ProfessorD.us - The Dope Poet Society

The phone rings off the hook at THC: The Toronto Hip Hop Cultural Arts Centre, four years in operation in Toronto’s junction neighbourhood. I’m hanging out with Professor D and DJ Spinister of The Dope Poet Society. Spinister ascends from OnCybertron Productions studio downstairs and Professor D has just returned from a studio session with fellow mc, The Red Menace and Jacksoul’s Haydain Neale. Red walls are stocked with records, CD’s & magazines. Our conversation is punctuated by promoters calling to book The Dope Poet Society for concerts, schoolteachers calling to book them for Black History Month, and students looking for co-op work placements or just to hang out.

D & Spin met at C.W. Jeffrey’s high school in Toronto’s notorious Jane & Finch area. Now in their 10th year as hip-hop professionals, they’ve come a long way with their sharp, knowledgeable lyrics & head-nodding beats. They established Justus League Records, built the THC, toured parts of North & South America & the Caribbean, released numerous singles, albums, and music videos, and collaborated with Gill Scott-Heron, Jeru the Damaja, Public Enemy, Brand Nubian, Smiff’n’Weson & Wyclef Jean, to name a few.

The group has always wrestled with the dilemma of signing to a major label. In 1997 they were approached with a lucrative contract which required transformation into a rock-rap group, à la Ragadeath; no surprise, they turned it down. I asked them what it’s like having to handle booking & self-promoting 24/7. The dreadlocked Professor D replies that what it comes down to is “whether you own your masters at the end of the day, and you usually don't if you work for a major label. When we released 9/11 World Trade in 2001, distributors, retailers and even manufacturers were afraid to touch it due to the controversy. But in 2005 the whole political climate is different. We re-released updated versions of those tracks on the new album, ProIntelPro, and this time we had our choice of distributors.”

Their latest project ProIntelPro: Promote Intelligence Program comes with a warning label which reads “Oppressor Advisory – Revolutionary Lyrics”. The lyrics are indeed revolutionary, with introductions on the ProIntelPro title track sampled from Malcolm X and Huey Newton. The album takes its name from a negation of the FBI’s insidious CoIntelPro (Counter Intelligence Program) created to undermine The Black Panther Party, The American Indian Movement and other radical groups; this legacy continues today through the U.S. Patriot Act and the anti-terrorist hysteria used to denounce any progressive forms of activism in the United States. Playing countless benefit concerts and community events, The Dope Poet Society is sometimes unfairly pigeon-holed as merely a “political” group. However, the album is not just mere polemics, as the beats are addictive and well crafted, the lyrics are both first rate and raw, and the customary Dope Poet Society sense of humour is thrown in through cameo appearances by Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.

The group turned down larger distributors and went with Ani DiFranco’s Festival Distribution because they took interest in the radical politics of ProIntelPro and offered the album added attention by virtue of being their only urban artists. The album is now in stores nationally, and the new video for their single “All of Us” will be on air shortly. The Dope Poet Society’s lyrical honesty contrasts with most of today’s commercial hip-hop music. Explaining this, DJ Spinister says that “you'll see some rappers who’s whole image is gangster and their lyrics might suck, but in an interview they're the most articulate, well mannered person in the room. Then you realize that it's all just a big image game."

Aside from being one of Canada’s leading independent hip-hop acts, members of The Dope Poet Society are active in the community in various capacities. The group has conducted DJ & MC workshops at Community Centres, break dance classes at THC, talks & performances in schools; even improv comedy gigs at Second City. Prof. D starred in War: The Musical, & more recently played Billy-Boy, main antagonist in the hip-hop production of A Clockwork Orange, featuring Spinister on the decks, with D performing rap narratives between the scenes of the play. Recently, they have been working with Chilean-Canadian hip-hop artist Bomba (formerly of Woman Ah Run Tings), planning a Latin-American tour and putting together a track with P.O.W. of the Dead Prez family.

