Kardinal Offishall hosted his 15th annual Christmas Party called Free The City in support of Free The Children on Dec. 27th, and brought a list of his celebrity friends with him. The night was co-hosted by Nelly Furtado and Marc Kielburger, co-founder of We Day and Free The Children.
All the three influencers took to the stage to talk about their experiences in Kenya, and what Free The Children was all about.
The mission of the night was to raise enough money to send 10 inner city kids to go to Kenya and participate in the Free The Children project. The trip would take place in the summer of 2014.
Muzik Nightclub was star–studded with local celebrities, such as Maestro Fresh Wes, Shawn Desman, Stacey McKenzie and the Toronto Argo Cheerleaders, who all came out to show their support.
The world famous DJ Starting From Scratch and Lissa Monet kept the party going strong by providing the amazing music which pushed the night over the top.
I was able to chat with special guest Karl Wolf about what Free The Children means to him and his latest project.
Carla: So, what’s new with Karl Wolf?
Karl: So many things. I’ve got a new album and a new single coming out, all in 2014. I’m working with the biggest producer in the world. I’m not going to say who he is right now, but it’s sounding crazy!
I’m doing more live instruments (on the album) and a lot more R &B. I’m going back to my R&B roots, so it’s going to be pretty sweet.
C: Previously, you would take hits from the 80’s and remake them into bigger hits. Are we going to be hearing a lot of that same stuff?
K: No, it’s all fresh and original on this new album. I wrote and produced the whole thing. Then, I got the (big) producer to play around and mess with it. He had some fun with the music.
C: What are some things you are hoping to accomplish with this new album?
K: Man, you know what, just break down the barriers a little bit. The new album is called “Stereotype” and I’ve been stereotyped because other artists songs and remake them. I want to show the world that I can write and produce my own hits. I mean, I’ve done it before, but people don’t really know that. I’ve had “Yalla Habibi” as number one, and I’ve had “Carrera” as number 10 in the country. Both were original.
So, I’ve had success. But people only stick to the remakes that I’ve made.
C: Okay, well obviously you’ve been super busy working in the studio on this new album, which I’m excited about. But you took the night off to come to Free The City, which is hosted by Kardinal Offishall.
K: Yes, you know, Kardinal Offishall is my boy. I’m part of Free The Children and I’m part of We Day. I’ve also been to Kenya, so I know exactly what these kids are getting and what we are raising money for. 10 inner city kids are going to get a chance to go to Kenya and I think it’s going to change their lives.
I went to Kenya a couple of months back and it was the best experience of my life. It changed me as a person.
C: Can you talk about a specific experience that made you love Kenya so much?
K: The kids. I mean, I sang to them and they sang to me. We connected and we communicated through the music.
C: Music is the universal language.
K: It is! I was born in Lebanon and grew up in Dubai, and then came to Canada in 1995. But to go to Africa, a place that I’ve never been, and be able to connect with kids that are, like eight years old, who completely understand (me) and get excited by what I’m doing.
Honestly, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it… I was so sad leaving them.
They asked me “Are you ever going to come back?” and I said “Of course I’m going to come back and see you guys,”
They call me “The Wolf” and they were just so cute.
C: Karl, it was amazing catching up with you. Looking forward to your new stuff.
K: 2014 is going to be amazing.
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