Music
Press
Canadian talent is definetly on the rise with artists like Looney Don ready to explode onto the scene. He ripped the stage at our Talentboy launch party with lively roots personality and a smooth hiphop flow. We can't wait to see what's next for him. - Talentboy.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Looney Don is full of surprises. In four short years the Toronto native (by way of Jamaica) has gone from DJ to indie film auteur to up-and-coming MC, with a funk-drenched single (Hometown Love) produced by Patrick "Kidnaps" Stephenson, and a full-length album on the way.
But surprising us is what this 6'5" showman does best. Within five minutes of meeting him, it's obvious Looney Don is no cookie-cutter thug. An award winning guitarist by age 8, a dabbler in piano and drums, a graduate of Trebas Institute's Film & Television program, and a firm believer in "supporting Canadian music," Looney oozes well-rounded charm and intelligence.
Like his music, Looney Don is a mixture of distinctly Canadian influences. His parents were Jamaican-born, and that island's culture made an indelible mark on his identity and music. Looney's father Kenneth Francis was a local reggae musician, playing in bars and clubs around th ecity. Reggae legends like Bob Marley and Jamaican soul singers like Freddy McGregor were the soundtrack to Looney's childhood. But all around him swelled the rising tide of American and European music, disco, funk, pop and the 80s electro sound, house, and hip hop.
Hip hop changed everything. After watching his brother Tiger Stitch make a name for himself with the original Finch Crew, Looney decided to start his own sound crew, and began DJing parties, clubs and competitions around the city. He was a hit, and his signature blend of reggae and westcoast hip hop vibes would lay the foundation for his own musical style.
Still, creatively restless. He worked at a series of jobs during the day and continued to DJ at night until, in 1997, he decided his best means of creative expression might be through film, and enrolled in the film & television program at Trebas Institute.
While at Trebas Looney made araft of valuable contacts and began working both on and off camera in Toronto's burgeoning film industry. In 2000 he produced his first short film, C.Y.A. (Cover Your Ass), and shortly after won a chance to produce his first independent feature, The Puzzle.
It was during pre-production on, The Puzzle, that Looney came full-circle back to his roots as a musician and showman. Stuck for a song for the movie's soundtrack, someone suggested Looney go into the studio and record it himself. In true Looney Don style, that's exactly what he did, and it quickly became apparent to everyone there: the boy could flow. Like a plot twist in a hollywood movie, Looney began to write and record more tracks, and within two years he was performing his own brand of reggae-influenced hip hop across Toronto at events like Flow 93.5's 1st ever Soul Search and Rukus Entertainments's T.O.'s Phynest Showcase.
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