This month, they will perform at various events during World Against War Week, March 15-19, including the El Mocambo’s Hip-Hop Artists Against War, & a multi-genre show at Tequila Lounge hosted by CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi. This summer they’ll tour Canada & the US, with future plans to bring Dead Prez to Toronto, do an African tour with Ghanaian rapper Jad-X & reggae artist Kwesi Selassie, and a tour of Palestine & Israel. For more on The Dope Po - Urbanology Magazine 2005

By Sergio Elmir

Never afraid to make targets of American presidents and Canadian prime ministers Dope Poet Society unleashes open warfare with beats that pop like cannon blasts and words that sting like poison arrows against anyone who stands for injustice and intolerance on ProIntelPro. On tracks such as “Bushit” and “9/11 World Trade,” attacks are open and accusations fly against the real terrorists in the world. Check “All of Us,” a multi-lingual track that champions unity as the greatest weapon against oppression or “Amazing” where Professor D unleashes a volley of criticism against MCs not saying anything. Taking influences from the granddaddies of militant hip-hop Public Enemy and KRS-One, Dope Poets Society lead the next charge against ignorance and greed. Combining positive lyrics based on positive social change with driving beats that scream revolution, ProIntelPro flows with militant chants and a touch of sly humour. With fists standing firmly in the air, Professor D, Belladonna and DJ Spinister have crafted a collection of stomping beats and spit-fire lyrics with a DIY ethic that is the soundtrack to your next political rally. - Excliam Magazine 2005

Fo-Real Mag - What's it like being a part of the Canadian hip-hop scene?

DJ Spinster - The Canadian hip-hop scene has its advantages and challenges. The challenge of always being second to American hip-hop and everything else, but there are the advantages of Toronto being a world class city and stuff. It’s like little things ya know. Actually, I find it a bit harder to be truthful, dealing with the very limited cities to tour and do shows.

Professor D - I think it's the double edged sword that Spin is talking about. I think it’s hard to find a Canadian that doesn't like Canada, that's defiantly a good thing about Canada. But as far as the Canadian hip-hop scene, we have allot of talented artists and allot of good people with allot of good potential. Being part of the hip-hop scene in Canada is great, but as far as the hip-hop industry in Canada, we hate it -it sucks because it really doesn't exist, relative to the states, but not even just the states, there's lots of other markets for hip-hop in the world that are allot bigger and that's why its frustrating as a Canadian artist. And any Canadian artist you know that's trying to take their career seriously, weather its in hip-hop or anything else they're facing the difficulty of trying to make a living off something when the marketing potential is limited largely due to the population, and not because Toronto is referred to as a screw-face capital – as in you know, people hate on the local artists, but I don't really think it's that bad, it's just that you don't have the population ratio that you have in other parts of the world. Of course we are one tenth the population of the US, so it’s not surprising that you have to sell one tenths of the units to go gold or platinum, and even if you go gold and sell 50,000 units, you’re not living large at that point.

Fo-Real Mag - Did you find it hard to break out in other countries? You keep saying about the US, have you guys broken out into the US yet?

Professor D - I wouldn't say we've broken out into the US yet. I'd say were most established in Canada as opposed to any other place in the world, but that's the exact step we are taking right now. By breaking out into other countries we've definitely made steps into the US. We sold a bunch of units out there, but allot of people find it difficult to crack the US market, so they go else where to try to get into the US market. That's not really our approach. Our approach is to get a little piece of all these markets, so were actively going after the US market and at the same time as other parts of the world.

DJ Spinster - Although the US market is not too difficult to break into considering the message of the group. Being political and not just Canadian, world wide politics. I find allot of the American artists and citizens agree with the message we try to portray in our songs and we have done colabos with American artists who as well believe in the same message.

Fo-Real Mag - The groups name is Dope Poet Society. Why did you decide to choose that particular name? Any hidden meaning?

Professor D - As you probably know the name’s a play on Dead Poet Society. Allot of hip-hop groups, and allot of different types of groups will tell you that their name is not just one thing and they will come up with a bunch of different meanings. Dope Poet Society is a cool name because it can be interpreted in allot of different ways and used in allot of different ways. Let me make up a meaning right now, because I actually haven't thought about it in a long time and I used to have allot of them. Obviously dope. Allot of people get the impression that it’s associated with drugs, but in hip-hop we use the term dope to refer to getting high off the music, so it doesn't have any drug connotation. Dope Poet Society is really like bringing the art, bringing the science, bringing dope art into the issues of society. We're addressing both the aesthetic components of artistry, as well as the substance that's important in artistry, while at the same time having that balance. That's what D.P.S. means.

