Recognizing 16 years of Honey Jam, Phem Phat Productions partnered with the Harbourfront Centre to present Honey Jam: Then & Now. The reunion concert set off the Kuumba Festival, Harbourfront’s celebration of Black history, arts and culture. On the lineUP, Motion joins many of Toronto’s great groundbreaking vocalists, emcees, poets and DJ’s for a nite of tributes to some of their favourite musical artists of all-time. Inspired by icons such as Etta James, Anita Baker, and Lauryn Hill, each performer remixed and revisited some of the most influential tunes of their lives. Motion tributes “Ladies First” (Queen Latifah, Monie Love) a track that influenced a generation of young women & female emcees.

On stage, Motion is joined by Michelle Francis, Nicole Henry, Cynthia Amoah and DJ Mel Boogie. Intro mixed by DJ L’Oqenz.

Hosted by Michee Mee, the Phem Phat reunion show featured Belinda Brady, Kim Davis, Natasha Waterman, Saidah Baba Talibah, Motion, Jully Black, Jemini, Eternia, Tru and surprise guest Tara Chase. Music by DJ Mel Boogie.

For more info on the annual Honey Jam showcase, visit www.PhemPhat.com.

LIVE from Jamaica, the Canadian premier of Better Mus Come reaches Toronto!

Caribbean Tales presents a weekend of film, reasoning & commemoration, celebrating groundbreaking media and media makers in the Caribbean’s Diaspora. The film, directed by Storm Saulter and starring actor/poet Sheldon Shepherd of the renowned dub band Nomaddz, depicts a riveting story of people, politics and rebellion in 1970′s Jamaica. Toronto’s TIFF Lightbox and the Caribbean Tales Youth Film Festival come together to set African History Month off with a gala and awards ceremony recognizing media mogul Denham Jolly, live and interactive interview with TIFF director Cameron Bailey and community screening of Better Mus Come. The Canadian premier of Better Mus Come is hosted by Motion and Dwayne Morgan.

Sponsored by TIFF, Caribbean Tales, 404 Media Group, Up From the Roots & MotionLive.

NO-MADDZ LIVE @ MANIFESTO JAMAICA.

MOTION featured amongst FRESH, BOLD, & SO DEF WOMEN changing the Game!

A multimedia research project  incubated at the Hip-Hop Education Center at NYU, Fresh, Bold, & So Def: Women In Hip-Hop Changing The Game was created to empower and cultivate women in Hip-Hop. It features the motivational stories of emcees, poets, artists, writers, dancers, DJ’s, producers & more from the Hip Hop globe.

The objective is to promote positive images and motivational stories of powerful women in diverse roles and leadership positions within Hip-Hop culture through an educational resource book that can be used in classrooms, libraries, museums, community centers, forums, employment centers, and correctional facilities.

The upcoming book is bought together by visionary editors; producer/archivist Martha Diaz, writer/anthropologist Dr. Irma McClaurin and filmmaker Rachel Raimist, director of the groundbreaking doc Nobody Knows My Name. To preview the book, and pre-order your copy, contact: quasar729@gmail.com

An amazing experience working with director/emcee & artist, Eklipz of Storehouse Media/Crown A Thornz, DP Robby J and graf pioneer ZION to present this new “petit film” GRAF. Blending word, beats & vizuals, we wanted to drop a tight collabo that intertwined our artistic worlds into a multi-level creation.

With words that flowed outta my mind one sunset while riding the train, fused with the beatbox of King RC making music with his mouth, over a a soundscape created in the Kilzone, we took to the TDot & Steel City streets, underpasses, railways and alley ways to capture glimpses of concrete heiros that will most definitely “outlast our past.”

What a thing to know that as GRAF was being conceived, officials in low places were plotting yet another attempt to institute the erasure of this artform from “public” spaces, with the latest “war on graffiti” policy, politics and tricks. Their mono-tones infused a counterpoint to the mood we were creating.

