CBC’s getting ready to do its Hip Hop Summit… my girls Garvia Bailey and Sarah Liss are heavily involved in the project and working very very hard to make sure it’s a great experience. Radio 2 is using its regular “O Canada” feature to um… feature some Canadian hip hop greats like Maestro Fresh Wes. Here’s that piece, which I wrote, voiced and produced.
Going back into Canadian music history has me learning things…for example I had no idea about the highly political artists living in downtown Toronto…how they were experimenting (musically) with artists who immigrated from all over the world.
That tiny fact made it in to this feature I wrote, voiced and produced here – remember the song Rise Up???
I mentioned before I was getting some writing help at CBC Radio. It’s from a man named John Parikhal. He’s a media strategist with over 30 years experience in communications within media and has written books on how radio works.
At Radio 2 I share the task of writing a feature with Mark Wigmore called O Canada. The feature gives listeners some history and insight on top-selling and game-changing songs and bands in Canada.
I voice them all but I’ll be posting the ones I’ve written.
Let me tell you – I find the process of writing these very difficult. I have to think and think about what the real story or the real point of the feature is with each song or artist. And it’s funny, just when I think I ‘get’ what I’m supposed to be doing, John cracks that whip and refocuses me. Plus, I get plenty of encouragement from a woman named Ann MacKeigan – my supervisor and not unlike an aunt who only wants the best for you. I’m grateful to them both.
This one is about an Archie’s song. Can you guess which one?
