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Classic Man

Sheldon Pitt (AKA Solitair) – The One, and Only! A heavyweight in the Hip Hop game!

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I am going to take a completely different spin on this Classic Man. When I interviewed this genius, I didn’t ask him the meaning of his chosen name (Solitair) on purpose. Instead I listened to his story, and did a little research on the word itself.

Producer, artist, songwriter, and studio engineer, Sheldon Pitt (aka, Solitair), is a pioneer, and legend in the world of Hip Hop. His life-long dedication to the arts has taken him to heights that some of us can only dream of. He has been nominated for: two Juno Awards (Best Hip Hop recording, Best R&B recording), MMVA (Best Hip Hop video), and won a UMAC award for Best Hip Hop producer.

He specializes in: music production (Hip Hop/R&B/Pop), song writing and arrangement, recording/mixing and vocal tuning. Somehow he finds the time to manage artists, volunteer, consult, host a radio show (@hashtagvibe105), and run his own program. I missed my first interview appointment with him, and it took a few days to reschedule. When we finally spoke, I learned why it is a privilege to even have a moment of his time. Really and truly, this man is mad busy.

In our interview, Solitair takes me back to his childhood, and as I travelled with him, I saw aspects of his chosen name playing out.

So, there are two different definitions of the word solitaire. The first, a solitaire diamond is a single diamond gemstone that is typically heavier in carat weight. The second, solitaire is a card came that can be played by one person. The game usually involves manipulating a layout of cards, with a goal of sorting them in the best manner to win. The game is regarded as an exercise in patience, and is recognized as a building game.

“I was always into the arts before I even knew the arts were a discipline,” Sheldon tells me. “From since I can remember, I was always into the arts. I was active in school plays and talent shows.” He chuckles. “One of my first plays was a musical, ‘I’ve been working on the railroad.’ I think my mom saw something. She must have or she would not have driven me around to all my extra-curricular activities.”

Sheldon remained very active throughout elementary school, middle school, and right into high school. This is when life became more focused for him. “I started learning about music, and music production. The music process intrigued me; what it took to create a song. Even at this point, I still didn’t consider art as a career path. You know how it is with West Indian parents: school, college or university, and then work. Art is usually not considered a serious career goal.”

Solitaire is a logic-based game, which means it gets your brain moving, keeps your skills sharp
All throughout high school, Sheldon stayed dedicated to perfecting his art. It was here that he met people who would not only inspire him, but also challenge him to take his art to the next level. “ I would definitely say that my first best friend, OJ ( aka, Marvel) peaked my interest in doing more with my skills. He was friends with Kardinal (Offishall), and it was during this time that I learned about the entertainment industry.

I went to Seneca College and got my degree in Audio and Visual Technology. The program included classes in music, film, and television. It was similar to what my focus had been growing up, so my parents were actually okay with my choice of study.” During this time, he was recording music with Marvel, Jully Black, and Kardinal. “We were having fun!” Sheldon explains.

There were a couple of key moments that amplified Sheldon’s career, and during our interview he shared those with me. “Silver Surfer. It was my first song on vinyl. That one was all me: engineering, production. I had some help with the sampling, but it was this song that had other people saying, Sheldon kind of has a knack for this.

By the time I did ‘No doubt,’ I had my own equipment. I had mastered my style and technique. I was maturing in the game. I mixed and promoted it myself. I made a trip to New York, and during those times Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito were the ones to go to, if you wanted your music to be international. They played my record on the college networks. Right after that, we went on a tour to Europe. This was it for me. I could feel the reaction to my music, to my work. Incredible feeling!” 

 “The secret to winning solitaire is to play your aces and twos right away. Don’t leave an empty space if you don’t have a king to put on it.”
After that, Solitair’s career really took off. He began producing songs for the biggest names in Hip Hop, and then Bacardi Slang hit. Now, Solitair was a hit maker, and artists began to flock to him. This laid back, musical genius played all his cards right when it was important, and slowly he transitioned his focus. “Hip Hop is a youth centric culture. It chases the new, upcoming. I am still involved, but I was not going to be travelling. It was time to change things up a bit.”

In 2014, Sheldon and his partners came together to create 4Sound Media studios. They wanted to provide a creative and collaborative atmosphere for both established and emerging artists. It has become a music industry network hub, which creates opportunities to connect with other like-minded artists from the music industry community in Toronto. They service clients from a diverse range of music genres, including: Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, EDM, Alternative, and Acoustic.

“It takes up a lot of time. There are sometimes 70 students that my team and I are responsible for.” Sheldon shares with me

Sheldon is a strong advocate for his community, and works alongside organizations that work with youth. I have been doing mentorship programs in the community for a long time. I was concerned for my community, and its young people. I speak with at risk youth during weekly meetings about becoming responsible citizens, and what it takes to become a success.”