Fo-Real Mag - Wasn't the name before Dope Poets, Tres Dope? Who was in that group?

Professor D - Yes it was. Spin wasn't in the group at the same time as MC Air was. He came in when Air left, but essentially it was me, Air and my cousin Paul at the time.

What the deal with MC Air? What is he up to now?

Professor D – I think He’s now an animator. He went to collage and he did animation. He got into doing other types of DJing for a while. He was doing house DJing for some time and then he got out of doing music all together, which is too bad because he was a pretty good MC. He was an emcee as well as a DJ. As I mentioned he moved out of emceeing, got into house DJing and then he went into doing animation. Last time I heard he was designing a video game, so maybe he's going to design a really cool video game about me beating people up or some s*** [laughs].

Fo-R - Fo-Real Magazine 2005

VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR
For hip hop artists The Dope Poet Society - from left, DJ Spinster, BellaDonna, D and Sage - music should challenge and inform. "It's journalism," says D.

Music meant to have a message
Injustice fuels the lyrics of Toronto hip hop group

George Bush, 9/11, Mike Harris topics that inspire action
MURRAY WHYTE
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER

If the name — The Dope Poet Society — leaves you a little baffled, the lyrics should not.
"It's not a war on terrorism/It's a war of terrorism/The old imperialism/You know money is the reason/America is killing for oil/Not for freedom."
Now that they've made themselves perfectly clear, via their recently released single "War of Terrorism," here are the details: The Dope Poet Society, a Toronto hip hop crew producing a fiercely independent and doggedly political record label out of a ramshackle storefront in the Junction district of Dundas St. W., is a little different that most rap groups.
"I wish I could just rhyme about parties and love, you know?" says D, the group's defacto leader and public mouthpiece, his long, unruly dreadlocks tumbling past his shoulders. "I like to have fun. I like to chill out. But that's not what's going on right now. Injustice gets to me, and I feel like I have to stop everything and stop this bullshit that's going on in the world."
This, now, is the point: Since the mid-to-late 1990s, hip hop has blossomed into a $1.6 billion heavyweight that drives the music industry, largely on the popularity of artists flaunting their high life of parties, sex, fame and wealth.
But for the DPS, it's a squandering of the music's visceral power. Since 1995, the group — these days comprised of lead vocalist D, DJ Spinister, BellaDonna and Sage — has been recording and releasing albums on their own label, Justus League Records, attacking anything from the former Tory premier ("F--- Mike Harris") to the emerging surveillance society that allows corporations to keep tabs on people through their buying habits.
Writing, recording — and most importantly, releasing — songs quickly became urgent when the world descended into the swirl of chaos and destruction initiated by 9/11.
The long lag time of album production suddenly seemed glacial. So on Sept. 11, brimming with adrenalin as the World Trade Centers fell, the DPS wrote and recorded "911: World Trade," an urgent, thudding condemnation of American imperialism, and put it on its Web site shortly thereafter. Other songs followed, most recently, "War on Terrorism," a damning admonition of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.
"It's journalism," D says matter-of-factly, kicked back in the airless, black-walled bunker at the back of the Toronto Hip Hop Cultural Arts Centre, the name of the group's Dundas Street storefront. "An issue will come up and bang, we'll put a song out right after the event. That's something that in the past nobody has been able to do."
It's in this tiny, windowless space that the group records all its songs, and packages them for Web release. Stapled to the wall are images of some of the group's heroes, the progenitors of the conscious hip hop movement, such as Public Enemy.
________________________________________
`I think hip hop is one of the most powerful art forms that exists. It is the evolution of revolutionary music'
Dope Poet Society frontman D
________________________________________
And indeed, the notion of rap's ability to act as documentary — a report — is deep in the form's roots. Chuck D of Public Enemy once called rap "the CNN of the streets." In the late '80s, The Dope Poet Society would not have stood out for their deep political convictions. Rappers such as KRS-One, Queen Latifah and Chuck D had raised the anger of street reporting — rap's genesis, enraged, true-to-life accounts of life in the inner city — to political comment. During the first Gulf War, Paris rapped about a Black Power killing of "Bush Killa," George W. Bush's father. "Iraq never called me `nigger,'" he rapped.
But as hip hop culture slowly morphed from one of cultural expression to mainstream commodity, the message changed. Artists for whom empowerment and injustice were rap's priorities were pushed to the fringes and labelled as `conscious' rappers, replaced in the main by glamorizations of the thug life, with its sex, drugs, cars and fame.
Consider a recent blockbuster hit, Nelly's "Hot in Here." An intoxicating, irresistibly compelling beat is the framework for Nelly's message: "It's getting hot in here/So take off all your clothes."
Compare that to a small sample of the DPS's lyrics in "War on Terrorism," which will be released on its album ProIntelPro next month, and the schism crystallizes: "When they commenced, they never showed the horror they caused/Or the total of the lives that are lost/Hundreds of thousands of people dismembered and burned/But with these images the media is never concerned."
The DPS is hardly alone in rejecting the commerciali - Toronto Star 2004

