April 4 edition: Meet Vancouver’s viral rapper

Plus: Chambar’s delicious deal and The Cultch’s latest premiere

Hey there. We made it through another month! That means there’s another print edition hitting newsstands across the Lower Mainland today. 

This month’s cover star is none other than bbno$—the Vancouver rapper done good.

The front page of the April 2024 edition of the Goergia Straight. Text: bbno$ is here to play. Plus: Fmily drama, wildfire prep, travel ideas

Find your closest pick-up spot here, and get reading!

— V.
Associate Editor

FEATURE

The world according to bbno$

A man in wirefram glasses, with moustache and soul patch, looks directly into the camera and tents his fingers.

It’s 7:45 in the morning when bbno$ calls. The Vancouver-born rapper has found huge success in the music scene, where his brand of internet-raised idiosyncratic braggadocio has won him billions of streams and millions of adoring fans. We get deep on what goes on inside his funhouse mind.

CITY & CULTURE

Commentary: Strathcona Park’s off-leash problems highlight inequities

A black and white dog runs towards a tennis ball

Strathcona Park used to be a chill off-leash dog park in the Downtown Eastside. But a series of decisions from the City of Vancouver has instead led to it becoming a place of frequent fines, reactive dogs, and ill-equipped staff. Maria Stanborough unravels how Vancouver created a situation that once again demonstrates municipal disregard for the marginalized neighbourhood.

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SPONSORED BY CHOR LEONI

Harmonia: The Leonids & Chor Leoni

Experience the spine-tingling sounds of high harmony as The Leonids return to Vancouver and take the stage alongside Chor Leoni and the singers of their Emerging Choral Artist Program. Time travel across the past millennium in this a cappella feast featuring Chant, Polyphony, folk songs, pop songs, and world premieres.

ARTS

Persian women embrace main character energy in Parifam

A photo-illustration showing two Iranian women with curly hair, one looking towards the camera and one looking to the left

Parifam doesn’t just star two Iranian-Canadian women, Foojan Nixie Shabrang and Nazanin Shoja. It’s also written and directed by Persian women—a unique position for the play, premiering today at The Cultch. Shabrang and Shoja get deep on identity, intrigue, and what their characters mean to them.

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MUSIC

Punjabi rapper NseeB is on the cusp of greatness

A South Asian man, with a black beard and turban, in front of a wall with graffiti.

While most of the Punjabi music scene is dominated by singers, rappers are making waves within it, too. Vancouver’s own NseeB is proud of being from the 604, repping the region to the 180,000 Instagram followers who love him as one of the few rappers spitting bars in Punjabi. “When you make the flow without any singing,” he says over the phone, “that’s the real game.”

SPONSORED BY DAVE NICHOLSON

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FOOD & DRINK

Chambar is celebrating its 20th anniversary with 2004 prices

A square wooden table stacked with six dishes

“We almost didn’t make it through Covid,” Chambar co-owner Karri Green-Schuermans admits. But the beloved Belgian restaurant has managed to weather 20 years in the city. To celebrate, they’re offering a nostalgic trip down memory lane: an anniversary menu, priced like it’s 2004.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

VISUAL ART 🖼️
Meet the artists at Hello April‘s opening reception. (April 4 @ Gallery George)

DANCE 💃
OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity explores artificial intelligence and the gig economy. (April 4 to 5 @ Orpheum Annex)

VISUAL ART 🖼️
How to Appreciate Graffiti: The Exhibition showcases the beauty of local street art. (April 5 to 12 @ Fingerprint Gallery) 

FILM 📽️
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival features films and shorts from all-Indigenous creatives. (April 6 to 7 @ Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema)

MUSIC 🎤
Mom Jeans proves emo isn’t dead yet. (April 6 @ Harbour Convention Centre)

SHOPPING 🛍️
Explore vintage clothes and oddball fashion at the Bizarre Bazaar. (April 7 @ Heritage Hall) 

FILM 📽️
Keep the kids entertained with the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth. (April 7 to 16 @ Roundhouse Community Centre)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

That’s it!

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