The
Four-Part Limited Series Traces the Origins and
Impact of Black Music in Canada
Featured Contributors Include Jully
Black, Keshia Chanté, Deborah Cox, Fefe
Dobson, Kardinal Offishall, Maestro Fresh
Wes, and More
Photography is available here
TORONTO,
Jan. 30,
2025 /CNW/ - The new Canadian-original
documentary series Sounds
Black (4x60) from Corus Entertainment examines
the origins and impact of Black Music in Canada. Directed by
award-winning filmmaker Cazhhmere Downey, with
contributions from Canadian music luminaries, the four episodes
take viewers on a journey through Black Canadian music's tangled
diasporic roots and its road to international dominance.
Sounds Black premieres
Saturday, February
1 with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
ET/PT on The HISTORY Channel and
streaming on STACKTV. The remaining two parts air
Saturday, February 8
at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET/PT.
"Corus Entertainment is pleased to spotlight this important history
and storytelling," said Rachel
Nelson, Vice President of Original Programming and Head
of Corus Studios. "In conjunction with our talented production
partners at Circle Blue Entertainment and Freddie Films, we're
proud to present Sounds Black to our Canadian audiences
which highlights the origins, rich history and impact of Black
Music in our country."
Sounds Black features expert
voices including Jully
Black, Keshia Chanté, Deborah Cox, Fefe
Dobson, Kardinal Offishall, Maestro Fresh
Wes, and more. Throughout the documentary the
series examines the history and influence of Black music in
Canada, the systemic barriers that
Black artists face, the journey and impact of Black women in the
industry, and the current state of the industry
with home-grown superstars like Deborah Cox, The Weeknd and Drake.
"We are proud to present Sounds Black, a
series that amplifies the groundbreaking impact and contributions
of Black artists in Canada. This
project is a celebration of resilience, innovation, and culture.
Through our documentary we hope to inspire future generations and
ensure that the rich history of Black music in Canada is recognized and celebrated," said
Amos Adetuyi, Founder & CEO,
Circle Blue Entertainment and Floyd
Kane, Founder & CEO, Freddie
Films.
The four-part series Sounds Black includes:
Episode 1: The Seeds
Highlighting the
roots of Black music in Canada;
from the early Black settlers of the Underground Railroad to the
1960s Caribbean migration which
introduced new music to Canada
that still influences the industry today.
- Guest Contributors: John
Bronski, Big C, Ghetto Concept, Jarvis Church, Baby Blue Sound Crew, Crack of
Dawn, Fefe Dobson, In Essence, MC J
& Cool G, Dalton Higgins, JRDN,
Infinite, Jesse Jones (estate of
Denise Jones), DJ Mastermind,
Michie Mee, Kardinal Offishall, RT,
SATE, Shad, Director X.
Episode 2: Pay Me
Examining the systemic barriers that Black artists face in the
radio and music label industry and the pivotal moments and historic
protests that shaped the current landscape of the music
industry.
- Guest Contributors: Ivan Berry,
John Bronski, Big C, Choclair,
Deborah Cox, In Essence, Farley
Flex, Dalton Higgins, DJ Mastermind,
Ron Nelson, Kardinal Offishall,
Rascalz, Shad, Master T, Dream Warriors, Maestro Fresh Wes,
Director X
Episode 3: Women of The Music
Exploring
the journey of Black women in Canadian music, their ongoing fight
for recognition and opportunity, and celebrating their significant
achievement garnered despite racism, sexism and limited industry
support.
- Guest Contributors: Salome Bey, Jully Black, Divine Brown, Keshia Chanté,
Deborah Cox, Fefe Dobson, Dalton
Higgins, Michie Mee, SATE,
Jackie Shane, Liberty Silver, and Portia White.
Episode 4: The Takeover
Examining the current state of Black Music in
Canada, the impact of losing
Canada's first Black radio station
FLOW 93.5 and the impact of The Remix Project, a cultural hub which
nurtures artists from marginalized communities. Then, discussing
the power of the internet which has allowed artists, like Drake and
The Weeknd, to bypass industry barriers.
- Guest Contributors: Big C, Keshia Chanté, Dalton Higgins, Adria
Kain, Rich Kidd, DJ
Mastermind, Kardinal Offishall, Pressa, Saukrates, Gavin Sheppard, Reeny
Smith, TOBi, Director X
Sounds Black is produced by Circle
Blue Entertainment and Freddie Films for The HISTORY® Channel.