Fo-Real Mag - What's it like being a part of the Canadian hip-hop scene?

DJ Spinster - The Canadian hip-hop scene has its advantages and challenges. The challenge of always being second to American hip-hop and everything else, but there are the advantages of Toronto being a world class city and stuff. It’s like little things ya know. Actually, I find it a bit harder to be truthful, dealing with the very limited cities to tour and do shows.

Professor D - I think it's the double edged sword that Spin is talking about. I think it’s hard to find a Canadian that doesn't like Canada, that's defiantly a good thing about Canada. But as far as the Canadian hip-hop scene, we have allot of talented artists and allot of good people with allot of good potential. Being part of the hip-hop scene in Canada is great, but as far as the hip-hop industry in Canada, we hate it -it sucks because it really doesn't exist, relative to the states, but not even just the states, there's lots of other markets for hip-hop in the world that are allot bigger and that's why its frustrating as a Canadian artist. And any Canadian artist you know that's trying to take their career seriously, weather its in hip-hop or anything else they're facing the difficulty of trying to make a living off something when the marketing potential is limited largely due to the population, and not because Toronto is referred to as a screw-face capital – as in you know, people hate on the local artists, but I don't really think it's that bad, it's just that you don't have the population ratio that you have in other parts of the world. Of course we are one tenth the population of the US, so it’s not surprising that you have to sell one tenths of the units to go gold or platinum, and even if you go gold and sell 50,000 units, you’re not living large at that point.

Fo-Real Mag - Did you find it hard to break out in other countries? You keep saying about the US, have you guys broken out into the US yet?

Professor D - I wouldn't say we've broken out into the US yet. I'd say were most established in Canada as opposed to any other place in the world, but that's the exact step we are taking right now. By breaking out into other countries we've definitely made steps into the US. We sold a bunch of units out there, but allot of people find it difficult to crack the US market, so they go else where to try to get into the US market. That's not really our approach. Our approach is to get a little piece of all these markets, so were actively going after the US market and at the same time as other parts of the world.

DJ Spinster - Although the US market is not too difficult to break into considering the message of the group. Being political and not just Canadian, world wide politics. I find allot of the American artists and citizens agree with the message we try to portray in our songs and we have done colabos with American artists who as well believe in the same message.

Fo-Real Mag - The groups name is Dope Poet Society. Why did you decide to choose that particular name? Any hidden meaning?

Professor D - As you probably know the name’s a play on Dead Poet Society. Allot of hip-hop groups, and allot of different types of groups will tell you that their name is not just one thing and they will come up with a bunch of different meanings. Dope Poet Society is a cool name because it can be interpreted in allot of different ways and used in allot of different ways. Let me make up a meaning right now, because I actually haven't thought about it in a long time and I used to have allot of them. Obviously dope. Allot of people get the impression that it’s associated with drugs, but in hip-hop we use the term dope to refer to getting high off the music, so it doesn't have any drug connotation. Dope Poet Society is really like bringing the art, bringing the science, bringing dope art into the issues of society. We're addressing both the aesthetic components of artistry, as well as the substance that's important in artistry, while at the same time having that balance. That's what D.P.S. means.

Fo-Real Mag - Wasn't the name before Dope Poets, Tres Dope? Who was in that group?

Professor D - Yes it was. Spin wasn't in the group at the same time as MC Air was. He came in when Air left, but essentially it was me, Air and my cousin Paul at the time.

What the deal with MC Air? What is he up to now?