In the final days before its birth, GRAF took on a next level when I awoke one morning after staying up to re-watch the groundbreaking Hip Hop classic Style Wars. That nite, the art, voice & face of KASE2, the single-armed art pioneer featured in the doc, was replaying in my head. By A.M., DJ Son of Soul’s early morning post appeared in my feed, announcing that the proclaimed “King of Style” KASE2 had passed.

Eklipz and I knew. That was the day for GRAF to be born, and shared with the eyez and ears of the soul dwellers who feel, know & live our culture.

BlessUP to Supa 83, Spott Music, IE, Kinky Kreations & Origin for the fresh sounds and vizuals.

And in reMemory of KASE2, and the true midnite writers and concrete scribes, we present :::GRAF.

The King of Style KASE2 & DJ Kay Slay on set in tha Bronx, Style Wars, circa 1983.

A surprise clip found its way into my inBox…A long lost tape from Classic Cassette Rips. Me and DJ Power featured on Capital City’s Hip Hop college radio mainstay “Peaceful Journey.” BiGG Up JWyze of Crown A Thornz for the link:)

Loved being there, and also pairing with Jemeni (bigUP Mark Strong too) for our cameo duo in the Freedom Writer’s new video “For the Change.” Directed by producer BigSproxx, it features an entertaining mix of vintage footage and sharp editing that perfectly punctuate this conceptual vid. A blast from the past, present and future, “For the Change” keeps your eyes moving.

As written on FreedomWritersMusic, “For the Change” is a hard hitting production layered with horns and an infectious bassline, featur[ing] Emcees Tona, Adam Bomb, Progress, Frankie Payne and Theo3 weaving in and out with rapid fire flows that rise in intensity with every line.”

Look out for cameos from Motion, Crown A Thornz, Ty Harper, Jemini, Stolen From Africa, DJ NaNa, Smash Brovaz, Ian Kamau, DeeJay Grouch, Mel Boogie and many more of TDot’s finest!

I think I’m gonna run away and join the circus

he said no way I’m gonna become a wrestler

don’t you wanna live an exciting life she said

will you be able to buy me wrestlers?

how bout a safari? like we go save the animals and stuff?

he said no way so an animal can bite me?

they won’t bite. we’ll help them and stuff? like the elephants

how about the lions?

yeah mon. we’ll talk to them like this  aka um bakama

that’s not a language

yes it is it’s lion language she roars

that’s just foolishness

how do you know

cause I’m a lion.

by motion::moshun2011

Our Hope for Children art installation was featured at this year’s Nuit Blanche in Toronto. The streets were packed to from dusk to the break-a-dawn as T.dot stayed awake all nite long, finding art in the most usual and unusual places. Shining in Yonge Street’s Additionelle store windows, 45 portraits represented the faces and voices of the city, blending words and images into “Poetik Portraits.” The exhibit featured the up close and personal imagery of photographer John Beebe. For two days, we set up a photo booth on the street – one in St. Lawrence Market, and the next in Nathan Phillip Square, and photographed and parlayed with both family and passersby, who came by and represented.

I remixed each person’s words and meditations on their hopes for children into a singular poetik piece; I wanted each phrase to be able to stand on its own, as well as a continuous lyrical poem, with verses and choruses. The words fused with the photos and here we have a collective artistic statement, coming straight from the people.

BiggUp Marie Lauren and the OACAS for the vision, and each person who shared their time, thoughts and words. One Love going out to J-Wyze, Mark Strong, DJ L’oqenz, Tamara Shelly, Brandon Haye, Quentin Vercetty, La Bomba, Koncept King, Tamara Dawitt, Theo 3, Rootz Kizzy, Jo Altillia, Love Jones Sundays and all the people – from kids to elders – whose faces made a beUtifull impact on Yonge St. that nite, amongst the revelry and noise, a silent and powerful statement. You, my people, are hope:) Bless!

WORD/SOUND/IMAGE/POWER hosted by Donisha Pendergast, featuring Keisha Monique, Motion, Kabaka Pyramid, Michie Mee,Charlie Bobus, Five Steez, Ian Kamau, Aquilla Roots, Quentin Vercetty, Sabriyah Simon. Music by DJ L’Oqenz & Tasha Rozez