Amani Bin Shikhan
Freelance writer and researcher
Toronto-based. Culture writer and researcher with a focus on music, movement, tradition, and memory — when they coincide, especially. Contact: a.binshikhan at gmail dot com.
PROJECTS
Noisey
Halal Gang Set the Record Straight
Following the tragic loss of Toronto’s Smoke Dawg, three childhood friends and members of the collective—Mustafa the Poet, SAFE, and Puffy L'z—talk about their upbringings and what happens when home fails them.
fader
The astrological signs as Drake songs
Self-explanatory tongue-in-cheek list following the release of 'Scorpion.'
iTunes
On Shuffle
Appearance on Ringer's music podcast, talking Drake's 'Scorpion' 🦂, Black Toronto, and the strange conundrum of this Drake era, in fatherhood and rap beef alike.
Healthline
Life Balms — Vol. 4: Dominique Matti and Tania Peralta on Rewriting Motherhood
Interview with writers Tania Peralta and Dominique Matti about motherhood and postpartum depression, professionalization, and teaching themselves hard truths for my Healthline series, Life Balms.
Noisey
Moud's Stirring 'Maba' EP Retraces His Parents' Journey from East Africa
The Torontonian R&B singer-songwriter traces the city's constellation of diaspora with grooves and heart.
CBC
As clubs become condos, Rebeka Dawn's parties remind Black Torontonians that celebration is ours too
Profile on Rebeka Dawn, who is breathing life, love and inclusion into Toronto’s nightlife with a for-us-by-us ethos.
FASHION Magazine
Go For Broke
Mini-profile on Torontonian brand, broke&living and its revamped snap-dress, AKA mesh marina.
Healthline
Life Balms — Vol. 3: Judnick Mayard and the Pursuit of Home
Interview with screenwriter Judnick Mayard about honesty, rootedness, and astrology for my Healthline series, Life Balms.
Healthline
Life Balms — Vol. 2: Arabelle Sicardi and The Beauty of Ruins
Interview with writer Arabelle Sicardi on the terror and power of beauty, asserting selfhood, and what comes of the ruins for my Healthline series, Life Balms.
Noisey
Faiza Makes R&B About the Audacity of Being a Black Girl
Q&A and mini-profile on Faiza for her debut EP 'Audacity,’ which melds new-age R&B with the genre’s traditional sensibilities as it tells stories of the everyday.
Noisey
The Weeknd Breaks Up With Himself on 'My Dear Melancholy,'
An essay looking at The Weeknd’s new album, My Dear Melancholy, and the role it plays in his pop transformation.
Healthline
Life Balms — Vol. 1: Hannah Giorgis on Cooking and What It Means to Be Beautiful
Interview with writer and editor Hannah Giorgis about healing through food, desirability and work, and the glory of Fenty Beauty for my Healthline series, Life Balms.
Healthline
Life Balms — A Series of Survival
Welcome to Life Balms, an interview series about the routines that keep us thriving, motivated, and well. Every year is different, that much is certain. But in the wake of a particularly difficult one — personally, professionally, politically — recentering is vital to be able to move forward. “Life Balms,” then, are the things that help us get through the lows: the routines, the regimens, and the practices that drown out the white noise and prioritize the best versions of self.
CBC
BASHY Magazine gives some much-needed gravitas to how the media sees Jamaican culture
Profile of Toronto’s Sharine Taylor ahead of the release of her Jamaica-centered quarterly publication, BASHY Magazine.