music – My Better Life

I Can’t Believe They Took Your Life -Toronto Rapper Houdini 🎩 😭

Published on May 29, 2020September 19, 2021 by mybetterlifecaLeave a comment

𝕄𝕪 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕡 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕀 𝕒𝕞 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕪𝕖𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕡𝕥!

In 2018 I posted a blog on an up and coming Toronto rapper, who since, has gained the love and respect of many a fan … to the tune of nearly 20,000,000 downloads on Spotify ALONE! His first album Hou I Am was pure fire! EVERY SINGLE SONG IS A BANGER!

He was chosen as Apple Music’s Artist of the Month, Hou Woulda Thought, took the #5 spot on Apple Music and was shown a lot of love from major playlists like Northern Bars. He was collabing with the likes of Tory Lanez, Killy and co-signed with Nav, in addition to his regular crew. He modelled for Off-White and they posted it to their Instagram earlier this month. He just launched his latest project, a five-track EP titled underGROUND, in March 2020. He was going places. He was the Don of the underground scene. He was one of the top 20 artists to watch out for in 2020. He was doing it – he was making it, getting out of Toronto – his fan base crossed international borders. Earlier this week, the blog I wrote on Hou was quoted in an article entitled “Houdini Dies at 21: Rapper Shot & Killed in Downtown Toronto” by Heavy.com and it landed traffic back to my interview with Houdini.

I wish I was blowing up for any other reason but this one 😭.

As you well know Houdini (Dimarjio Antonio Jenkins) was shot and killed on May 26, 2020, in an act of brazen gun violence in the Entertainment District of Downtown Toronto. According to police, the suspects were waiting in a parked car for him, before they got out and opened fire on the rapper, who collapsed and later died from injuries.

Hou was back in the city after shooting his latest video in L.A. with Killy and from what I understand was back due to issues renewing his artists Visa and was unable to return to L.A. due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions. His targeted murder has been all over the local and national news. On TV, social media, paper press. There’s no escaping it and I’m still so shook. When I “interviewed” Hou he was living in Toronto. I use the term “interview” lightly … truth is, I knew him. He was dating someone in my family.

** I am not going to comment about gun violence in the city, ‘hood politics … that’s a whole bigger issue in society that I am not prepared to enter at this time. I am commenting about the person that I knew him to be. If you didn’t know him personally, if you’re just reading the dribs and drabs that the media or your privilege allow, I implore you to look deeper – do some research and you’ll quickly see the truer version of who Houdini was … there are posts from ad execs, record labels, restauranteurs, fans, young up and comers for whom he was making a real difference. Watch his interviews online. Look at the man – not just the image or the circumstances. Please do the research before you form an opinion on a life you know nothing about – that’s all I’m asking **

The last message I got from Hou was last July, he wished me a belated happy bday – we share the same – July 23.

What can I say? In the years that I’ve known Dimarjio (I always called him by his legal name), he had an insatiable zest for life, the kid just wanted to LIVE, to make a difference. He was strong in his convictions, strong enough that he denied repeated record deals, choosing to stay in his own lane and have control over his music 🎶I don’t need you all I need is myself, I wasn’t asking nobody for help🎶

“I stand on that, because when you’re signed, people expect way more from you. Like, your numbers got to be up there, you have to make sure you maintain the way you look, maintain just your whole aura. Everything. But when you’re underground, you’re more in control. You’re still kind of in the field and making music, so you could do shit. You could drop a tape and if it flops, no one really cares. But if you’re signed and you drop an album and it flops, that’s a big deal”.

~ INTERVIEW WITH ALEX NINO GHECIU FOR COMPLEX CANADA

He was an enormous talent, was full of love and loved to joke around.

At times he created lyrical genius while sitting at restaurants for breakfast or dinner. Once we were out for breakfast at Cora’s he grabbed a napkin, asked me if I had a pen in my purse and start writing lyrics to a track because something came to him while listening to beats he was sent. Or, the one time we were out for dinner at his fave Italian place in Vancouver and he’d sit there and listen to beats that he was dropped to try and figure out his next big blow up. When I was visiting them in Vancouver, he’d ask me to drop him off at the studio for hours and hours on end, then pick him up on the way back to their house.