The hardest Solitaire games are: Canfield, Forty Thieves, Scorpion and Spider Four Suits
What I find paradoxical about Sheldon’s choice of projects is how in line he is with them. During our interview, I found out that Sheldon was a Scorpio. Anyone who knows about the Scorpio sign is that they are very loving, patient, and giving, until you cross them, then that is it. There is no coming back.

In 2015, The Forgiveness Project (aka, “The FYou Project”) became a focus for Sheldon.  The FYou Project is a non-profit organization that conducts workshops and discussions at schools, community centres, and in jails around themes of: conflict resolution, self-worth, restorative justice, and the power of forgiveness.

“I am in the jails almost daily conducting workshops with the inmates. I hit on topics like: anger management, restorative justice, mindfulness meditation, even creative writing. At the genesis of this project I was like yeah! Let’s do this.”

I have already gone over my word count, and there is still so much that can be said about this man. It is wonderful to see that a creative who has done it all, is still taking the time to give back, and help pull people up. In this Classic Man, I presented to you a theory of a man. A man, who patiently, and diligently worked on his craft until he was not only, the best, but represented the best.

We salute you Sheldon Pitt. Keep doing the damn thing!

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Classic Man

Coopz – Manifesting the life of his dreams one photo at a time

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BY SELINA MCCALLUM

In the fall of 2022, extremely talented photographer, Bradley Fenton, also known as Coopz, told his brother Brandon that before the end of the year he was going to go on tour with an artist to take photos. The opportunity wasn’t being offered yet, but he was speaking it into existence.

Coopz is a Toronto-based photographer who grew up in Mississauga. He’s shot at music festivals in the states and in Toronto for a few years. Some of the trailblazing international artists he has photos of are: Coi Leray, Burna Boy, A Boogie with a Hoodie, and Shenseea. He has also taken photos of local trailblazers including DJ Rosegold, WondaGurl, Pressa, and Savannah Re. One of the first photos on his Instagram is of the infamous producer, DJ Khaled, which he took in Miami in 2017.

Coopz recalls when he was asked to go on tour in America with Toronto superstars, Leila Dey and Jessie Reyez for the month of November.

“I got invited to shoot the celebrity basketball game that happened in Toronto in October last year. I was doing all the headshots for all the local celebrities that were invited. I saw Leila Dey’s manager. He came up to me, and said he wanted to talk to me after. I was wondering what was going on. And he’s like, yeah, Leila is about to go on tour, and we want you to come with us and be our photographer and videographer.”

The Mississauga photographer couldn’t believe it.

“Same day I called my brother. I’m like, yo! You’ll never believe what just happened. I just got asked to go on tour. So, I was really excited. I was wandering around. It was unbelievable.”

The Mississauga native has been taking photos since he was in grade nine. He also has a sharp business and creative mind.

“I went to a Catholic school; we had civvies day, days where you get to dress up in your actual clothes. I brought a point and shoot camera to school, and I started taking photos with everyone. They loved them and wanted to post on their Facebook — back then there was no Instagram.

For Christmas that year, my parents bought me my first DSLR camera, and ever since then I’ve been shooting with that Canon T3.  I started taking photos every single day for people and started charging them $10. So, I was doing that in grade nine: shooting, making money, and already making a name for myself back in high school.”

Once Coopz was older, he started to do a lot of club photography, which is what helped him master how to use a flash. However, he didn’t want to be seen as just the club photographer.

“I wanted to get out of being a club photographer, because I felt like that hindered me a lot. When people see you as a photographer, in my opinion, I feel like they only want to book you for club stuff. I obviously wanted to branch out and do more things: personal photography and flying, traveling to different cities to shoot people.”

To overcome this, he decided to rebrand himself.

“I started going and shooting more celebrities in LA and Miami, and being like their personal photographer and eventually I started making a name for myself. I started doing hosting’s, so people will come out and party with me. It wouldn’t be me taking photos in the club, it would be me networking and bringing people with me to the club and doing different events. I just built up my own brand and my own name, where it just holds a different type of weight.”

Coopz name definitely holds a different type of weight as he has travelled across America with the incredibly talented and beautiful R&B singer Leila Dey from Toronto, who was opening up for headliner and superstar from Toronto, Jessie Reyez. It is never a dull moment while on tour as the photographer is always working.

“You don’t have to worry about anything else. You have to worry about making sure Leila looks good. With the photos, get her constant photos, constant videos. You just know what your job is. It’s just constant non-stop. It’s just capturing the moments at the right time.”

Coopz also mentioned that being on tour with Jessie’s team felt like being on the road with one big family.

This year, the talented photographer has jumped into real estate and is being mentored by his brother.

“I just got my first property. That is what I’m going to be doing with my brother. He is going to be helping me buy and sell properties. I’m the youngest of four brothers, and all my brothers are heavily business minded people. I always have someone to look up to and ask questions to keep me learning.”

