Latest news with #Boi-1da
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boi-1da Gives Drake Some Love in Acceptance Speech at 2025 Juno Awards
Drake has had a challenging year, due to being widely seen as the loser of a high-profile diss battle with Kendrick Lamar, but he got a strong show of support at the Juno Awards in his native Canada on Sunday (March 30). His friend and frequent collaborator Boi-1da (pronounced Boy Wonder) sang his praises in accepting an International Achievement Award. Drake wasn't present at the ceremony, which was held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. 'I'm extremely humbled by this award and just to be mentioned among the legendary names as well – man I can't even describe it,' the producer (who was born Matthew Jehu Samuels) began. 'I want to have a huge shout-out to my brother Drake, the greatest rapper of all time, the greatest artist of all time and he's from Canada – Drizzy Drake – that's my brother. More from Billboard Tate McRae Sweeps 2025 Juno Awards, But Isn't at the Ceremony to Accept: Full Winners List Morgan Wallen Abruptly Walks Off 'SNL' Stage Before Show's End, Posts Cryptic Message from Airplane Morgan Wallen Returns to 'SNL' With Performances of 'I'm the Problem' & 'Just in Case': Watch 'Listen…Drake, love you bro, we started this together, we did this together, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Drake and all the sacrifices he made, all the doors he kicked down for a lot of people man, so shout-out to Drake. Thank you for life, man, I love that guy.' Born in Kingston, Jamaica, the future producer moved to Canada when he was three and grew up in Toronto. His first production work was at age 18, when he worked on two tracks on a Drake mixtape (Room for Improvement). Boi-1da won his only Grammy to date as the co-writer of Drake's 'God's Plan,' which was voted best rap song. The producer has been nominated for 19 Grammys, including six times for album of the year, for his work on Eminem's Recovery, Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Drake's Views, Kanye West's (now Ye's) Donda and Beyonce's Renaissance. Boi-1da has received two Grammy nods for record of the year, for 'God's Plan' and Rihanna's 'Work' (featuring Drake), and one song of the year nod, also for 'God's Plan.' He has been nominated twice for producer of the year, non-classical. This International Achievement Award was his first Juno Award or nomination. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
CBC
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Boi-1da was a shy kid who shunned the spotlight. Now he's one of hip-hop's biggest producers
Social Sharing For Matthew Samuels — better known as the Grammy-winning Canadian producer Boi-1da — making beats behind the scenes has always been a more enticing prospect than trying to make it as a rapper. In high school, he wasn't particularly outgoing and he definitely didn't want to be in the spotlight, which was something he had to find out the hard way. "All my friends loved to rap and we tried to make a rap group, and unfortunately, I tried to rap myself," he tells Q 's Tom Power with a laugh. "I was terrible. Yeah, I was bad. Trash. Trust me, you don't want to hear me, man." Luckily, Boi-1da had a real talent for producing and a few good friends who encouraged him to step outside of his comfort zone. At 17, he competed in Battle of The Beat Makers, a competition based in Toronto where producers face off onstage. Though he was up against much more seasoned producers, he won the competition three years in a row. WATCH | Boi-1da's full interview with Tom Power: "It was nerve-racking for me because I'd never done anything where I had to be on a stage and all eyes were on me," he says. "But my friends, who are really good friends, forced me to be in it, which was good for me because they kind of pushed me out there…. I started gaining confidence." Now, Boi-1da is known as a bonafide hitmaker who crafts chart-topping beats for the likes of Drake, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem and more. Later this month, he'll be honoured with the International Achievement Award at the Junos. As one of the in-house producers on Drake's OVO label, he and the Toronto rapper go way back. Boi-1da says he first met Drake when he was still primarily known as "the kid from Degrassi." The two hit it off immediately. "The very first day we met, we ended up doing our very first song together called Do What You Do, and it was a local smash," Boi-1da says. "[It was] very exciting because I'd never had a song on the radio before, and that song was probably in high rotation on Canadian radio." WATCH | Official video for God's Plan: Boi-1da went on to produce Drake's first top-10 single, Best I Ever Had, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. As one of Drake's most frequent collaborators, he's worked with the rapper on more than 50 songs, including Controlla and God's Plan (for which he won a Grammy). Boi-1da also executive produced Drake's widely acclaimed 2015 mixtape, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. He credits Drake not only for opening the door for him, but also for other Canadian hip-hop artists and producers. The exposure has also helped him get over his shyness. "It was overwhelming to get all that attention," Boi-1da says. "[But if] you put a shy kid in that situation enough times, they end up adapting to it, which I ended up adapting to being around people, speaking to people and being out…. You overcome it after a while."
