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 8at 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."
