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New Docuseries 'Sounds Black' Explores Impact of Black Music in Canada

The four-episode series premiering February 1 features Jully Black, Maestro Fresh Wes, Deborah Cox, Fefe Dobson, Kardinal Offishall and more.

Jully Black

Jully Black

Courtesy Photo

A new docuseries is spotlighting the history and influence of Black music in Canada.

Sounds Black premieres on the HISTORY channel on February 1, kicking off Black History Month with a deep dive into Canadian music past and present.


The four-part series is written and directed by TV storyteller Cazhmere Downey — who also directed music videos for The Backstreet Boys and Kardinal Offishall. It features expert voices including R&B queen — and Billboard Canada Impact Award-winner — Jully Black, hip-hop groundbreaker Maestro Fresh Wes, singer and Broadway star Deborah Cox, and many more.

The project is a co-production of Corus Entertainment, Circle Blue Entertainment and Freddie Films. Episode 1 looks at the roots of Black music in Canada, from the Underground Railroad to 1960s Caribbean migration, with contributions from Shad, Director X and Kardinal Offishall.

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Episode 2 takes a look at barriers in the industry and activism that promotes the recognition of Black art, while Episode 3 puts the focus on Black women in Canadian music, like Keshia Chanté, Michie Mee, and Jackie Shane. The conclusion brings things up to date with a look at the current state of Black music in Canada, including the global success of Drake and The Weeknd.

"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,” say Amos Adetuyi of Circle Blue Entertainment and Floyd Kane of Freddie Films.

The docuseries comes on the heels of a report by ADVANCE, Canada's Black music business collective, emphasizing the immense value of Black music. The report highlights that Black musicians continue to face discrimination and systemic roadblocks to success in Canada's music industry.

The series also follows a CBC series called Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music, which is streaming on CBC Gem now.

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Sounds Black premieres Saturday, February 1 with two episodes at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET/PT on The HISTORY Channel and streaming on STACKTV. The remaining episodes air Saturday, February 8 at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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Kneecap Blasts Norwegian Government at Oslo Festival, Accusing It of Funding ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Mo Chara, DJ Provaí and Móglaí Bap of Kneecap performs on the West Holts Stage during during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England.

Music News

Kneecap Blasts Norwegian Government at Oslo Festival, Accusing It of Funding ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians

The Irish rap trio went after the Norwegian government over its investments, which are currently under scrutiny, at Øyafestivalen.

Irish rap group Kneecap – which has drawn a storm of criticism, support, attention and legal action over the past half-year – continued to speak out about the war in Gaza during an afternoon set at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway, on Friday (Aug. 8).

Right before the trio of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí took the stage, an English-language white-text-on-black-background message played on a video screen, accusing the Norwegian government of “enabling” the “genocide” against the Palestinian people via investments held in the county’s sovereign wealth fund (referenced as “oil pension fund” in the message). “Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months,” the band’s message continued. “Free Palestine.” The message was greeted readily by a cheering audience. Most estimates (including those from health officials in the area) place the Palestinian death toll at more than 60,000. That number does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas militants. An estimated 18,500 of those killed were children.

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