The true story of Canada's reggae capital

There’s a neighbourhood in Toronto that stretches along Eglinton Ave, just north of the downtown core. For years, it’s been buried under construction as the city builds the Crosstown LRT, but under all that is a rich musical history which is under threat. Little Jamaica, as the neighbourhood is known, was one of the largest producers of reggae music in the world outside of Kingston, Jamaica. In the 1960s and ’70s, Jamaicans moving to Toronto helped to create a vibrant music industry, complete with clubs, record shops, recording studios, all with a connection back to Jamaica. Artists like Jackie Mittoo and Leroy Sibbles recorded their music there, and the famous reggae group Black Uhuru immortalized the strip with their song “Youth of Eglinton.” Producing: Vivian Tabar, Jesse Kinos-Goodin Editing: Krzysztof Pospieszynski, Vivian Tabar Research, interviews: Vivian Tabar Graphics: Theo Kapodistrias Archival Photographs: Beth Lesser Interviewees: Romain Baker, Klive Walker, Cadence Weapon, Dave Kingston, Kevin Howes, Beth Lesser If you'd like to learn more about recent developments in Little Jamaica, visit https://niacentre.org. There's also a fundraising initiative to build the first multi-disciplinary centre for Afro-diasporic art in Canada. https://niacentre.org/donate Little Jamaica receives $1M federal grant to help it sustain Black-owned businesses: https://www.cbc.ca/1.6257709 Subscribe to CBC Music: https://bit.ly/2XH13aW CBC Music is your hub for coast-to-coast-to-coast Canadian music. Watch exclusive performances, candid interviews, and behind-the-scenes content featuring your favourite artists. Visit https://cbc.ca/music for more. Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/CBCMusic Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbcmusic Or Instagram: https://instagram.com/cbc_music -------------------------------------------------- Get more music, film and arts interviews at CBC's q: https://youtube.com/user/Qtv

Added 2 Apr 2026