TEKNIQUE The Kingpin AKA “Alberto Swagg” was born to entertain. Born into the vibrant streets of Toronto, Canada in the late 70’s, Teknique became engulfed into the hip-hop culture. Raised in a Caribbean household, he was exposed all types of urban music from gospel to reggae. His family was heavily involved in entertainment. His mother was an established well-known gospel singer in the Caribbean and his brother was a local MC and aspiring DJ that surrounded him with the hip-hop culture on a daily basis. But it was the day that he heard “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick that change his life and love for the culture forever. By the age of 8, Teknique was performing at various showcases from malls to concert halls showing off his new rapping skills. He was even, earlier in his teens, a founding member and singer in his church choir. While taking an introductory course in radio broadcasting at a summer camp, Teknique’s instructor heard his talent for rapping and told him he had an idea. After some coaxing by his instructor, Teknique recorded his first demo at the tender age of 12, which was composed by tracks produce by his partner as well as with the famous art of beatboxing. As his skills were honed on the block, to the high school cafeteria lunch table, to the studio, Teknique began to be known to his friends as the cat to step up and battle every time there was a cipher. This skill brought him to the attention of an A&R Rep. at Tommy Boy Records (Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah, House of Pain, De La Soul etc.) which came from New York City to his high school to check him out first hand. Teknique was only 14 years old and in grade 9, so the negotiations soured after parental guidance or interference, however you want to call it.
After getting critical acclaim as a rapper/MC and studying the game and business, Teknique decided to switch his focus to entering the diverse world of radio. The year was ’94 and Teknique was invited to check out one of his friends’ hip-hop radio shows at a local radio station, first hand. After feeling the vibe that radio brought him, Teknique went back again, then again, then again. After realizing the passion and vocal skills Teknique had, his friend told him to try his hand at hosting the show. From that time on it was over! That day became the birth of Teknique the “radio phenomenon”. Teknique went on to hold down the hip-hop show for 2 years, becoming a staple in community urban radio in Toronto. Hosting innovative show segments, roll calls, on-air battles and even battling himself. At the end of it all Teknique had found his first love in entertainment, radio. This love took him to hosting various formats of radio, throughout his young life, from commercial to internet. It developed his vocal conducting abilities to shine at hosting everything from urban talent showcases to TV. From this one experience, Teknique became an artist, an entertainer, and a risk-taker of his talents. He later took a step into acting, performing in stage theatre, on local TV shows and pilots, also feature films.
Teknique was also a young entrepreneur. He created an energetic savvy for business. At a young age he decide to use what he knew from hip-hop culture and entertainment to make more money for himself. He always wanted to be his own boss. His first venture was a traveling barber service that he started once he learned to cut his own hair, which he still cuts today. He organized himself and other barbers to cater to wherever a client wanted his hair cut whether it was their house or business. Doing something innovative with his spare time and making money doing it, motivated Teknique to seriously pursue entrepreneurship. At age 17, Teknique along with one of his friends started a small clothing line. He made everything from hats to rugby shirts, complete with his company logo Elevation Gear. The line sold out quickly and became to demanding for a high-schooler to handle, which forced Teknique to put education ahead and the clothing line on the back burner. In ’96, Teknique decided to incorporate his talent, observation of urban entertainment and business savvy into becoming a club promoter. He produced his first urban club event in June of that year with much success and never looked back. This was the move he knew he wanted to make. It had money, it had fame and most of all unlimited potential. Enter Elevation Enterprises Inc., a company Teknique founded in 2001 with a group of friends. With Teknique as the C.E.O., Elevation Enterprises went on to promote big things from clubs to huge urban concerts like the Snoop Dogg “Puff-Puff-Pass” Tour. A year later, as C.E.O. of Elevation Enterprises Inc., he was awarded the coveted “Best Promoter of the Year” award at the 2002 Urban X-Posure Awards presented by U.M.A.C. (Urban Music Association of Canada). Feeling a sense of accomplishment and one for change, Teknique left Elevation and started URBAN LIFE MEDIA Inc. which accompanied what Elevation did but with more of a focus on corporate marketing, internet publishing and talent management/bookings for the urban entertainment industry. URBAN LIFE MEDIA Inc. grew to have several successful divisions; ULM Artist Management formerly UrbanFactory.com, Teknique Clothing Co., ULM Talent Bookings and ULM Music Publishing. The client list is outstanding: BET (Black Entertainment Television), FLOW 93.5fm, Boulevard Media Inc., XXL Magazine, Universal Music Canada, BMG Music Canada, Iceberg Media, National College Radio Association, HOB (House Of Blues) Concerts and many more, until the company was bought and renamed BLOW Communications Inc.. BLOW is now a worldwide niche marketing/communications company with a unique approach to business, since it’s sale Teknique no longer has ties with the company.
