Vernon Ayiku

2 weeks ago | nowtoronto.com | Vernon Ayiku

It’s been over a year since Kendrick Lamar landed what many consider a career-altering blow to Drake. Now, he’s returned to the heart of the 6ix, for the first time since the beef began, with a two-night run that felt less like a tour stop and more like a statement. “Not Like Us” didn’t just go viral; it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, instantly transforming the song from a diss track into a cookout anthem, club banger, and cultural rallying cry.

3 weeks ago | maharlikanews.com | Vernon Ayiku

At their best, raves strip social interactions down to their most elemental components: music, movement and proximity. They offer permission to let go, move freely and lose yourself without judgment. There’s a raw solidarity in a stranger spraying a cooling mist on you and then fanning you down with a nod and a sincere smile that says, it looked like you needed that. Even if it’s fleeting, the connection is powerful.

Feb 8, 2025 | caledonenterprise.com | Vernon Ayiku

“I didn’t know how to write from a positive space,” Alessia Cara told me during a Zoom call from her downtown Toronto condo, as she discussed her new album, “Love & Hyperbole.”“Songwriters don’t need to vent when they’re happy. A lot of the time, the things that fuel us are not good. So, finding inspiration when you are happy and good is kind of challenging.”Especially when being heartbroken, sad and antsy has been a part of your brand since you were a teenager.

Feb 8, 2025 | ourwindsor.ca | Vernon Ayiku

“I didn’t know how to write from a positive space,” Alessia Cara told me during a Zoom call from her downtown Toronto condo, as she discussed her new album, “Love & Hyperbole.”“Songwriters don’t need to vent when they’re happy. A lot of the time, the things that fuel us are not good. So, finding inspiration when you are happy and good is kind of challenging.”Especially when being heartbroken, sad and antsy has been a part of your brand since you were a teenager.

Nov 7, 2024 | thestar.com | Vernon Ayiku

As a hush descends over Roy Thomson Hall, Mustafa stands stoutly behind a black microphone on a dimly lit stage. His words are like brown bricks, the same colour as the project houses in Regent Park, where he is from — each of them piled on top of the laps of the seated attendees watching him in the dark, round theatre. The silence is thick. And it has been thickening like this for the last half-hour as Mustafa sings and then pauses to convey a profound message after each song.