Solitair on Toronto gun violence, youth mentorship, and real solutions
19 September 2025

Solitair on Toronto gun violence, youth mentorship, and real solutions

Who Judges The Judge? Hosted By Jordana H. Goldlist

About

Solitair — Toronto hip hop artist, mentor, and leader with the Forgiveness Project (Project F Word) and TO Wards Peace, co-founder at 4Sound Media Studios — breaks down youth crime, drill/hip hop’s influence vs. reflection, and why incarceration alone doesn’t solve violence. The conversation explores what actually reduces shootings: long-term mentorship, housing, education, employment, culturally relevant support, and city-wide programs funded like essential services, not short election-cycle pilots.

Key topics: media narratives vs. on-the-ground realities; why longer sentences often harden people; how “right to defend your household” talk is growing in Canada; when rap lyrics show up in court (free speech vs. accountability); the pandemic’s impact on fentanyl and street economics; and building scalable prevention through partnerships like the NBA Foundation, OCAD University (credit-bearing prison courses), and MLSE Foundation.