In a short time Teknique has ventured into numerous fields of entertainment, yet he believes he’s only begun. A man with such talent can only get better and better, which is his absolute intention. At this time, Teknique still balances all of his talents and companies with accuracy. You can now catch him, oncreen appearing in film & television, hypin’ up a club as a club MC, grooving a crowd as a DJ, or throwing down the “hottest” tunes on his series of mixtape-style CD’s. Knowing all aspects of urban entertainment, Teknique is poised to continue his reign as THE KINGPIN.
“I am entertainment!!!” TEKNIQUE The Kingpin – May 16, 2003; Urbanfactory.com
RESUME
Radio
“Tuesday Night Live” – CHRY 105.5FM; Toronto, ON (1995-1997)
“The Hit Factory” – Illnoiz.com (internet radio); Toronto, ON (2001)
Final Cut – FLOW 93.5FM; Toronto, ON (2001)
KingpinRadio.net (internet radio); Toronto, ON
Club MC/DJ
Karma Klub – Toronto, ON
Celebrities Lounge & Nightclub – Toronto, ON
Atomic Nightclub– Ottawa, ON
NV Nightclub – New York City, NY
Groove Nightclub – Buffalo, NY
The Drink Nightclub – Vancouver, BC
Luce Lounge & Wine Bar – Vancouver, BC
Pavillion Nightclub – Toronto, ON
Café Havana – Toronto, ON
The Reverb – Toronto, ON
The Dogfish Restaurant – Toronto, ON
The Cellar – Huntsville, AL
Exit – Birmingham, AL
Victor’s Nightclub – Seattle, WA
The Purple Onion Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
Wild Coyote Nightclub – Vancouver, BC
Sonar – Vancouver, BC
Atlantis – Vancouver, BC
VIP Club & Lounge (Seahawk Stadium) – Seattle, WA
Sugar Club – Toronto, ON
Ice Lounge – Toronto, ON
Voda – Vancouver, BC
Onyx – Burnaby, BC
Studio 54 – New Westminister, BC
Bar None – Vancouver, BC
Club Touch – Surrey, BC
Plush Nightclub – Vancouver, BC
Onyx Nightclub – Burnaby, BC
The Shark Club – Vancouver, BC
Richard’s On Richards – Vancouver, BC
Mo’Butta – Vancouver, BC
Tonic Nightclub – Vancouver, BC
Chivana Lounge – Vancouver, BC
Crush Champagne Lounge – Vancouver
Chivana Lounge – Vancouver, BC
Crush Champagne Lounge – Vancouver
Gabbo’s Nightclub – Regina, SK
The Bluff – Kelowna, BC
Mesa Luna – Vancouver, BC
Club Palladium – Hull, PQ
Mexicali Rosas – Ottawa, ON
Havana Lounge – Toronto, ON
Guvernment – Toronto, ON
Steam Drink & Soundbar – Toronto, ON
Krave Nightclub – Toronto, ON
Dream Lounge – Toronto, ON
HouseXY – Toronto, ON
Vibe Nightclub – Winnipeg, MB
Fever Nightclub – New Westminster, BC
Shine Nightclub – Vancouver, BC
Tunnel – Vancouver, BC
Joseph Richards – Vancouver, BC
Fortune Sound Club – Vancouver, BC
Post Modern – Vancouver, BC
The Underground – Boston, MA
Rich Nightclub – Toronto, ON
Host
Apocalypse ’99 (fashion & talent showcase) – Toronto, ON 1999
Fusion 2000 (talent showcase) – Toronto, ON 2000
Fusion Pt.2 Renaissance Era (fashion & talent showcase) – Toronto, ON 2001
Illmatic (talent showcase) – Toronto, ON 2001
Faded For Fame (talent showcase) – Vancouver, BC 2003
Black College Reunion/BET Spring Bling (urban concert/party weekend) – Daytona Beach, FL 2003
604 Comedy Showcase – Vancouver, BC 2004-2007
TV, Feature Film, Theatre
Colby – 1995 Stage Theatre
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) – 1996 TV Pilot
Woo (Tommy Davidson, Jada Pinkett-Smith, etc.) – 1997 feature film
War Stories – 1998 A&E mini-series
Drop The Beat – 2000 CBC urban TV mini-series
Odyssey 5 – 2001 TV Pilot
Soul Food – 2001 – 2002 TV Show
Mutant X 2 – 2002 TV Pilot
Bulletproof Monk (Chow Yung Fat, Seann William Scott) – 2002 Feature Film
