Author: Sheldon Barrocks

SHIFTER’s Sheldon Barrocks walks us through Media Pass, an immersive visual art experience in Toronto. Read on to learn more. When two artforms like music and creative photography come together, it usually creates a unique and memorable experience.That’s exactly what took place at Media Pass in the 6ix in November. Media Pass is an in-person and virtual art exhibition that captures some of Toronto’s favourite concerts and festivals. Located at Toronto’s Manifesto office hub, the event was curated by Imani Dominique, the visionary behind several other past art exhibit events in the city. The photography-based exhibit combined the talents of…

Sports writer Sheldon Barrocks breaks down why the new Nike deal with Bronny James makes sense––business-wise and for the culture. I’m here to set the record straight about Bronny’s recent endorsement deal with Nike. It seems there’s still some misunderstanding of how strategic business works in today’s social enterprise market. So let me break it down. Like most sports fans I’m always intrigued to see if the next generation of talent can dominate like their fathers did. In cases like MJ’s sons, the talent gene probably skipped a generation. While on the other hand Kobe and Steph eclipsed their father’s…

K. Forest’s new EP ‘Hyde Out’ provides a familiar dark essence mixed with a fresh delivery. Aside from the names we all know, Toronto continues to be an incubator for other fresh musical talent around the city. And where it might seem hip-hop artists get most of notoriety and clout, more and more R&B artists from the 6ix are increasingly making a name for themselves. Enter K. Forest and his new EP, Hyde Out. The Brampton-born artist first broke onto the scene in 2016 with his 11-track album Eyes of Taiga. Since then, the singer/songwriter has released 3 more projects,…

Currently showcasing their Art of Music pieces from some of Toronto’s top artists, The Local Gallery is your destination in Toronto for creative contemporary pop art. Contemporary pop art has been a rising trend and now Toronto has a gallery exclusively for local artists. The Local Gallery is a trendy, eye-catching contemporary art gallery located in the heart of downtown Toronto. It features work from some of the most creative minds in the city. Art lovers from all walks of life will love the pop/street art vibe the gallery offers. There are a variety of art pieces available to view…

The Serge Ibaka track Champion has surpassed 35 million streams on Spotify as he joins the ranks of NBA players transitioning to music. Former NBA champion and Toronto Raptor centre/forward, Serge Ibabka, is stealing the show from his rivals off the court, much like he’s done on it.  If you didn’t know it by now, Ibaka has become a certified Afrobeats artist with his track “Champion” topping 35 million streams on Spotify. The milestone gives Ibaka the title of the ‘Most streamed Spotify track by an active NBA player’, which was previously held by Portland Trailblazer guard Damion ‘Dame DOLLA’…

In case you haven’t noticed, grassroots Canadian Basketball has been making some big moves lately. Our resume over the last 10 years speaks for itself and has made other countries stop and take notice. Here’s just a little reminder of what the Great White North has accomplished since 2010: 2 #1 overall NBA Draft picks (Anthony Bennett 2013; Andrew Wiggins 2014 15 first round NBA Draft picks since 2011, including 9 lottery picks 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year (Andrew Wiggins) 2 top-Ranked North American High School Basketball Player (Andrew Wiggins 2013, R.J. Barrett 2018) In 2017, the U19 Canadian…

The NBA offseason never ever disappoints. Last year before the 2018-19 season, we saw moves like Lebron sign with the Lakers, Paul George slighting the Lakers and choosing to stay with the Thunder, and of course, Masai Ujiri and Raptors infamously shipping fan-favorite Demar DeRozan off to the Spurs in exchange for Kawhi. We all know now how that gamble turned out. Fast forward to this summer and again madness has taken place across the league. After too much inaccurate speculation about Kawhi heading to the Lakers, the 2019 Finals MVP will suit up next season for the L.A. Clippers…

I could easily write about the current state of the Blue Jays franchise and change the title to “WTF is going on?” But let’s stay focused. Not on the fact that our front office signed one of the best young bats in the league to hide their incompetence. Nah, let’s focus on the players who could’ve been used to build a playoff contender. Wait, my bad. Sorry, I keep saying I won’t talk about this cheap blindfolded front office who has no desire to bring a winning culture back to Toronto. The focus should be on this dude. Formally number…

On the eve of the Canada Day long weekend, the Hamilton Ti-Cats continued opening the 2019 CFL season on a roll with a 41-10 win over the Montreal Alouettes. Hamilton’s QB Jeremiah Masoli threw for 417 Yards, completing a mesmerizing 80.6% of his passes. Wide receiver Brandon “Speedy B” Banks had 152 receiving yards and 30 rushing yards with 1 rushing TD. On the other side of the ball, Hamilton’s Simoni Lawrence led the team with 9 tackles, and Ja’Gared Davis blew through Montreal’s Offensive Line with ease for 3 sacks and 7 tackles. Montreal’s offence never clicked throughout the…

The 6ix has been on buzz lately with the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Chip and bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy back home to its Canadian roots. Three days after ‘bored man’ Kawhi and the boys closed out Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Dubs, 2.5 million fans took to the streets of downtown Toronto to celebrate the official victory parade. Fast forward five days later, this past weekend another Toronto team took to the field for the first time this season looking to keep the sports momentum going in the city. The Toronto Argos made their 2019…

This past week the University of Michigan Men’s Basketball program hired Juwan Howard as their next head coach. It was the first step in mending what has been strained relationship between the school and the famed Fab Five team that Howard was a member of. Let’s take a step back. If you’re a sports fan and you’ve never heard of the Fab Five there’s a major gap missing in your sports history data bank. Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson and Howard came together in the 1991 season and became the first-ever freshmen quintet to start a college…

After checking out SneakerCon Toronto last fall, I had the opportunity to stop by and experience this year’s Sole Exchange Canada in the 6ix. Sneakerheads of all ages descended upon the Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre looking to buy, sell and show off their latest footwear to everyone in the room. If you’ve been following streetwear trends in the last 15 years, you’d already know that sneakerhead culture plays a huge part in dictating what’s hot and what’s not in fashion today. The global sneakerhead culture is growing exponentially each year. Nike, Adidas and other sneaker companies continue to flood the…