,” was released in March 2010 along with her EP, “The Get Go.” The same year, Vita toured with Justin Bieber as one of his opening acts on the My World tour, and performed at Lilith Fair, Bamboozle Road Show and PopCon. She also toured with Forever The Sickest Kids and sang with Estelle at the 2010 Soul Train Awards in Atlanta.

Vita moved to Universal Republic in late 2011 after the re-organization of Universal Motown, while still being signed to her production company SRP.

Vita is currently writing and co-producing her first full-length album. She released the album’s first single, “Fix You”, on December 18, 2012, in Canada. “Fix You” was nominated for the Best Dance Record for the 2013 Juno Awards, and within one month entered the Top 40 Pop Chart in Canada. The single went gold in Canada within 3 months. Vita was named “Artist of the Month” by Virgin and Bell Media for May 2013, and was listed as the #4 Emerging Artist on Canadian Billboard. In September of 2013, Vita was voted TeenFav’s Pop Artist of the Year.

Vita’s newest single called “What If” is out now. “What If” shares a powerful message about falling in love and promotes Vita’s support of equality for all people.

Read more about Vita at www.vitachambers.com