Street Time 2 – 2002 TV Show
Crown Heights – 2002 Feature Film
Lip Service – 2002 TV Pilot
Loving Spoonfuls – 2002 TV Show
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (Kate Hudson) – 2002 Feature Film
Monk (Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub) – 2002 ABC/USA Network TV show
My Baby’s Daddy (Eddie Griffin, Anthony Anderson, Paula Jai Parker, etc) – 2004 Feature Film
14 Hours – 2004 TV movie
Quantico – 2005 TV Pilot
Like Mike 2 (Kel Mitchell) – 2006 Feature Film
Battlestar Gallactica – 2005 TV Show
Stargate SG-1 – 2005 TV Show
Event Promotion
Tooney Jam – Club Miami : 1996 Toronto, ON
The City Is Mine – The Dogfish Restaurant : 1998 Toronto, ON
Apocalypse ‘99 – Latvian Hall : 1999 Toronto, ON
Fusion 2000 – Yorkwoods Theatre : 2000 Toronto, ON
Illmatic – The Reverb : 2001 Toronto, ON
Elevation Appreciation Jam – Celebrities Lounge & Nightclub : Toronto, ON
Project: PLATINUM – Celebrities Lounge & Nightclub : Toronto, ON
Funktion – Atomic Nightclub : 2001 Ottawa, ON
Boogie Nights – Pavillion Nightclub & Lounge : 2001 Toronto, ON
Harlem Nights – NV Niteclub : 2001 Toronto, ON
Karibana Greekfest – Sunnyside Pavillion : 2001 Toronto, ON
Passion – Sunnyside Pavillion : 2001 Toronto, ON
Power Jam – Metropolis & Aria : 2001 Montreal, QC
The Mansion Party – Richard’s Mansion : 2001 Mississauga, ON
Fusion Pt.2 Renaissance – Latvian Hall : 2001 Toronto, ON
Comedian Russell Peters’ B-Day Bash – Spa Lounge : 2001 Toronto, ON
Thanksgiving Long-Weekend Jam – Spa Lounge : 2001 Toronto, ON
Passion: The Saga Continues – Karma Klub : 2001 Toronto, ON
Wreckshop Radio LIVE – The Docks Entertainment Complex : 2001 Toronto, ON
Alicia Keys Concert Afterparty – The Docks Entertainment Complex : 2001 Toronto, ON
Gifted ‘R’ Us Talent Showcase – Ethiopian Place : 2001 Toronto, ON
Fusion Fridays – Karma Klub : 2001 Toronto, ON
The Official Entertainment District Celebrity VIP Benefit – Spa Lounge : 2001 Toronto, ON
New Years Eve Extravaganza – Tequila Lounge : 2001 Toronto, ON
NBA All-Star Weekend Bus Trip – Philadelphia : 2002 Philadelphia, PA
Frost VOL. 2 – Karma Klub : 2002 Toronto, ON
Kollage – Café Havana : 2002 Toronto, ON
Urban Pool Awards – Capital Event Theatre : 2002 Toronto, ON
Ginuwine Concert – Karma Klub : 2002 Toronto, ON
Toronto Sports Weekend – Various venues : 2002 Toronto, ON
Liquid Saturdays – Karma Klub : 2002 Toronto, ON
Passion: Canada Day Long-Weekend – The Courthouse : 2002 Toronto, ON
Urban X-posure | UMAC Canadian Urban Music Awards – Phoenix Concert Theatre : 2002 Toronto, ON
The FLOW 93.5fm BET NBA Karibana Block Party – The Docks Entertainment Complex : 2002 Toronto, ON
Universal Urban: Late Night Series – Fluid Lounge : 2002 Toronto, ON
Tantra Saturdays – It Niteclub : 2002 Toronto, ON
Crème De La Crème: Pt.2 – Pearl Lounge : 2002 Toronto, ON
Allure: New Years Eve Party – CNE National Trade Centre : 2002 Toronto, ON
Saturday Night Live – The Drink Nightclub : 2003 Vancouver, BC
Kollage – Club Touch : 2003 Vancouver, BC
Comedy Zone Series – The Purple Onion Cabaret : 2003 Vancouver, BC
Fame Fridays – Red Square : 2003 Toronto, ON
Grown’N'Sexy Saturdays – Sugar Club : 2003 Toronto, ON
Planet Vibe Sundays – Phoenix Concert Theatre : 2003 Toronto, ON
Nostalgic – Ice Lounge : 2003 Toronto, ON
Comedy Showcase THE SUMMER EDITION – Joker Nightclub : 2005 Toronto, ON
Let It Sweat PART 1 – Jim Durrell Arena : 2005 Ottawa, ON
Toronto Urban Film Series (TUFS) – Projection Booth : 2012 Toronto, ON