The video for Late Nights with Burna Bandz was actually shot in my Land Rover, which I no longer own. I remember, I was so pissed at them because they had it for days to shoot the video and I needed it back so I could get to-from work … they sent me money for an Uber lol – seems like such small potatoes now.

Hou was clear that he had a target on his back. They wouldn’t have his rise – to get out of the city, to be the superstar he was destined to be. The city has hardly been accepting of its up and comers. There’s no need to look any further than the stats on rapper deaths in the city THIS year ALONE! Jealousy breeds hatred. Success breeds hatred. They wanted to take you out Hou. And they did *cry* Crabs in the bucket!

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵’ 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 3𝘳𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵’ 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺.

~ Boosie in an interview with VLADTV

Hou was a natural and was taken from us MUCH TOO SOON! I’m ridiculously sad over this. He did not deserve it. No one does. No one deserves to be stalked, targeted and taken out in the prime of their life/career. Shit Hou, you still had so much to do fam 😭

While the majority of the coverage/social media is largely supportive and is in shock (I just saw a video of his Houligans 🎩 placing flowers and candles down at Blue Jays Way in memoriam) what’s eating me up inside (I’m an empath) is the negative press – the trolls – those who write with such conviction of what they don’t know. As if their presumptions are facts and they spew hate with such conviction. No matter the side of the coin you’re on, we can all agree that no one deserves to be murdered.

And then there’s this POS!

What the hell is this Toronto Sun? We all know you are trash media, but this is flipping sick. Making fun of his death? For headlines? To the great peoples credit, they took to social media to backlash this outrageousness. This shit from The Sun has to stop. For all media outlets and from everyone – violent death is not trivial. I posted my disgust to Instagram it was mentioned in two separate posts. I hope our collective disgust prompts action from The Sun (and since they’re a trash paper, I will not hold my breath).

From: Director X at wwetv_worldwide

“Houdini is a 21 year old rapper from the city who got shot dead the same day as George Floyd, downtown Toronto, beautiful sunny day, a 15 year old kid was also shot, apparently it was a friend of his, and a 27 year old woman that was just a bystander. Toronto is in a crisis of gun violence. There are young people getting shot and dying constantly in this city and a lot of bystanders. So I can understand Toronto Sun being the equivalent of your racist uncle at Thanksgiving. I can understand they don’t that they don’t care about a young rapper getting shot. But, you also don’t care about the innocent people just walking around? You don’t care about that? You don’t care that that could have been your daughter? You don’t care that that could have been your friend? That that could have been you? You don’t care about that either? It’s all a big funny joke to you because the person who did die was a rapper, a 21 year old? You can’t see past your own prejudice to see that a 21 year old kid losing their life as their life is really getting on track, you don’t see the tragedy in that? ….. Toronto Sun, whoever wrote that headline, approved that headline – the staff that works there that saw that headline on the front page and thought it was ok, that is sociopathic. You have an inability to feel compassion for people outside of your circle. It’s a problem. And, I wonder if I’m gonna hear something from the mayor, from the city, from the police … about a newspaper that thinks its ok to crack jokes about the gun violence crisis we have in our city”

I CHOOSE to ignore the haters – cause the haters gonna hate and post nothing but LOVE for Hou …. this is just a small snippet of the thousands and thousands of posts on social media.

Memorial by Houligans outside the Bisha Hotel, Toronto

This is a blog I never wanted to write, and I’m not sure I would have had all that traffic had not been redirected here.

