Much Master T: One VJ's Journey

by Tony Young, Dalton Higgins

An inside peek at the life of a MuchMusic VJ … When you think of urban pop culture icons at “the nation’s music station”over the past decade, only one name comes to master T. “T” has been an employee at Much since their doors opened in 1984 (in 1990 he hit the air full-time as a VJ) and in that time he’s helped fuel the growth of urban music in Canada and become world renowned for his relaxed, well-researched style of interviewing. So much so that musical artists such as Shaggy, Eminem, and the Spice Girls have specifically requested that Master T be their host for high-profile much interview segments.

This part-Much-retrospective, part-autobiography will provide a behind-the-scenes peek at the bejewelled, dreadlocked wonder as he rubs shoulders with A-list celebrities from Barry White and the Backstreet Boys to Mary J. Blige and Madonna during his intimate interview sessions. Much Master T fuses together stories of his life migrating from England to Kitchener, Ontario, becoming a pitchman for the hugely successful Dance Mix CDs, his views on diversity on Canadian tv, and how he helped usher in Much’s unconventional style of political reportage. Included are never-before-told stories of having his head pulled into Scary Spice’s cleavage, interviewing Tupac just days before his murder, and coercing a very pregnant Lauryn Hill-on-sabbatical to perform an exclusive gig at his MuchMusic goodbye blocko party.

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Joshua Habtwold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master T has been an influential figure and an impactful human being, who changed the landscape of urban music, VJ culture, urban journalism, and Black culture during his prime. This book explains much more on his experience on bringing urban music to Canadian mainstream media, which was never done before he started at MuchMusic, as well as his childhood, his start to VJ culture and journalism, and much more.

Master T also exemplified a proper example of not having to conform to what label suits want and had 100% full control on how he presented himself and what made him comfortable, including wanting to preview more reggae and local Canadian hip-hop on the airwaves, and he did that, which many viewers at the time loved and appreciated.

If you are a journalist, interviewer, or VJ in Canada, you must read this book to understand how he became not only an influence on Canadian mainstream media, but within Black culture in Canada.