The Canada Black Music Archives (CBMA) has announced a groundbreaking partnership with CKUT 90.3 FM and the University of Toronto’s Afrosonic Innovation Lab to present The Takeover: Black Music / Black Montreal—a week-long cultural and historical celebration that reclaims the narratives of Black musical contributions in Canada.
Taking place August 21–24, this unprecedented radio takeover will feature nearly 15 hours of original programming broadcast live from the historic McGill Ballroom and CKUT studios. More than just music, The Takeover serves as an act of cultural preservation and documentation, shining a spotlight on the artists, DJs, promoters, and cultural architects who helped define Montreal’s Black and Caribbean Canadian identity.
“This takeover is not just about playing music—it’s about advocacy, memory, and truth,” says Phil Vassell, Executive Director of CBMA. “The stories of Black musicians in Montreal tell us about survival, innovation, and the relentless fight to be heard in a country that often forgets its own cultural architects.”
Throughout the celebration, listeners will experience the sounds and stories that shaped the city’s rich Black music history. Programming will cover the evolution of Montreal’s sonic landscape—from African diasporic jazz traditions and waves of Caribbean migration to groundbreaking innovations in Reggae, Dancehall, Hip-Hop, Kompa, Soca, Afrobeat, and more.
Over seven shows, The Takeover will be broadcast on some of CKUT’s most iconic Black music programs, including:
- Positive Vibes – Thursday August 21, 3–5 PM – Playlist
- Butcher T’s Noontime Cuts – Friday August 22, 12–2 PM – Playlist
- Funky Revolutions – Saturday August 23, 2–4 PM – Playlist
- West Indian Rhythms – Saturday August 23, 3–7 PM – Playlist
- The Magic Roundabout – Sunday August 24, 2–4 PM – Playlist
- Bhum Bhum Tyme – Sundays August 24, 4–6 PM – Playlist
“The most urgent work we can do now is document the polyphonic stories of Montreal’s legendary Black music scenes—beyond jazz, beyond stereotypes—capturing the layered histories of genres and the cultural dialogues that shaped them,” says Professor Mark V. Campbell, founder of the Afrosonic Innovation Lab.
CKUT, long recognized as a hub for Black music and grassroots broadcasting, sees this takeover as a natural extension of its mission. “This project reflects how and why we curate our shows—ultimately producing radio that matters,” says the CKUT Collective.
Known historically as the “Harlem of the North,” Montreal has long been a cultural crossroads, where immigrant sounds from the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America merged with North American jazz resistance traditions. The Takeover acts as both celebration and resistance, reclaiming space for voices too often excluded from Canada’s official music narrative. Listeners will hear exclusive interviews and archival storytelling from cultural pioneers including David Torné, Jah Cutta, Wavy Wanda, Johnny Black, Raymond Laurent, Howard “Stretch” Carr, Sampaloo, Dr. Dorothy Williams, and DJ Andy Williams.
The week kicks off with a free public launch event on Thursday, August 21, from 5 PM to 8 PM at the McGill Ballroom, featuring live performances from Jah Cutta, Juliet “Smurfette” Nelson, Deniston “Sampaloo” Mullings, and a special guest DJ. The night will transport audiences through decades of sound, honoring the legacy of Montreal’s Black music creators.
“This is just the beginning of a deeper dive into Montreal’s impressive Black music history,” adds Vassell. “The city has been a trailblazer in genres like Jazz, Blues, Hip-Hop, Gospel, and Haitian musical forms such as Kompa, Twoubadou, and Bolero. African genres like Afrobeat, Congolese Rumba, Makossa, and Mbalax also thrive here—alongside Latin styles including Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Bachata, and Reggaeton.”
As CBMA continues its mission, The Takeover marks the first of several initiatives to collect and preserve oral histories from Black musicians across Montreal and other Canadian cities. These voices form an essential part of Canada’s cultural fabric, and now, they are finally taking center stage.