Down to the Wire

This week we welcome on the faces behind Severe Nature (20:52), one of the most influential clothing brands in Ottawa with an international impact. Creative Director Krstopha Afolabi and Designer Jessilina Wong take us into the creative process behind their next collection, what Severe Nature is really all about, being anti name brand, the importance of having a network of people around you and we trail off into some conversations that go off the rail because your tuned in to The Down to the Wire Podcast. 

Before we get into our sit down with Severe Nature we first go over the news 'Of the Week' style for all our OG listeners. This weeks Backpage News features headlines such as; 'Two Air Force Pilots Suspended After Cockpit Fight' (7:15), A pregnant Texas woman who claimed her unborn baby counts as a passenger in the HOV lane is ticketed again' (10:44), and Cristiano Ronaldo's statue's penis becoming worn out because of so many fans grabbing it' (14:30). Follow us on IG, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel check out our website & read our blogs, be a lot cooler if you did.

Click Here to go to Severe Nature's Website

Episode shot by Ben Telford Visuals

Follow us on IG, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel check out our website & read our blogs, be a lot cooler if you did.

This week we welcome on Gwen Madiba (23:48), a global icon who was the North American Ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Legacy Foundation, Miss Universe in 2017, created the Equal Chance Foundation, started a streetwear brand called Sponsored by God, is travelling back and forth to Europe to support refugees and so much more. We are honoured to have her in studio and dive into her brain to discuss a wide range of topics from navigating fake people, overcoming homelessness, being in service to others, connecting with Michelle Obama and more. Gwen also has an upcoming show and podcast called 'Growing Together' which is releasing soon, keep updated with her socials to see when the first episode drops.

First things first we get into our Backpage News to start the show and breakdown some odd headlines circulating around the world including; 'Woman escapes cuffs in cruiser, shoots deputy with AR-15' (4:41), 'Geico must pay $5.2M to woman who caught STI in man’s insured car' (11:16), and 'Houston woman poisoned on her birthday after touching napkin found on car' (15:50).

Episode shot by Ben Telford Visuals

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We're backstage at Budweiser Stage in Toronto this weekend doing some Big J Journalism at Manifesto Vol.16. This years bill was headlined by Davido and DVSN, while also featuring an amazing line-up of Canadian artists including acts like Planet Giza and Fame Holiday, who highlight todays episode. We sit down with the Montreal trio Planet Giza (18:59) and talk about their EP 'Don't Throw Rocks at the Moon', working as a group and we get the exclusive on an upcoming project. Immediately after we are joined by Mississauga native Fame Holiday (33:24), who recently held a festival in his hometown prior to Manifesto and explains what it is that keeps him grounded.

First things first we got this weeks rotation of Backpage News to kick off the episode, including headlines such as; 'Man Wakes Up in Coffin and Says He Was "Offered as a Human Sacrifice" Against His Will' (4:16), 'California doctor says he caught wife dumping Drano in his lemonade after he rigged kitchen with cameras' (9:23), and 'Heiress Used Fake Psychics to Scam Mom Out of $140 Million in Art, Say Police' (14:39).

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This week we welcome on rising Ottawa Hip Hop/Pop artist TkMN (28:14). He's been making noise in the local music scene, with his single Hardaway gaining hundreds of thousands of streams, including a feature on Spotify's Northern Bars playlist. We tease his upcoming EP 'Popstart Tk' that is dropping this Friday, but you already know the Down to the Wire guys got the mp3 files, so take our word this episode (spoiler it's fire).

Before getting into the interview we of course start things off with our 'Backpage News', discussing odd headlines such as; "Man buys large billboard in Yonge-Dundas Square to trade single cheese string" (9:00), "Confused, jealous wife stabs husband after seeing her younger self in old photos" (13:25) , and "Man busted for possession of too many sharks, meth: police" (20:25). 

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In this episode, the DTTW lads were joined by a new friend, Montreal based comedian Tom Murphy. Throughout the course of the show, we discuss the MTL comedy scene, the cool stuff Tom is doing in the comedy world and of course there's Backpage News stories we keep coming back to.   

Backpage News stories include: 

Quidditch rebrands as 'quadball' and further distances itself from Harry Potter author (7:22), Chess robot grabs and breaks finger of seven-year-old opponent (30:05), Health Canada recalls more than 10M packs of cigarettes for fire hazard concerns (35:39), BMW stopped with 'enough cigarettes to cater entire 1980's darts tournament (45:24), Subway decides customers had too many choices (46:41), Indiana Man claims runnin on all fours like a dog daily has made him 'crazy ripped'(47:56), Astronauts warned not to masturbate in space (58:59)

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This weeks episode features Toronto Raptors in house DJ, 4 Korners. We had to have him stop by  Down to the Wire Studios during Cranium's Showcase in Ottawa to talk about his venture into producing, his expansive career, the Toronto scene and of course the 2019 NBA Championship Raptors season.

Before welcoming on 4Korners we dive into our Backpage News, featuring headlines such as; 'Man steals patrol car, responds to call 'intoxicated'' (5:30), 'This UK cheese rolling race is notoriously dangerous. One man has won it 23 times' (10:18), Ohio attorney indefinitely suspended from Supreme Court for repeatedly driving naked' (15:31).

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This weeks episode features Manifesto Managing Director, Tinesha Richards (22:57). We welcomed her to Down to the Wire Studios during Cranium's Showcase in Ottawa to talk about the Toronto based festival, what they look for in artists, their emphasis on youth and some behind the scenes on running a festival. 

Before that we get into this weeks Backpage News, featuring "Drunk Mayor Crashes Car After Meeting Families of Drunk Driving Victims" (3:11), "Thousands Of 'Penis Fish' Washed Up On A Californian Beach (9:00), And People Loved It", and "Patrons attacked by bird scooter gang in downtown Abilene" (16:23).

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Also follow the show if you haven't already, more on the way!

New show, new look, same hosts.

The first episode of The Down to the Wire Podcast is here and we are joined by Toronto musical pioneer and renowned producer, Rich Kidd. Over the course of an hour we chop it up about his relationships with Drake and Kendrick, his work with the Remix Project and his roll in cultivating the Toronto sound.

But first, in true DTTW fashion, there's some Backpage News stories we're blessing you with. Stay tuned for headlines such as 'Breastfeeding mom fights off eagle to save pet goose' and 'Friends at first Sniff: People drawn to others who smell like them'. 

Go follow the DTTW IG, check out our website, and subscribe to our mfn YouTube man. 

FORMAT

0:00 - Intro

5:38 - News Story 1

10:57 - News Story 2

16:17 - Rich Kidd Interview

21:05 - His Start in Toronto

25:17 - Drake

39:00 - Classified 

46:38 - Mentorship

51:20 - Awards

54:39 - Kendrick & TDE

1:03:16 - Remix Project