My thoughts and prayers and deepest condolences go out to the entire Jenkins fam: his mom, dad, sisters, brother and rest of the fam for the loss of dadda. To his friends and Houligans — #LLHou

Rest in power Dadda 💔 Love you kid!

concert count: update

Published on December 24, 2018January 8, 2019 by mybetterlifecaLeave a comment

Original post

(Head to the bottom to see the concerts I attended in 2018)

I love MUSIC and to me there’s nothing better than going to a concert. Last year I wrote a blog counting all of my concerts and I wanted to continue that list – so I have updated it here in this blog …

And here they are in no particular order:

Metallica – Exhibition Stadium – Toronto
Faith No More – Exhibition Stadium – Toronto
GNR – Exhibition Stadium – Toronto
U2 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto
Coldplay – Air Canada Centre – Toronto
Default – Kitchener
Grapes of Wrath – Waterloo – Waterloo Park
Alan Jackson – Casino Windsor
Tim McGraw – Casino Rama – Orillia ON
The Killers – T-Mobile Centre – Las Vegas
The Tragically Hip – Stratford Ovation Festival
The Tragically Hip – Kitchener Auditorium – Kitchener
The Tragically Hip – Winnipeg MTS Centre
Danko Jones – Stratford Ovation Festival
Disturbed – Hamilton Coliseum
Theory of a Deadman – Guelph
Elton John – Air Canada Centre Toronto
Billy Joel – Air Canada Centre Toronto
Kenny Rogers – Centre in the Square – Kitchener
Randy Travis – Casino Rama
Simple plan – Stratford
Sum 41 – Stratford
Brett Kissel – Watson Arts Centre – Dauphin
Jordan Macintosh – Watson Arts Centre – Dauphin
Shaggy – Kitchener Auditorium – Kitchener
Justin Bieber – Air Canada Centre Toronto
Big Sean – Air Canada Centre Toronto
The Steve Miller Band – Canada’s Wonderland
Neil Young – ACC – Toronto
John Mayer – Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto
Philip Philips – Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto
Joe Satriani – Canada’s Wonderland – Vaughn
Michael Buble – Budweiser Arena – London
Kid Cudi – Air Canada Centre Toronto
Naturally 7 – Budweiser Arena – London
Sean Kingston – Air Canada Centre Toronto
Dr Hook – Kitchener
Nazareth – Kitchener
Pink Floyd – Exhibition Stadium – Toronto

40. Big Sugar – Kitchener
41. Marianna and the Diamonds – Air Canada Centre Toronto
42. Elton John – Cesar’s Palace – Las Vegas
43. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Casino Rama, Orillia
44. Danny Michel – Kitchener
45. David Wilcox – Kitchener
46. Hawksley Workman – Kitchener
47. U2 – The Joshua Tree Tour – Air Canada Centre – Toronto
48. The Darcy’s – Kitchener

2018:
49. The Killers – Air Canada Centre – Toronto
50. Nelly – Guelph
51. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Kitchener, Centre in the Square
54. Lorde – Air Canada Centre – Toronto
53. Alex Cameron – Air Canada Centre – Toronto
54. Northern Pikes – Downtown Kitchener
55. Platinum Blonde – Downtown Kitchener
56. Nazareth – Maxwell’s Concerts and Events – Waterloo

57. Stone Temple Pilots – Centre in the Square – Kitchener
58. Default – Centre in the Square – Kitchener
59. Weezer – Centre in the Square – Kitchener
60. Pressa, Houdini, Burna Bandz – Hamilton

61. Sam Roberts – Ayr

62. City and Colour

63. The Arkells

Which was the best concert you’ve ever been to? How many of the concerts that I’ve been to have you seen? What’s your fave musician or band?

Namaste

T xo

Exclusive Interview With Up-And-Coming Rapper – Houdini

Published on July 20, 2018September 7, 2021 by mybetterlifeca1 Comment

Today I’m chatting with HOUDINI — a rapper from Toronto, Ontario (aka The 6). I came across his music earlier this year, when I heard his feature on Came to Conquer with Northside Benji. At that time he was still going by the stage name daHoudini. This kid’s got something special, I promise you, he’s gonna blow up big time and that’s why I was so ecstatic when he agreed to let me ask him a few questions.

Hou explained that he started rapping at the age of 15 with is friends in his neighbourhood, he began writing his own music at the same age. In 2015 he recorded his first single Computers and has been building a solid fan base ever since. Hou’s an up and coming Toronto artist who has projects just waiting to be heard.

So without further ado, I introduce …

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to music?

