Variety is what many of us represent in one way or another. We have different sides to our cultures and at times have a hard time grasping who we are as people. We hold with pride our heritage and our ethnicity and on the other hand admire and respect the new cultures we have adapted to grow custom to.
At Ottawas Caribana the colors, spices and fluorescent costumes which tell us of who we are, detail so much more than that. We have choices and we are confident of our being.

Rochester A.k.a. Juice came though to show the Nations Capital some love. He and Royal Krown Entertainment have been working with each other for some time now and have found a common ground with music. Rochester, a intellectual man who was given his nickname from his dad's bar at the tender age when his rum and cokes where switched quickly for fruit punch, has know the idealistic ways in this market and culture we stand for. He reps Rexdale all day and acknowledges "Blaow", his engineer for teaching him the ropes and discovering the talent we all have heard on the hot single "Pull Up". He was discovered by Flow Search in 2002 and held the tittle as the first time winner. This helped establish himself and later own sign the major deal he believed would bring him the joys of rapping. "Is a stepping stone for hip hop rappers. Being artists is like hurdles in the Olympics, when you jump one there's twenty more to go, is hard to just jump one, but to jump twenty times in a race?, by the last one you are tired, by the time you get to the finish line you did it, but there are always hurdles waiting for you." he proudly states. After the success of his hit single "Do it like we do it," the dream of buying his mother a house and pop bottles of champagne every day came to reality. "I toured and things were good, but revenue started to slow down" states the clever artist. He never felt the pressure and even though he admits to having a little of the big headed symptoms many artists endure, he took matter into his own hands and educated himself in the business. Watching him explain to me how Canada only holds 3% of the music market demographics, lets you know why the formula of "good music is good music" is understood and exercised by this man. The scheming through HMV's CD lineups are irrelevant in a world where the Internet has taken a toll on Itunes and downloads. He took matter to his own hands and started his label Foundation. A label indie from his Maple/Universal deal, they offer graphic design, artist management and video production. He understands the physiological formula the radio has on their consumers and how it can make or break and artist, he knows in listing producer extraordinaire Mellenious, 1/3 of the Juno nominated Tone Mason would help him bring that love for music we have all been craving for. Mellenious, the man that made a beat out of a paper and a needle (ask him) has done 90% of the production on the much anticipated 2009 Coming From The Cold album. Rochester gets love everywhere he goes and encourages up and coming artists from his be-loving Toronto to get out there and explore their waters and take a look at the variety of options the world has to offer.

One variety is that of Point Blank. They arrive to the city of Ottawa to 456 Fashions on a heated day, and head straight to the studio board. With that being said you understand why their music is a projection of who they are and what they stand for. Straight out of Toronto's Regent Park, Imperial, Trouble, Stump, Kidd, RPD Jackalla and Tilt Rock producer Pikihed, know the formula to staying true to who they are. They know what has brought them here and to your TV screen and know how the work they put in has placed them on this map. From 1996's "Retaliation" to their Much Music Video Awards Nominated "Born and Raised in the Ghetto", this groups formula stays consistent with what they stand for. "They say the ghetto breeds crime, poverty, violence and disease but were also trying to show in the video that there is a brighter side," states Trouble. This bright side is seen as they get into details of the tribulations they encounter but have failed to fall for. They stay loyal to Tilt Rock and advise the young up and coming artists to work hard for the respect and notoriety. "Artists have to unite more," they encourage. Their self-title album Point Blank is in stores nationwide and gets to the point they want across. Real music no gimmicks, point blank.

Caribana weekend saw the best of both worlds. Just like what we are within ourselves we all have some of Rochester's Juice in us and some of Point Blank's genuinely honest views. Either or, they are both for the love of Canadian music. The same way you come out in the morning to catch a glimpse of the bright fuchsia feathers, beads and stones in the parading costumes, you come to taste the savor spices of the jerk on the grill, you have the choice and variety of the two worlds that make us who we are and what we stand for. Caribana was a manifestation of being us and something to be proud of. We have to hold it up high, because otherwise these talented artists would not have been blessed to do what they do in the versatile manner they do for us. No matter what your taste is.

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