Professor D – I think He’s now an animator. He went to collage and he did animation. He got into doing other types of DJing for a while. He was doing house DJing for some time and then he got out of doing music all together, which is too bad because he was a pretty good MC. He was an emcee as well as a DJ. As I mentioned he moved out of emceeing, got into house DJing and then he went into doing animation. Last time I heard he was designing a video game, so maybe he's going to design a really cool video game about me beating people up or some s*** [laughs].

Fo-R - Fo-Real Magazine 2005

FEATURE
Music and Politics: Dope Poet Society Raps about the Issues
By Vinh Duong

Artists express their messages through what they like to do whether it’s drawing, singing, painting or rapping. These things have a big effect on people and Damon Sajnani recognised this when he was a kid. He wanted to become a rapper when he first heard the Beastie Boys.

Over the years he’s come a long way writing mostly songs relevant to current issues, global problems and subject affecting his life. Damon is currently in a group called “The Dope Poet Society,” attending the University of Toronto, an active community member and already on his way to being a great role model. Because of all the work that he has done along with his youthful energy and talent, I just had to go interview this man and find out more about him.

Catch: Were you as creative as you are now when you were a kid?

D: I think as far as being an artist goes I’ve always been an artist. As a kid the first thing I learned to do was draw and it progressed from that. My first group was called “Très Dope.”

Catch: What do you talk about in your music?

D: I believe all good artist talk about every relevant thing in their life so I talk about relationships, I talk about politics, social issues and global problems. I mean I have love songs, songs that are not love songs and all kinds of stuff. But basically I’m always saying something instead of nothing.

Catch: How influential do you believe music is?

D: You’ll have some sceptics who’ll say, “Oh music doesn’t influence anything” but that’s nonsense. A lot of times people criticise artists that produce negative music, saying to them that their music is making them feel this way or that way. The worst thing the artist can say, which they mostly always say, is “Music can’t make you do anything!” And in the case of younger kids who are easily influenced by popular artists, they always say “It’s really up to the parent.” It’s all on the parent. I think that’s the stupidest thing they can say. The fact is that kids do listen and they take it seriously. S I think when you’re in the spotlight like that you have to watch the things you say. But I’m not saying I disagree with the things negative artists say. People think swearing in songs is so bad but to me it depends. It depends on what context it’s in. Are they hearing it in relevant issues about the black community, in a social context at large or are they hearing it as rhetoric?

Catch: Let’s move on to specifics. I was curious about one of your tracks about our current Premiere. Do you have anything against Mike Harris?

D: I don’t have anything against Harris as a person. I mean if I was to go bowling with him…he might have some fishing skills or something. But in terms of running a province he’s got it in all the wrong ways. I think he’s terrible for the city in so many measurable ways. You really have to listen to my “F**k Mike Harris” song. I address a lot of things in the song but there are still tons of things I couldn’t include.

Catch: What did you talk about and what did you leave out in the song “F**k Mike Harris”?

D: I don’t know how I forgot to mention workfare but I mean there’s millions of things to address. So let’s talk about workfare. Workfare is one of the worse things in the world. A lot of people say “What’s wrong with workfare?” People on welfare aren’t working so the idea is for them to get work so why not make them work for their welfare cheque. But here’s the problem with that. We got something called minimum wage and the purpose of minimum wage is to make sure nobody is working for below subsistence level. The fact is welfare is below subsistence. The media is talking about welfare fraud. I couldn’t care less if people fraud on welfare. In fact I encourage people to fraud on welfare. The reason is because you cannot live on welfare alone. Somebody brought that up to David Tsubouchi who was the Finance Minister I think before he made some stupid comments. He made some comment about tuna cans; “Well according to my budget you have $96 for food per month and that’s more than what you need. You get a can of tuna, some spaghetti” and he actually had a list that he published. It was ridiculous because he had spaghetti on the list but no spaghetti sauce. Sure you can stay alive but subsistence is more than just staying alive. You don’t need welfare to stay alive you can just kill people and take money. But that’s not really the kind of lifestyle we want to have our neighbours living. Also the tuna, he puts in sixty-nine cents for the tuna but he says you can sometimes haggle them down to sixty-cents. Like who the hell do you know that is going to haggle for tuna? It was absurd!

Goofy David Tsubouchi tellin’ you ‘ta haggle for tuna. A big looser, who got bad press that’s trouble, so they had a little cabinet shuffle.