CBC
03-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canada Soccer unveils new philanthropic programs, offers details on World Cup tickets
Canada Soccer unveiled two new philanthropic programs Monday, one partnering with Infinity Records and award-winning Canadian producer Boi-1da and the other linking an expanded Canada Red supporters' club program to tickets for Canada's games at the 2026 World Cup. Boi-1da (pronounced Boy Wonder) has been named Canada Soccer's first "national teams music ambassador" and will oversee a program titled "Perfect Pitch" that will produce a World Cup-themed album with proceeds going to the Canada Soccer Foundation to benefit youth soccer programs. The Canada Red supporters' club, meanwhile, is being revamped and enlarged, offering members several tiers to access tickets to Canada's 2026 World Cup matches. Under CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer has looked for ways to increase revenue while attempting to renegotiate an improved deal with Canadian Soccer Business, which looks after marketing and broadcast rights for both Canada Soccer and the Canadian Premier League. Blue turned to donors for help in hiring both Jesse Marsch and Casey Stoney as the men's and women's national team coaches. Canada Red previously offered three tiers, the first free and the other two at a cost of $50 and $150 annually, respectively, with differing levels of access to Canada game tickets and other perks. Canada Soccer says it currently has a little more than 100,000 members in total across the three tiers. The revamped Canada Red offers seven levels, from free to $5,000 annually. Each tier provides access to Canada Soccer's ticketing allotment lottery for World Cup games featuring the Canadian men — the higher the tier, the higher the chances of securing tickets. FIFA traditionally reserves a portion of each World Cup game's tickets for fans from the countries involved. This is Canada's method of distributing them. Canada Soccer also used a Canada Red tiered approach for tickets for Canada's games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Canada Red, the new version of which launches in the spring, "directly supports" the Canada Soccer Foundation, according to Canada Soccer. "By becoming a member of Canada Red, you are directly helping to build a legacy of excellence in soccer," Canada Soccer says on the promotion's website. "Your generosity will directly impact the lives of athletes, coaches, and communities across the country, ensuring that soccer in Canada continues to grow and thrive." "With Canada Red, the more you give, the more exclusive benefits you unlock," it adds. Ticket allotment for Canada's group stage games Canada Soccer's allotment is for tickets to Canada matches only, including each of its three group stage matches. Canada Red members will also be able to request conditional tickets for possible Canada knockout-round games, which will only be issued if Canada advances. Members are not guaranteed tickets. Each of the seven Canada Red tiers will be allotted some 14 per cent of Canada Soccer's ticket pool. But Canada Red members in the top tiers will have the best chance to access tickets as they will have access to the first draw and each subsequent draw afterwards. U.S. Soccer has a similar multi-tiered supporter membership program dubbed Insiders. It has eight tiers ranging from Standard Insider (free) to President Circle (US$10,000 a year) with perks to match. The Canada Red program is separate from FIFA's ticket lottery, which traditionally has been open to all. But in the past, the FIFA ticket draw has been for matches generally rather than specific fixtures. Perfect Pitch will be directed and produced by Boi-1da, whose collaborations have included Drake's "God's Plan" and Rihanna's "Work." Boi-1da was born Matthew Samuels in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in Toronto. Nominated for 19 Grammy Awards, he has also collaborated with Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Cardi B, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran. He is to be honoured with the 2025 Juno International Achievement Award later this month in Vancouver for his contribution to the Canadian and global music scene. "Being able to combine two things that I have a deep passion for, music and Canadian soccer, has always been something that I wanted to do," he said in a statement. "It's an amazing feeling to be able to spearhead an initiative that allows me to create a musical identity for a program that I admire.
CBC
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Boi-1da and Sarah Harmer to be celebrated at 2025 Juno Awards
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced two new names to be honoured at the 2025 Juno Awards: Boi-1da and Sarah Harmer. Grammy-winning Toronto producer Boi-1da will be receiving the International Achievement Award, which recognizes artists "who have attained exemplary success on the world stage," according to CARAS. Boi-1da has been crafting hits for nearly two decades, and produced tracks on Drake's first mixtape, 2006's Room for Improvement. He's since become one of the in-house producers on Drake's OVO label, and executive produced the rapper's acclaimed and Juno-winning 2015 mixtape, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. Boi-1da has also worked with Jay-Z, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj. "Being recognized with the International Achievement Award at the Junos is a huge honour," Boi-1da said via press release. "Canada has always been home, and its music scene shaped me into the producer I am today. To be able to take that foundation and contribute to music on a global scale means everything. I hope this inspires the next generation of Canadian artists and producers to dream big and know that the world is listening." WATCH | The official video for Drake's 'God's Plan,' co-produced by Boi-1da: Juno-winning singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer will receive the Humanitarian Award at the 2025 Junos for "using her voice to engage her audiences and peers in important environmental and human rights issues," according to CARAS. Harmer has long weaved environmental work into her musical legacy, reaching at least as far back as 2005's "Escarpment Blues," a song that kickstarted her years-long fight to protect the Niagara Escarpment, where she grew up. That same year Harmer launched a tour titled I Love the Escarpment, to promote the conservation group Protecting Escarpment Rural Land, which she co-founded. The tour was turned into a concert and documentary film that shares a name with the song. The singer has also been involved with pipeline protests and with community and environmental groups including Students on Ice and Reform Gravel Mining Coalition. WATCH | The video for Sarah Harmer's 'Escarpment Blues': "I truly appreciate this honour. I accept on behalf of all the people who volunteer their time to speak up to protect land, water and the web of life in their communities, and beyond," Harmer said via press release. "Musicians who use their platforms to amplify these struggles give a huge boost to the collective fight. Now more than ever we need to use our powers to build community and respect the natural world that underpins our lives."
