6ixBuzzTV Ltd.,

doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...

6ixBuzz (pronounced ''six-buzz''), is a Canadian media platform and record company based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Founded in 2017 by Sarman Esagholian, and Abraham Tekabo the company provides entertainment stories,

internet memes An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

, and hip-hop music related content on its website and

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

profile. 6ixBuzz is most known for sharing

user-generated content User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

, but has been criticized for misinformation, right-wing bias, racism, homophobia, anti-Feminism, and perpetuating racial stereotypes, particularly anti-Asian hate.

Background and activity

6ixBuzz began as a

meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

and

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

news profile on

in 2017 with a focus on showcasing

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

music scene. Its founders, Sarman Esagholian and Abraham Tekabo, attribute the success of their online presence to the "lack of voice" of communities surrounding Canadian hip hop culture. As 6ixBuzz grew to over a million followers on Instagram, its account has become known for its ability to

go viral Viral phenomena or viral sensation are objects or pattern A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of ...

, encouraging erratic stunts, bullying, and racial divide. Incumbent Ontario

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...

has been noted for his interactions with the company. 6ixBuzz was noted by '' The Varsity'' as introducing Toronto Caribbean slang to a global audience in an article published on March 8, 2020. 6ixBuzz was also involved with working with

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

film student Angelica Milash, producing music videos on behalf of the company and their platform. In January 2021, the company launched a re-faced website and a mobile app in an attempt to get more media coverage.

Accusations of misinformation and far-right ideology

Throughout the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...

, 6ixBuzz has consistently published posts that are

anti-vax Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain abou ...

and anti-lockdown. They have been accused of spreading misinformation commonly associated with

far-right politics Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

. These accusations have been buoyed by frequent appearances of individuals associated with the

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

such as

Chris Sky Christopher Saccoccia, widely referred to as Chris Sky, is a Canadian conspiracy theorist known for his involvement in the anti-mask, anti-lockdown, COVID-19 denial and anti-vaccine movements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Saccoccia faces a numb ...

and

Maxime Bernier Maxime Bernier (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC). Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Bernier left the caucus in 2018 to form the PPC. He was the member ...

Accusations of anti-Brampton hate

6ixBuzz has also come under fire multiple times for its posts that appear to 'mock' those who live and reside in

Brampton, Ontario Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it th ...

. There have also been accusations of

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

, prejudice and racism as a result of Brampton's predominantly South Asian population. Brampton appears to a running joke amongst 6ixBuzz posts which include numerous posts saying "Brampton takes the L". The page has been heavily criticised amongst Brampton residents.

Accusations of anti-Asian hate

During the beginning of the

, 6ixBuzz was reported to have been causing harm to Chinese owned businesses in Ontario due to its coverage on the pandemic. A

Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

based noodle shop named "Wuhan Noodle 1950" claimed that they lost nearly two-thirds of their customer base in part due to an Instagram post by 6ixBuzz which was defamatory in nature. The post was eventually removed from the account on April 2, 2020. The media group also posted videos and photos of the

COVID-19 pandemic in China The COVID-19 pandemic in China is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). China was the first country to experience an outbreak of the ...

, allegedly perpetuating stereotypes and suggesting people of Chinese and Asian descent were to blame for the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Notable people

6ixBuzz has featured many real-life personas and characters. Chromazz aka Janessa Melina Mendez, a Toronto-based rapper; and Marcella Christiana Zoia-Ferreira, dubbed ''Chair Girl'' who came to notoriety in Toronto for being videotaped throwing a chair onto the

Gardiner Expressway The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends ...

in February 2019. Zoia later pleaded guilty in July 2020 to "Mischief Endangering Life" and received a $2,000 fine, 2 years probation and community service as well as counselling for her drinking problem. ''Toronto Debby'', whose real name was Alexis Matos, was a popular 6ixBuzz character. Matos died November 2, 2021 following an overdose of

Fentanyl Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine ...

6ixBuzz Entertainment

6ixBuzz Entertainment is a Canadian record label and a division of 6ixBuzz. Founded in 2018, the label currently releases

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s featuring Canadian hip hop artists, most of them based in Toronto. ''

6ixUpsideDown ''6ixUpsideDown'' is the debut compilation album by 6ixBuzz. It was self-released on October 19, 2018. Background 6ixUpsideDown is the debut compilation album by Canadian entertainment company and media platform 6ixBuzz, under their division 6ixB ...

'' was released on October 19, 2018 and featured

Pressa ''Pressa'' was an International Press Exhibition held in Cologne between May and October, 1928. As German exhibitors were barred from participating in the ''Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modern'' held in Paris in ...

Yung Tory Tory Lester Zellars (born April 24, 1996), better known by his stage name Yung Tory and nickname, Mr. Yaw Yaw, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. Tory initially signed to Lil Durk’s record label OTF in 2015, but after gaining recogni ...

Big Lean Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright (born February 11, 1989), better known by his stage name Big Lean, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Lean began making music in 2008, two years after his friend and rapper Blits was shot dead as he ...

, and

Safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...

amongst other Toronto artists. It peaked at number 87 on the

Billboard Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a ne ...

on November 3, 2018 and remained on the charts for 1 week. It contained production from artists exclusively from Toronto too, including the likes of Jmak, Jonah Zed, Pro Logic and more. Its second compilation, ''

NorthernSound ''NorthernSound'' is the second compilation album by 6ixBuzz. It was self-released on December 13, 2019. A deluxe edition of the album with four more tracks was later released on February 25, 2020. Background NorthernSound is the second compi ...

'', was released on December 13, 2019 and including vocal appearances from NorthSideBenji,

Puffy L'z Habib Mohamed (born August 2, 1995), better known by his stage name Puffy L'z, is a rapper and singer from Toronto, Ontario. He is of Somali descent. Puffy L'z released his debut studio album '' Take No L'z'' on July 19, 2019 and it received a 6/1 ...

Prime Boys Prime Boys are a Canadian hip hop collective based in Toronto, Ontario. The original group carnation consists of Jay Whiss, Jimmy Prime and Donnie and the trio released their debut studio album ''Koba World'' on July 27, 2018. Background The tri ...

Pvrx Daniel Dove (born October 25, 1994), professionally known as Pvrx ( ), is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Pvrx is known for his storytelling about growing up in the rough surroundings in government housing projects. He signed to Def Ja ...

, Archee & French, and more. The record featured the last work of Bvlly and Why-S before their deaths on December 24, 2019. Jmak was listed as the executive producer of the album, contributing to the production for the majority of the album. In April 2020, the label announced a joint-venture record deal with

Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd. (French: ''WEA Musique du Canada, Ltée''), often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA Internationa ...

, coinciding with the release of the single "VV's" featuring Killy and Houdini. This was followed by the single "Mansions" by Pressa and Houdini, which came after the death of Houdini after he was gunned down in May 2020. This was followed by the single "Name Brand" featuring LB Spiffy and Smiley in June. All three singles are said to be on the labels upcoming compilation album ''Canada's Most Wanted''. Other artist including

88Glam 88Glam (stylized as 88GLAM) is a Canadian hip hop duo, formed in 2017 by Shakqueel "88Camino" Burthwright and Derek "Wise" Bissue. They were formerly signed to XO and Republic Records. Career Prior to the formation of 88Glam and following ...

, Top5 and French also made an appearance on the album. The album was officially released in June 11, 2021.

Releases

References

Sources

External links

Official website
{{Hip hop websites YouTube channels Hip hop websites Canadian music websites Internet properties established in 2017 2017 establishments in Ontario Record labels established in 2018 2018 establishments in Ontario Canadian record labels Companies based in Toronto