Catch: What do you think Harris is doing to this country?

D: Mike is turning Cana - Catch Da Flava 1999

THE DOPE POET SOCIETY, at Hooch (813 Queen West), Thursday (June 12), midnight. $29/wristband.

With Toronto's sprawling hiphop and R&B scenes still largely seen as insignificant pieces within the mainstream music puzzle, it comes as no surprise that the players themselves have banded together to form musical communities of their own.

Every edge of the city -- from Scarborough to Rexdale to the downtown core -- has its own tight clique, but credit hiphop duo the Dope Poet Society for fostering a legitimate sense of community beyond simply shouting out the borough where they live.

Putting the focus on the lyrical end of the rap music equation, the politically informed duo of super rhymer D and DJ Spinister intersperse the jams on their Dangerous Days debut with answering-machine testimonials from local hiphop notables like Phatt Al and Dan-e-o. More impressive, perhaps, the Dope Poet Society isn't afraid to name names of those who they think could afford to lend a hand to the cause.

"There's no question that Toronto has a tight local scene," D concurs. "We have a song called Organized that is all about building the community. It deals with the way Canada's been held back in black music and talks about the problems with places like MuchMusic.

"There's competition between local rappers, but friendly competition. It has the potential to go the other way. When money gets introduced into the scene it can fuck up that community, but so far no one's been paid."
- Now Magazine 1997

FEATURE
Music and Politics: Dope Poet Society Raps about the Issues
By Vinh Duong

Artists express their messages through what they like to do whether it’s drawing, singing, painting or rapping. These things have a big effect on people and Damon Sajnani recognised this when he was a kid. He wanted to become a rapper when he first heard the Beastie Boys.

Over the years he’s come a long way writing mostly songs relevant to current issues, global problems and subject affecting his life. Damon is currently in a group called “The Dope Poet Society,” attending the University of Toronto, an active community member and already on his way to being a great role model. Because of all the work that he has done along with his youthful energy and talent, I just had to go interview this man and find out more about him.

Catch: Were you as creative as you are now when you were a kid?

D: I think as far as being an artist goes I’ve always been an artist. As a kid the first thing I learned to do was draw and it progressed from that. My first group was called “Très Dope.”

Catch: What do you talk about in your music?

D: I believe all good artist talk about every relevant thing in their life so I talk about relationships, I talk about politics, social issues and global problems. I mean I have love songs, songs that are not love songs and all kinds of stuff. But basically I’m always saying something instead of nothing.

Catch: How influential do you believe music is?

D: You’ll have some sceptics who’ll say, “Oh music doesn’t influence anything” but that’s nonsense. A lot of times people criticise artists that produce negative music, saying to them that their music is making them feel this way or that way. The worst thing the artist can say, which they mostly always say, is “Music can’t make you do anything!” And in the case of younger kids who are easily influenced by popular artists, they always say “It’s really up to the parent.” It’s all on the parent. I think that’s the stupidest thing they can say. The fact is that kids do listen and they take it seriously. S I think when you’re in the spotlight like that you have to watch the things you say. But I’m not saying I disagree with the things negative artists say. People think swearing in songs is so bad but to me it depends. It depends on what context it’s in. Are they hearing it in relevant issues about the black community, in a social context at large or are they hearing it as rhetoric?

Catch: Let’s move on to specifics. I was curious about one of your tracks about our current Premiere. Do you have anything against Mike Harris?

D: I don’t have anything against Harris as a person. I mean if I was to go bowling with him…he might have some fishing skills or something. But in terms of running a province he’s got it in all the wrong ways. I think he’s terrible for the city in so many measurable ways. You really have to listen to my “F**k Mike Harris” song. I address a lot of things in the song but there are still tons of things I couldn’t include.

Catch: What did you talk about and what did you leave out in the song “F**k Mike Harris”?

