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

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.