Toronto's Mustafa the Poet recently opened up about a short film he was working on titled Remember Me, Toronto. Tackling the subject of gun violence in Toronto, he said the genesis of the project came together after a conversation with Drake. "I had a conversation with Drake about how much violence there is in the city, and I realized when we pass away, people don't remember us in the way that we should be remembered," he told Complex. "And I realized that while we're still here, it's important to account for that memory."
Now, he's shared the full film. Featuring interviews with artists from varied backgrounds in the city, Mustafa spoke with everyone from Drake himself to Baka Not Nice and Pressa. "So I'm basically interviewing different rappers from across Toronto, and they gave me these really beautiful responses," he told us of the short film last month. "It just humanizes everyone. When you get lost to gun violence, there’s a stigma. There's a narrative in the media that insinuates that the victims deserved to die."
The project was scored by Drake's right-hand man 40, providing an ethereal soundtrack that further bolsters the reflective quality of what the artists speak about. "I'd like to remember the friends I lost as great teachers," Drake says in the film. Remember Me, Toronto also features a tribute to Smoke Dawg, who was shot and killed in Toronto last year.
On his Instagram, Mustafa celebrated the release of Remember Me, Toronto. "Thank you to everyone who made this possible," he said.
