Little Brother and Kardinal Offishall headline the 10th annual Toronto Urban Music Festival (TUMF), September 1st and 2nd

Festival also features the return of the Toronto Urban Film Festival, in conjunction with the National Film Board (NFB), and an urban dance competition

Press Release
September 1, 2006

Toronto, ON - Celebrating ten years of showcasing the best in urban music and lifestyle, this year’s Toronto Urban Music Festival (TUMF) takes place September 1st and 2nd at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Bandshell. The festival offers Torontonians two days jam packed full of free urban goodness, including performances by hip-hop’s much-loved and revered Little Brother and Kardinal Offishall, as well as the three-day Toronto Urban Film Festival and an urban dance competition.

On Friday, September 1st, TUMF will present an evening dedicated to urban dance, a showcase and competition featuring some of the city’s finest dance crews and solo performers. Hosted by Flow 93.5’s Trixx and DJ P-Plus (The Real Frequency Show), the competition will be judged in the following four categories: 1) Breakdance 2) Hip Hop dance 3) Pop it & lock it solo dance 4) Dancehall Guest judges Luther Brown, Jay Blaze, Mark Samuels and Jedi will determine the winners in each category, based on crowd participation.

TUMF climaxes on the evening of Saturday, September 2nd, as the soul-laden, socially aware everyman raps of North Carolina’s Little Brother (rappers Phonte and Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder) take the stage. Little Brother’s controversial sophomore album The Minstrel Show was released in 2005 on Atlantic/ABB Records to rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Little Brother’s main concerns are diversifying the face of Southern rap and sharpening hip-hop’s dull creative edges.

Saturday night will also feature a special tribute to legendary beatmaker Jay Dilla, from the unofficial hip hop ambassador of Toronto, Kardinal Offishall, and Detroit-Toronto transplants Frank and Dank. Also set to rock the stage at the Bandshell are up-and-coming Edmontonian R & B singer Jeff Hendrick, and some of the best homegrown hip-hop our country has to offer, courtesy of Headnodz featuring King Reign, Mathematik, Citizen Kane, Dub Ill, Zaki and more.

In addition to TUMF’s incredible line-up of urban music and dance, the Toronto Urban Film Festival returns this year. In collaboration with the National Film Board (NFB), the film fest will screen the best in urban cinema at the NFB Cinema, 150 John Street, at the corner of John and Richmond, September 1st through 3rd, from 7-11 p.m. each night. TUMF is also introducing a five-day urban documentary workshop, targeted towards youth aged 16 to 20, in which teens will have the opportunity to plan, shoot and edit a short documentary surrounding the theme of urban culture and music.

Presented by WORD Magazine, TUMF is Canada’s largest urban music festival. Its organizers are excited to continue raising the bar in 2006, in the tradition of showcasing the best in urban music and lifestyle in Toronto, in Canada and internationally.

PSponsors of TUMF 2006 include MuchVibe, MuchMusic, Flow 93.5, Word Magazine and eye Weekly.

Toronto Urban Music Festival Incorporated is a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing the best in Canadian and international urban music and multidisciplinary talent in a festival setting. Visit www.tumf.net for more information.

WORD Magazine, the soul of urban culture, is now in its fourteenth year of publication and is available free of charge in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Southern Ontario, North-eastern U.S. and other select cities. Visit www.wordmag.com for more information.

For more information please contact Phil Vassell, 905.799.1630 ext. 29 or phil (at) wordmag (dot) com.