D: I don’t know how I forgot to mention workfare but I mean there’s millions of things to address. So let’s talk about workfare. Workfare is one of the worse things in the world. A lot of people say “What’s wrong with workfare?” People on welfare aren’t working so the idea is for them to get work so why not make them work for their welfare cheque. But here’s the problem with that. We got something called minimum wage and the purpose of minimum wage is to make sure nobody is working for below subsistence level. The fact is welfare is below subsistence. The media is talking about welfare fraud. I couldn’t care less if people fraud on welfare. In fact I encourage people to fraud on welfare. The reason is because you cannot live on welfare alone. Somebody brought that up to David Tsubouchi who was the Finance Minister I think before he made some stupid comments. He made some comment about tuna cans; “Well according to my budget you have $96 for food per month and that’s more than what you need. You get a can of tuna, some spaghetti” and he actually had a list that he published. It was ridiculous because he had spaghetti on the list but no spaghetti sauce. Sure you can stay alive but subsistence is more than just staying alive. You don’t need welfare to stay alive you can just kill people and take money. But that’s not really the kind of lifestyle we want to have our neighbours living. Also the tuna, he puts in sixty-nine cents for the tuna but he says you can sometimes haggle them down to sixty-cents. Like who the hell do you know that is going to haggle for tuna? It was absurd!

Goofy David Tsubouchi tellin’ you ‘ta haggle for tuna. A big looser, who got bad press that’s trouble, so they had a little cabinet shuffle.

Catch: What do you think Harris is doing to this country?

D: Mike is turning Cana - Catch Da Flava 1999

(Justus League) Rating: NNNN

If Dalton McGuinty or Howard Hampton wanted to really make their point with the youth, they'd adopt the lead cut on this five-song EP as their campaign theme song.

Just in time for today's (Thursday, June 3) election, conscious Toronto hiphop crew the Dope Poet Society take a swipe at el jefe with Fuck Mike Harris, a big-beat stomper that takes issue with deficit obsessions, social service cuts and trickle-down economics. The crew at times sacrifice smooth flow for a direct message, but this is crucial stuff nonetheless. B-sides round out the EP in style, but there's really only one track here, although the title of the radio-friendly mix, Down With Mike Harris, could cause confusion in certain camps.
- Now Magazine 1999

Thursday afternoon, after checking in and hanging out in the stifling heat of downtown Toronto, I headed over to Jeff Healey's concert venue, Healey's, for a six o'clock interview with Professor D from the Dope Poets Society. This "conscious" rap group has been spreadin' their brand of political and pure hip-hop. I sat down with D and started discussing the state of Canadian hip-hop, and the plight of independent hip-hop artists in Canada. He touched upon subjects, from marketing to content, even citing Euphrates and Sans Pression as good models for artists. The interview will be played on CJLO in the near future, but let's just say that this cat is one of the most intelligent and eloquent artist that I have had the privilege of speaking with.

At 9pm, I went back to Healey's with my boy Jo to check out the InDivine Style show, featuring Wordburglar and Introspec amongst others. I stayed for Wordburglar from Hal Town, who is a great witty emcee with a lot to say. His fresh takes on words were very cool, cool enough to make me forget about the heat, MY GOD THE HEAT! After him was Guelph's own, Introspec. He was performing for the first time, and he seemed a little shaky, but with his flow and lyrics, he will be someone to look for in the near future. From there it was over to B-Side to check out the Rhythmicru. These Toronto boys are no strangers to Montreal as they are featured on the ICM Facts of War compilation, contributing the title track. Their high-energy show was great, and even though they were breaking in a new DJ, the show flowed like one would expect from these hip-hop pros. After their set, it was again over to Healey's to catch the Dope Poets Society in performance mode. Professor D let his words out and enraptured the crowd enough to lead them in a chant of "George Bush is a terrorist!" and "Stephen Harper is a terrorist!". Along with special guest, female emcee La Bomba, they left their mark on the crowd. Like true vets, they killed it.

- Tim Rodrigues aka Ruhk-One - CJLO Magazine 2005

(Justus League) Rating: NNNN

If Dalton McGuinty or Howard Hampton wanted to really make their point with the youth, they'd adopt the lead cut on this five-song EP as their campaign theme song.

Just in time for today's (Thursday, June 3) election, conscious Toronto hiphop crew the Dope Poet Society take a swipe at el jefe with Fuck Mike Harris, a big-beat stomper that takes issue with deficit obsessions, social service cuts and trickle-down economics. The crew at times sacrifice smooth flow for a direct message, but this is crucial stuff nonetheless. B-sides round out the EP in style, but there's really only one track here, although the title of the radio-friendly mix, Down With Mike Harris, could cause confusion in certain camps.
- Now Magazine 1999