Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen West, 416-531-4635) To May 31
Hip-hop, the mighty global culture that sprang from the weedy concrete of the 70s South Bronx, gets a handsome retrospective here.
Che Kothari, a Toronto event photographer and highly regarded portraitist, co-curates this extensive collection, including his own work alongside that of 12 others. Staged and candid portraits from the early days of DJ Kool Herc through Tupac and Biggie to the present reign of Jay Z, Drake and Lil Wayne attempt to cover artists from the East Coast, West Coast and in between.
Impossible to get everyone, of course, but close enough to make a thoroughly enjoyable historical portrait. Not to be missed.