“I’m a young, aspiring artist from the Toronto neighbourhood of Jane and Driftwood, where the culture for music is powerful. Music has always been entertaining for me. I knew a few friends who were making music at the time – that made me realize that this is something I’d like to pursue. I dropped a few of my first songs on SoundCloud and started getting a solid fan base and knew that rapping was gonna be long term for me”.

Who are some of your favourite musicians, and how did they influence you?

“Future, Pressa, Robin Banks and Lil Durk. They all have an autotune melody flow that can turn up a crowd! I always wanted to make music for venues.

Robin Banks is from my neighbourhood so once I saw him blowing up and becoming known, I knew it was possible for me to do the same”.

Speaking of venues, where was your last performance?

“Earlier this month in Halifax, Nova Scotia with Burna Bandz and FB”

If you could choose to work with some of today’s established artists, to elevate your game, with whom would you like to collaborate?

“In no particular order – Lil Wayne, Juvenile and Eminem”.

During your childhood, what was your first memory of hip hop?

“I remember riding in the car with my dad and he was listening to DMX – I remember being tuned into the music because of how rugged it sounded”.

What are your future projects?

“I am currently working on a solo EP called hou.i.am and debut single video called No Hook, which is set to drop soon”.

Out of Curiosity, which other genres of music do you listen to?

“Pop and R&B”

What’s your favourite song of all time?

“Mine, Late Nights – kidding lol – it would have to be Money Man by Addictive because I can feel his pain and where he’s coming from – I can reflect on it”.

Where can other artists reach out to you for colabs?

“I’m happy to colab or feature. I can be reached through my Manager on my social media accounts,

Instagram @houdinimusiic

Twitter @houdatbemusic

email to officialhou@gmail.com”

Which latest songs, videos or mixtape releases are currently available to your fans and where can they be heard or downloaded?

“My latest collab project is out now called NORTHSIDE JANE, which went to #2 on the Hip Hop Rap iTunes Charts in Canada.

My latest videos are Late Nights (Houdini x Burna Bandz), One of Mines (Robin Banks x Burna Bandz x Tallup Twinz x Houdini) and No Favours (Tallup Twinz x Burna Bandz x Houdini)”

As an aside, I like all of the songs on the album but particularly Late Nights – IT’S A BANGER 🔥 which when I last checked 5 minutes ago had 1.2 MILLIONS views on YouTube.

And finally, your chance to shout out…

“First and foremost GOD, my parents and everyone who’ve truly supported me and keep pushing me to be a better person and artist. And a sincere thanks to my followers and fans for their support, all of this is impossible without you”.

So there it is folks — your next up and coming … I promise you, this kid is gonna blow up, mark my word. Within the year, his music will be in the millions.

If you have a chance, check out Northside Jane on iTunes — he’s also on Spotify with currently 44,816 monthly listeners — and for your listening pleasure his music is also on Google Play

Some of the other songs I like are 456 (Tallup Twinz x Burna Bandz x Houdini) and Derozan (Burna Bandz x Houdini x Pressa) 🔥

no dress rehearsal this is our life: the passing of canadian legend – Gord Downie 😭

Published on October 26, 2017January 1, 2018 by mybetterlifeca2 Comments

‘We Are Less As A Country Without Gord Downie In It’ – Prime Minister Trudeau

I had to wait a few days to write this, I just watched the documentary Long Time Running two days ago … so I needed to collect my thoughts and emotions before I got to it.

I want the WORLD to get to know Canada’s musical secret – the man for whom an entire country mourned, for whom our Prime Minister publicly shed tears before caucus on Parliament Hill – a patriot who loved and sang about our great land – Gord Downie.

I am not going to lie – like most people I know and most Canadians across our vast country I cried when I found out Gord had succumbed to his illness on October 17, 2017. He put on such a brave front during the band’s final tour – Man Machine Poem – deciding to thank their fans after having undergone an extensive lobectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. I was on my way to Philadelphia and was listening to Q107 (a Toronto rock station) and the DJ says “Q107 remembers Gord Downie” at the same time my youngest texts me saying “Gord Downie died”. Ugh, say it ain’t so – I mean we all knew it was coming but hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. Most of the way to Philly we listed to their tunes.

