The 2010 Stylus DJ Awards took place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto Monday night (May 31), and Drake was among the many winners, as awards were handed out to DJs across the country in a variety of genres and formats.
The Toronto, ON MC, whose highly anticipated album, Thank Me Later, will be released on June 15, picked up an award for Canadian Hip-Hop Single of the Year for "Best I Ever Had." Accepting his award, Drake took time to thank producers and artists such as Slakah the Beatchild, Andreena Mill and JD Era, who he had worked with in the Toronto scene on his early mixtapes before getting his big break with Lil' Wayne.
"It's hard to be out here doing it for us, that's really why I do it for," Drake said during his acceptance speech (see video below). "I work very hard and everywhere I go I say the same thing; it's Toronto until the day I die."
Before the fifth annual awards show started, a rumour began to spread through social networking sites that there was a "fight" at the Stylus Awards between Drake and an aggrieved former collaborator, Page. However, there was no fight at the event, and the issue apparently turned out to be a minor flap over seating arrangements between Drake and JD Era's camps.
The producer of "Best I Ever Had," Boi-1da, also picked up an award for his work on the song, snagging Canadian Producer of the Year.
In other awards, Ill Kidz took the coveted Club DJ of the Year award, while DJ Wristpect was again recognized by his peers. Wristpect, last year's Club DJ of the Year award winner, picked up two awards: Toronto Club DJ of the Year and Mixtape of the Year for Bridging the Gap 4: TO to VA, which was hosted by Virginia duo Clipse.
Other notable winners included Female DJ of the Year Lissa Monet, who took the trophy for the second year running. Chief and Jester won College Radio Show of the Year for the third year for their recently cancelled Worldwide show on CIUT 89.5FM, while Toronto native Melanie Fiona, currently on tour with Alicia Keys, snagged Canadian R&B Single of the Year.
The show was hilariously hosted by comedian Trixx, who continued his Stylus Awards tradition of calling out allegedly unscrupulous promoters and playfully roasting artists in attendance, reserving his best humourous barbs on this night for Drake.
The show also featured tributes to Gang Starr's Guru (see video below), who passed away in April, and gave out lifetime achievement awards to Toronto's Ebony Sound Crew and late Edmonton pioneer DJ T.E.D.D.Y., the father of critically acclaimed MC Cadence Weapon. Cadence Weapon appeared on stage with his family and paid tribute to his father, whom the MC affectionately called "the E-40 of the '80s." The awards show also featured performances from A-Game, Karl Wolf, Belly and up-and-coming R&B vocalist Trish.
Here is a full list of the winners at the 2010 Stylus DJ Awards:
College Radio Show of the Year
Worldwide Wakeup Show, Jester & Chief. 89.5 CIUT FM
Radio Mixshow DJ of the Year
Midday Mix, DJ P Plus, The New Flow 935 FM
Toronto DJ of the Year
Wristpect
Montreal DJ of the Year
Payce
Mixtape of the Year
Bridging The Gap v4, Wristpect
Club MC of the Year
Kid Kut
Rated Next DJ of the Year
DJ Spoonz
Club Reggae DJ of the Year
Fire Kid Steenie
Soca DJ of the Year
Soca Sweetness
Club DJ of the Year
Ill Kidz
West Coast DJ of the Year
Pump
Central DJ of the Year
DJ Whitegold
East Coast DJ of the Year
DJ IV
Canadian Hip Hop Single of the Year
Drake, "Best I Ever Had"
Canadian R & B Single of the Year
Melanie Fiona, "It Kills Me"
Female DJ of the Year
Lissa Monet
Canadian Producer of the Year
Boi 1 da
House DJ of the Year
Jojo Flores
Club Dance DJ of the Year
DJ Danny D
2010 Hall of Fame Inductees
T.E.D.D.Y
Ebony Soundcrew
The Toronto, ON MC, whose highly anticipated album, Thank Me Later, will be released on June 15, picked up an award for Canadian Hip-Hop Single of the Year for "Best I Ever Had." Accepting his award, Drake took time to thank producers and artists such as Slakah the Beatchild, Andreena Mill and JD Era, who he had worked with in the Toronto scene on his early mixtapes before getting his big break with Lil' Wayne.
"It's hard to be out here doing it for us, that's really why I do it for," Drake said during his acceptance speech (see video below). "I work very hard and everywhere I go I say the same thing; it's Toronto until the day I die."
Before the fifth annual awards show started, a rumour began to spread through social networking sites that there was a "fight" at the Stylus Awards between Drake and an aggrieved former collaborator, Page. However, there was no fight at the event, and the issue apparently turned out to be a minor flap over seating arrangements between Drake and JD Era's camps.
The producer of "Best I Ever Had," Boi-1da, also picked up an award for his work on the song, snagging Canadian Producer of the Year.
In other awards, Ill Kidz took the coveted Club DJ of the Year award, while DJ Wristpect was again recognized by his peers. Wristpect, last year's Club DJ of the Year award winner, picked up two awards: Toronto Club DJ of the Year and Mixtape of the Year for Bridging the Gap 4: TO to VA, which was hosted by Virginia duo Clipse.
Other notable winners included Female DJ of the Year Lissa Monet, who took the trophy for the second year running. Chief and Jester won College Radio Show of the Year for the third year for their recently cancelled Worldwide show on CIUT 89.5FM, while Toronto native Melanie Fiona, currently on tour with Alicia Keys, snagged Canadian R&B Single of the Year.
The show was hilariously hosted by comedian Trixx, who continued his Stylus Awards tradition of calling out allegedly unscrupulous promoters and playfully roasting artists in attendance, reserving his best humourous barbs on this night for Drake.
The show also featured tributes to Gang Starr's Guru (see video below), who passed away in April, and gave out lifetime achievement awards to Toronto's Ebony Sound Crew and late Edmonton pioneer DJ T.E.D.D.Y., the father of critically acclaimed MC Cadence Weapon. Cadence Weapon appeared on stage with his family and paid tribute to his father, whom the MC affectionately called "the E-40 of the '80s." The awards show also featured performances from A-Game, Karl Wolf, Belly and up-and-coming R&B vocalist Trish.
Here is a full list of the winners at the 2010 Stylus DJ Awards:
College Radio Show of the Year
Worldwide Wakeup Show, Jester & Chief. 89.5 CIUT FM
Radio Mixshow DJ of the Year
Midday Mix, DJ P Plus, The New Flow 935 FM
Toronto DJ of the Year
Wristpect
Montreal DJ of the Year
Payce
Mixtape of the Year
Bridging The Gap v4, Wristpect
Club MC of the Year
Kid Kut
Rated Next DJ of the Year
DJ Spoonz
Club Reggae DJ of the Year
Fire Kid Steenie
Soca DJ of the Year
Soca Sweetness
Club DJ of the Year
Ill Kidz
West Coast DJ of the Year
Pump
Central DJ of the Year
DJ Whitegold
East Coast DJ of the Year
DJ IV
Canadian Hip Hop Single of the Year
Drake, "Best I Ever Had"
Canadian R & B Single of the Year
Melanie Fiona, "It Kills Me"
Female DJ of the Year
Lissa Monet
Canadian Producer of the Year
Boi 1 da
House DJ of the Year
Jojo Flores
Club Dance DJ of the Year
DJ Danny D
2010 Hall of Fame Inductees
T.E.D.D.Y
Ebony Soundcrew