OT Rising: CBC Ottawa and SHIFTER collaborate on 4-part digital series
All episodes now available on the CBC Ottawa Community Instagram
Despite the toll COVID-19 has taken on the music industry worldwide, there's been a lot of momentum in Ottawa's hip-hop and R&B scene in 2020. To those in the know, there's a resounding feeling that Ottawa is on the verge of major commercial recognition and that the Nation's Capital may very well be Canada's next hip-hop and R&B hotbed outside of Toronto.
This is why SHIFTER Magazine and CBC Ottawa are coming together for a digital collaboration called OT Rising featuring four artists who are making a name for themselves in Ottawa, or as it's known in the hip-hop and R&B community, "OT."
- Being Black in Canada: Highlights the stories and experiences of Black Canadians
- CBC Music's Beyond the 6 series, highlighting hip-hop scenes outside of Toronto
The artists include Orleans native and former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Ottawa Redblack, Hueso, known for his unique sound that blurs the lines between R&B and hip hop. We also have the former poet Lia Kloud with her dark, edgy sound and Nigerian artist Asuquomo with his African-hip-hop fusion sound. And then there's City Fidelia, one of the leading artists in the city in recent years. Together, these four artists represent the diversity of Ottawa's hip-hop scene, at the same time proving that OT is definitely on the rise.
Description written by Kevin Bourne, editor of SHIFTER Magazine, with minor edits for length and clarity.
Watch the trailer
OT Rising is a digital series produced in collaboration with SHIFTER Magazine, a Black and urban culture magazine based in Ottawa. Follow CBC Ottawa's Community Instagram to watch all four episodes. If you missed the OT Rising Instagram Live with All In A Day host Alan Neal, Kevin Bourne of SHIFTER Magazine and featured artists from the series, click here to watch it now on IGTV.