When he’s not learning something new, he’s manifesting the next huge tour he’ll go on. Some of the artists he’d love to go on tour with are Jack Harlow, Kehlani, Lil Baby, Chris Brown, GloRilla, 50 Cent or Ice Spice.

“I love the touring experience, so I’m itching to go back again,” said Coopz.

Coopz also wanted to thank a good friend of his who has helped him for a long time.

“Shout out to DJ Rosegold because she has been helping me for a while, and always bringing me out and connecting me with people too.”

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Classic Man

Michael “Mobbin101” McCrary He is a Man of Business because it is Necessary

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“I know you were always going to be gangsta, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be a smart gangsta.”

This is what he was told at a young age. He had already experienced life in a way that many young African American men from East Palo Alto California had experienced. Known as the murder capital of the world, East Palo Alto California is home to one of the fastest, most irresistible sounds in Hip Hop. Even though he has faced challenges that some of us could not imagine, he has remained diligent, and has even taken it there by making his music known here in Canada.

Entrepreneur and Major Recording Artist Michael “Mobbin101” McCrary has become a shining star in the world of Hip-Hop. His work illuminates a vintage Hip-Hop sound that most new artists never master. He has an innate ability to intrinsically connect to a person’s: desires, passion, and fear and then magically translate these feelings into words that everyone can relate to.

Heavily inspired by: Nipsey Hussle, GCarter1300, Shill Macc, Bunk Ladden, and Shady Nate, you know when he comes up in the spot, he is not to be played with. What some people don’t know is that what makes Mobbin an unconventional Hip-Hop artist is the fact that he is also a professional football player. His hard work and diversified portfolio have made his name one of the hottest in his region.

2021 was “The Year of The Mob!” He released: “Mobbin’ 2.0,” “Diamonds On My Neck,” “Wrist” ft. BounceBack Meek and Nelly Starr, “2PM In Tulum” all turned out to be summer bangers.

He illustrates a grit and finesse that you will only find in the streets, and there was something about his voice and distinctive tone that spoke to me when I listened to his music. His multi-diverse catalogue narrates the intricacies and complexities of hustling, drug dealing, survival, street politics, and of course entrepreneurship. What makes our Classic Man this week epic, is his ability to tell a story, and what a story it is.

Of course, I had to reach out to Mobbin and have him share his storytelling with me.

“Mobbin101; what is that an acronym for,” I inquired?

“Man of Business because it is Necessary,” Mobbin tells me with a smile. “And 101 is the highway we reside off. I want men out there to Mob! Be Men of Business.”

“There is a lot about you online, but I haven’t had a chance to hear your story.”

“Well, I was born in Pensacola Florida. I am Haitian/Italian and Irish! I was raised in the California Bay Area! I was only born in Florida because my mom happened to be there on vacation.

My early life was not easy: when the crack era hit, it was real. Now that was a pandemic. Unfortunately, my mother was a drug addict, and my dad sold drugs. Like any addiction it was a disease, so my grandmother (on my dad’s side) raised me. Till this day I refer to my grandmother as my mom. My mom is still alive, and I love her, but she was not able to care for me. My dad and I come off as siblings, because the same woman raised us, plus I was always with my dad.”

Mobbin told me that his grades were always up to par; doing nothing was not an option in his grandmother’s house. In school he was recognized as an athlete; basketball was his first love, and then football became his love.

“I played football my whole life. I have relatives in the NFL, and the sport has always been very instrumental in my life. If it weren’t for football, I wouldn’t have graduated high school. I didn’t go on to college football right away.

I went to a few high schools and a few junior colleges. I graduated from Ceaser Chavez High School and graduated from West Valley College. I transferred to Withworth University in Spokane. It was a division three college, and also a Christian University. I will tell you this, going there was a complete culture shock for me. It was rural, and I am a city man, but I stuck it out.

I played pro-ball in Budapest, Mexico, and in South Carolina. I had to take a brief respite due to the pandemic, and during that time I started to pay more attention to music. Just like football, music is in the family.

I am a driven individual, and once I say something I am going to do it. People will hold your words and non-action against you. The original plan was to drop five songs and be done with it. Now I am on 25 songs.”

Mobbin 2.0 was a remix to a song written about his friends. Most people know him by his first single, “2 Pm in Tulum.”

“Tulum is the premier destination in the world. I had just landed there, and I was messing around with the beat, and then I finalized the song.”

Mobbin is a young man with a very bright future. I wanted to know what he had planned for 2023.

“I am going back to football, and I am a realest; if I can get one more professional deal, I will be content. The good thing is that going back to football will help with the music. It opens me up to an untapped market, and that way, both of my talents will be recognized.”

