Albert Campbell Square behind Toronto's Scarborough Town Centre was buzzing with action at the site of the second annual Scarborough Fresh Fair put on by the YOUnited Nieghbourhood Festivals group. The main stage was bumping with local underground and mainstream acts all day, while a barber battle, graffiti wall, b-ball shoot out, live workshops and vendor market kept hundreds, young and old, entertained.

New this year was YOUnited's Stand Out Series (S.O.S.) which saw eight performance mentees Dominic Grant, Karma, F.e.l.n., Althea, The Agency and Sandra Lee perform their song "Heads High". All of them had their own individual part that made their musical talents harmonize to make a finished product worth listening to. Out of the eight participants The Agency won the spot to go on and perform at the Manifesto Main Festival the following week.

"What I have learned from S.O.S. is the importance of stage presence, working with the crowd and different artists," explains Grant. "You have to be versatile and be able to adapt to every situation."

When the sun started to say goodbye that's when the stage show began to intensify. Performers such as Famous, Lindo P, Trish, Camoflauge, Rich Kidd, Mario the Voyce, Simply Swagg and Rated X drew in the crowd.

A girl in the audience rocked to Trish's single "Don't Watch Me", showcasing the amazing impact music can have on young people. The event also helped open up youth to local talent they may otherwise not have been familiar with.

Rated X, an all-male reggae dance group, enjoyed the day's performance.
"It's fun, of course," says one group member Louis. "You're dancing on stage and see people smile, you get a lot of fans, a lot of people support you. People want to help out when you're doing something good."

When the dancers first started out they wanted to be recognized as a legit group. From appearing on MuchMusic to doing shows all across Toronto and beyond, they have built up quite a reputation.

"Now we're tied in with the TTC, where we go from station to station and draw crowds and raise awareness of the dance scene in Toronto," shares group leader Brandon Roache.

To end off the night was the highly anticipated moment of the day: Best of the Beat Makers. Toronto producers Mega Man, Rich Kidd, Soundsmith Productions and, of course, Boi-1da hit the stage. Producers played their favourite beats from each other's production catalogues and the crowd was moving. Each producer proudly listened to their peers' beats.

"It was something special to showcase," Soundsmith Productions' Mac said.

"Toronto has what it takes to make it in today's dynamic music industry."

Words by. Ranjit Dhatt + Photos by. Nicolas Denny + Fahim MD