Producers are Amos Adetuyi and
Floyd Kane, SVP was Michelle Aseltine, and Associate
Producer/Executive in Charge of Production is Caroline Kan-Hai. For The HISTORY® Channel,
Susan Alexander was the Executive in
Charge of Production, Lynne Carter
is the Director of Original Programming, and Rachel Nelson is VP of Original Programming and
Head of Corus Studios.
The HISTORY® Channel is a Corus
Entertainment Network.
About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc.
(TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops
and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for
audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the
company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 30 specialty
television services, 37 radio stations, 15 conventional television
stations, digital and streaming platforms, and social digital
agency and media services. Corus' roster of premium brands includes
Global Television, W Network, Flavour Network, Home Network, The
HISTORY® Channel, Showcase, Slice, Adult Swim, National Geographic
and Global News, along with streaming platforms STACKTV, TELETOON+,
the Global TV App and Curiouscast. Corus is also an
internationally-renowned content creator, producer and distributor
as well as the domestic advertising representative and an original
content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount Company. For more
information visit www.corusent.com.
About STACKTV
STACKTV is Corus Entertainment's premium multi-channel television
streaming service that offers thousands of hours of exclusive hit
content from 16 of Canada's top TV
networks, all on one platform. Stream series, movies and
specials from Global Television, Flavour Network and Home Network,
W Network, The HISTORY® Channel, Adult Swim, Slice, Showcase,
National Geographic, Lifetime, Cartoon Network, Treehouse, YTV,
Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior, with new content added
daily. STACKTV is available via Amazon Prime Video Channels, Bell
Fibe TV app, Fubo, Rogers Xfinity TV and Rogers Xfinity
Streaming. For more information, visit
stacktv.ca.
About Circle Blue Entertainment:
Established in 2011 by
award-winning producer Amos
Adetuyi (a PGA and International Emmy Academy of
Television member), Circle Blue Entertainment (CBE), based
in Toronto, produces content
across a range of genres for numerous production partners and
buyers, including Amazon, FOX, Harlequin, BET, Hallmark, Bounce,
CBC, CRAVE, eONE, HULU, Netflix, Paramount, PrimeVideo, TSN and
WBN.
Circle Blue has produced: the legal drama DIGGSTOWN, starring
Vinessa Antoine (GENERAL HOSPITAL),
sold to FOX and BET; internationally awarded medical drama JOZI H
(CBC/SABC); the Halifax-based
serial NORTH/SOUTH (CBC); 100+ episodes of the Gemini Award winning
series SKIN DEEP (SLICE/ Oxygen); and SOUNDS BLACK, a series that
chronicles Canadian black music (CORUS); ORAH, an international
thriller which premiered at TIFF and is repped by CAA; ANGELIQUE'S
ISLE (Level Film/CBC), an Indigenous thriller set in the 1800's;
BEAT THE WORLD (Sony Pictures/ Wild Bunch/eOne), the first dance
movie to blend hip-hop and parkour; ACROSS THE LINE, starring
Stephan James (RACE, SELMA, HOME
AGAIN), directed by the renowned music video director, "Director
X"; JEAN OF THE JONESES, starring Taylour
Paige and Sherri Sheppard,
which premiered at TIFF; THE BOATHOUSE, a psychological thriller,
directed by Hannah Cheeseman; and
family drama, HIGH CHICAGO (eOne),
starring Colin Salmon.
About Freddie Films:
Freddie Films Inc. creates, develops, writes and produces one-hour
dramas, theatrical feature films, and documentaries. It was founded
in 2010 by entertainment lawyer Floyd
Kane. Floyd transitioned into writing with his creation of
the half-hour CBC drama "North/South." Since that time, Floyd has
written for a range of series, including "Continuum," "Slasher" and
"Backstage" as well as producing with Freddi Films several feature
films, including the award-winning, "Across the Line," "Shake Hands
with the Devil," "The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw," and "Boathouse". Freddie Films
is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for the CBC
drama DIGGSTOWN. Most recently, we produced feature films, "Orah"
and "Cafe Daughter," the docu-series SOUNDS BLACK (2025, CORUS) and
the feature documentary, "Rubin Hurricane Carter Forever a
Fighter."
SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.