I have to say, I am proud of this young man. He has shown that he is more than capable of rising above his struggles and maintaining a positive outlook. He could have given up a long time ago, but he was able to cultivate resilience and perseverance, and this has made him the dynamic force that he has become.

Go ahead young man; you have our support!

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Classic Man

Reverend Dr.Gene Archer – Elevating community through spiritual and holistic education

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BY PAUL JUNOR

As a spiritual leader at the Pilgrim Church of the First Born (PCOFB) for over forty years, Reverend Dr. Gene Archer has committed his life to pastoring his local congregation. He was born on September 14th, 1952, in Jamaica, and after completing his primary and secondary education; he attended the Jamaica Theological Seminary in Kingston. He became a born-again Christian in July 1970 and after his immigration to Canada in the late 1970’s started PCOFB in Toronto in September 1977. The church will be celebrating its 47th anniversary in 2023 in what will be a historic occasion.

Rev. Archer is a Bible teacher and was an instructor at the Mount Olivet Bible Institute and Seminary (MOBIS). His church is a member of COFB Jamaica founded by Dr. Bent. The church celebrated its 87th anniversary in 2022. He is an ex officio member of the executive board of the Church of First Born Jamaica.

Reverend Archer continued his education in Canada, where he attended York University, Tyndale University and did doctoral work at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has spoken at: conferences, seminars, crusades, church anniversaries, church dedications, and varied church related events. He has a passion for teaching biblical trinitarian theology with a focus on Christology.

Rev. Archer’s hobbies include: reading, running, and learning about cellular health. He is interested in educating the community on the benefits of nutritional health. Although not a trained medical doctor, he is an avid reader and student of all aspects of: healthy eating, nutrition, and exercise.

Rev. Archer shares his wisdom on the Place for Wellness broadcast, which can be seen on Golive TV Channel. Golive TV advertises itself as the only multicultural IPTV that brings the community together. Over 2.7 million people have the ability to watch Golive TV, anytime, anywhere. It can be downloaded on the Google App store or you can get it on Google Play.

Rev. Archer discussed several topics which can be seen on Golive TV Channel at https://www.youtube.com on the following dates: August 4th, September 22nd, October 21st, November 4th, November 18th, and December 2nd. In a broadcast for PCOFB titled “Health Update” on May 17th, 2020, he mentioned that, “Your health is not an expense, it’s an investment.” The broadcasts have two functions: dealing with the spiritual and the physical side of the whole person.

In the broadcast titled, “Spiritual Safety,” on August 4th, Rev. Archer mentioned that God has given us the mucosal immune system, as the first line of defence in the body. It is an innate and adaptive (acquired) immune system. He talks about: social, relational and spiritual safety. He states, “What we crave is to be safe in relationships.” It is a place where we have a sense of belonging. It is said that the deep cry of every human heart is a cry for intimate belonging, where we feel safe to be as is.

In the broadcast on September 22nd, titled, “The Body is Sacred,” he states, “True health is not about looking good only on the outside, but treating our bodies with the respect and care that they deserve, so they can function optimally for God’s honour and glory. What we eat, how much we sleep and the quality of it, how we think, how often we exercise all have effects on our body’s overall functionality.”

In the broadcast on November 4th, he emphasized that, “The Place of Wholeness deals with the whole person, spirit, soul, and body.” His holistic approach has empowered his followers to take a look at how they treat the temple that God has given to them.

Over the years, Rev. Archer has promoted PureTrim’s natural health products. For him they are the safest, most effective and best on the market today. The health and wellness company offers wellness shakes, multivitamins and meal replacement bars based on principles of the Mediterranean diet. The 100% Plant-based, Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Dairy-Free products attract clients worldwide.

Dr. Archer hosts free weekly 30-minute health seminars on Zoom dealing with diverse health and related nutrition topics such as: diabetes, hypertension, weight loss, cardiovascular problem, immune health, and cancer.

On Thursday, November 30th, 2022, he did a presentation on using the Synergy Defence to deal with the Immune System. He states, “70% of our immune system is in our gut. Gut health influences: brain health, liver health, hormone health, cardiovascular health, kidney health, and of course, immune system health.”

On Thursday, December 8th, 2022, he presented on dealing with liver detox and health. He states, “Liver disease is on the rise at an alarming rate. Did you know there are over 100 liver diseases caused by a variety of factors? These factors include: viruses, toxins, genetics, alcohol, and unknown causes. Non-alcoholic fatty disease is the most common liver disease in Canada, affecting over seven million people. Liver cancer is now the fastest rising and deadliest forms of cancer in Canada.”

On Thursday, January 19th, 2023, he did a presentation dealing with Cardio-9. He states, “The number one cause of death in North America is cardiovascular disease. It can be avoided, stopped, and reversed. Endothelial Dysfunction mainly causes it. The lining of the arteries is damaged because of a drastic fall off in nitric oxide production along with bad diet and eating habits.”

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