Music

Ain't No Love's Saidah Bowen shares her favourite 40 oz.-fuelled memories of Toronto

by Mohan Fitzgerald

Olde English has been known to destroy lives. It also apparently precipitated the decline of Angel Queen, but mostly because children were drinking (and definitely destroying) 40s on their dance-floor. On the bright side, malt liquor seems to have indirectly inspired Saidah Bowen, the source of Toronto based Ain’t No Love’s catchy and often nostalgic hooks. Ain’t No Love does pop-rap pretty well: With a backwards glance towards the edgy and simplistic origins of the genre, the group’s sparkling, dynamic production makes not dancing a little embarrassing.

Bowen, mostly unscathed by a liberal pepper-spraying on the part of Toronto’s finest, went from freestyling in a park to opening for Run The Jewels and Juicy J at the NXNE this summer. If she’s not going to thank Mr. English directly, she can probably thank the shameless adolescents of Toronto’s rap underbelly. Also, a set of bouncers who—even though they looked pretty bad ass during the interview process—turned out to be avid basket-weavers in their spare time. They just didn’t want to let anyone down, you know?

Check Bowen’s favourite Angel Queen—and Toronto—memories in the video above.