When thinking of the origins of Rock n’ Roll music, many people would quickly associate it with artists such as Elvis Presley and Aerosmith. However, the beginning of rock music as we know it today, can be traced all the way back to the blues and the strong influence of Black culture and musical traditions. 

​The Underground Railroad was an interconnected web of individuals, made up of both African American as well as White people, who offered shelter and aid to slaves that managed to escape from plantations in the South. 

​Music is a form of artistic expression. Unfortunately, music cannot be fully expressed and artists cannot fully express themselves as music censorship varies country by country. Below are examples of artists who altered their performance plans due to certain country’s controversial issues that focus on human rights.

​Jazz, one of the most famous genres of music in the world, originated in the African-American community from New Orleans in the 19th century. However the roots of Jazz date all the way back to colonialism and slavery. Though suffering from brutality and oppression ​at the hands of White supremacy, enslaved Blacks found solace working through songs, religious songs and “field hollers”, which were calls between people working in the fields.

Canada’s hip hop scene is bumpin’.  With stars like Drake and Kardinall Ofishall to show for it, our hip hop artists are gaining visibility and media attention, and rising through the ranks by the dozen.  But it wasn’t always such a smooth road for hip hop artists in Canada.  

Growing up in the Jane and Finch community, Shaili Champ is a GTA based independent hip-hop artist and activist. She wants to create music on topics that are underrepresented in mainstream media and create change. Currently out with Shaili’s most recent two tracks are, “Basmathi”, with over 7,500 streams on Spotify, and her latest release, “Call in Sick”.