CHAPTER 02
In The Lab
The intersection of Art, Ball & Culture was highlighted during the second session of The Vanguard with a lens acutely focussed upon the music that is the heartbeat of the culture of basketball. In this curated studio session, platinum producer, teenage wonder-kid and Toronto’s very own, WondaGurl walked us through some of her “plays” (Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Rihanna to name a few) as well as the science behind her meticulous preparation, strategies and planning that goes into her music.
Whether tactfully composing a song structure or dutifully memorizing hundreds of plays, variations and defensive sets; all-star talent behind the boards or on the court share familial DNA. Both producer an athlete know there tools and skills inside out. They share mental agility as well as creative dexterity to make magic happen with their fingertips. They both possess the power to lead and the unique ability to react and “remix” any given situation in their games and raise the level of play of those around them. “These kids wear Crowns over here”, from the NBA Finals to the Grammy’s.
On June 16, 2013, the then 16-year-old Ebony “WondaGurl” Oshunrinde made an epic first step into the game. During the fifth game of the 2013 NBA Finals, Jay-Z was featured in a new commercial where he announced that his twelfth studio album would be titled, Magna Carta Holy Grail. The standout track from MCHG was "Crown" which was fittingly produced by the young Queen WondaGurl. WondaGurl puts numbers on the board as Magna Carta Holy Grail debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 528,000 copies in its first week and is now certified double platinum.
Welcome to The Vanguard.