“First thing we’d climb a tree and maybe then we’d talk
Or sit silently and listen to our thoughts
With illusions of someday casting a golden light
No dress rehearsal, this is our life” – Ahead By a Century

The first time I heard The Hip I was in grade 11 – someone was playing their Up to Here album. This album produced four singles, “Blow at High Dough”, “New Orleans Is Sinking”, “Boots or Hearts” and “38 Years Old”. It was summer, we loved going to the beach or driving around in the car blaring our Hip tapes (yes tapes, I am that old). That’s what their music means to me – it’s summers by the beach or at the cabin with cold pint belting out Courage or At the Hundredth Meridian. My old Infiniti QX4 was even called Cordy – after their song Cordelia.

I’ve never really understood why they weren’t bigger outside of Canada than they were. But, here at home, in Canada, we got it – we knew they were our greatest treasure – they’re in our DNA – so uniquely Canadian.

They’re my #1 fave band, even in front of U2 and The Killers! I’ve seen them 3 times – At The Ovation Music Festival in Stratford in 2006. The Fully Completely tour in Kitchener in 2015 and in Winnipeg last year during their “farewell’ tour – Man Machine Poem.

I was in complete shock when I found out that he had such a huge choice to make. “What would you prefer: living without being able to speak, or have new memories, but have more time with your family, or should we limit things and ultimately give you less time on Earth, but have higher quality?” He chose a full temporal lobectomy, which gave him a best case scenario of five years of survival.

He knew he had limited time left on this earth and instead of feeling sorry for himself, or spending all of his last minutes on earth with his dear family and friends, he chose to be the voice of our First Nations people and to go on one final tour to say thanks to a nation whose adored them since 1985. I have to be honest, facing the same situation and given the same choice, I’m not sure I would have made the same decision in his shoes. But, as a nation – we’re sure damn glad he did. Not only did he do that – he did an entire solo album called The Secret Path and an accompanying animated film/and graphic novel about the long-suppressed mistreatment of Indigenous children and families by the residential school system here in Canada. About Charlie Wenjack, a 12 year old Anishinaabe boy from the Marten Falls First Nation who died of exposure on October 22, 1966 while escaping from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ont. He was trying to return to the family he was taken from over 600 kms away. This was the final album he released during his lifetime.

Let’s swear that we will
Get with the times,
In a current health to stay
Let’s get friendship right
Get life day-to-day – It’s a Good Life if you Don’t Weaken

The final show in Kingston, Ont was a poignant farewell for the hometown heroes. So many people wanted to thank him that CBC decided to air a live broadcast called “The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration” it drew an average of 4.04 million viewers. I can’t remember another time in history where a concert was aired live – well maybe except Elvis’ Aloha from Hawaii. But, that’s how much The Hip means to us.

Kingston has a pretty small venue and tickets sold out in minutes. I debated heading up to Kingston (about 2 hours away) to join the 20+ thousand other Canadians celebrating outside the Rogers K-Rock Centre. Thousands of venues all across the land aired the concert LIVE (movie theatres, concert halls, pubs, public parks on big screens) and many of us were partying at home signing along. I decided to stay in Toronto and go to the Danforth Music Hall to rock with about 1,500 other Hip fans. It was quite the night – not one that I will soon forget.

I challenged myself to narrow down my top 10 Hip songs – I wasn’t successful – I could only do 15 and even that was tough.

(in no particular order)

Wheat Kings
At the Hundreth Meridian
It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken
Dire Wolf
Long Time Running
Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)
50 Mission Cap
Ahead By a Century
Grace, Too
Scared
Pigeon Camera
Poets
In a World Possessed by the Human Mind
Gift Shop
Bobcaygeon

RIP “Gordy Baby”, we will miss you terribly – but we’ll always have your music.

If you’re at all feeling weepy – don’t listen to the part of the At The Hundredth Meridian where Gord sings “If they bury me some place I don’t want to be, You’ll dig me up and transport me, unceremoniously Away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees Whispers of disease and the acts of enormity And lower me slowly and sadly and properly Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy”

So, I’m curious – what are your top 5 Tragically Hip songs? I’d love to hear (ok 10 if you must) lol.

Namaste

T xo