Much More T

Photography by: Steven Carty, courtesy Tony Young

Feeling proud, positive, and strong

Inarguably one of the key players in defining popular urban music culture in Canada, Master T has become more than just another MuchMusic veejay.

Master T (whose real name is Tony Young) became renowned for his well-researched and laid back style of interviewing. It earned him the respect of the A-list world musical artists. He concurrently hosted a pre-Flow urban radio show, Master T's Wall of Sound on Z103.5 FM with his best friend DJ Dave Campbell, and was the face behind one of the biggest selling Canadian albums of all-time, Dance Mix series, which reached the diamond sales mark (one million records).

Almost two years after leaving the MuchMusic environment, Young struck a deal with Virgin Music Canada/EMI producing his first CD of six, Master T's Reggae Vibes: Session One. Plus, the affable local celebrity is building a multimedia entertainment empire called Fullsteed Production Company along with his own record label, Serro Records.

Last November, he co-wrote and published his autobiography, Much Master T - One VJ's Journey. Of which, T credits much of his success to his wife Paula, who has been on side from the start.

"She should be the one you're interviewing," he jokes.

In fact, T says the book was entirely his wife's idea. People wanted to know so much about what he did at MuchMusic, specifically his interviews with the likes of J-Lo and Janet Jackson that she thought it a good idea to put it all together in a book format.

Originally the book was supposed to be based around the celebrities only, but Young had become a celebrity in his own right. In collaborating with his wife and author Dalton Higgins, a relaxed conversational discussion about the life of Master T emerged.

"I have to give a lot of credit to my wife and Dalton," he tells S&H.ca. "Paula remembered so much stuff especially from the early years that I had forgotten and I would dictate it. Dalton was painlessly writing everything down I transcribed.

Photography: courtesy Tony Young

One of Master T's favourite family photos

"They made the book take shape and in about a year and half the book was completed. It was a difficult process writing a book, things became really tense by the third transcript, reading and re-reading."

As intense as it got inside his home regarding the book, it was apparent it was just as tense at his old stomping ground. MuchMusic would have a lot to fear from this publication since nothing had ever been written to give insight about the workings of the nation's only music station.

"What I thought interesting was that someone was assigned to read the book," says T. "And since I didn't leave there on the best of notes and I could have torn a strip off those concerned … but what it came down to for me was this wasn't a book about stripping down anyone because it wasn't what my career there was about."

T says what he wants people to understand from the book is that MuchMusic helped in taking him on a journey that cannot be dismissed or discredited. He wanted to share the journey and show how the station grew as well.

"I'm working on a lot of things, my next compilation CD should be ready for late February, early March, called Master T's Urban Vibes Volume one," he says. "Paula and I are working on the DVDs, some music related and a West Indian comedy based in Canada and Jamaica. I'm also working on putting together a radio show with a radio production company with a syndicated format heavily based in personalities in music."

The 42-year-old is also looking back at the medium that took him to his present popularity - television. But this time he's looking at ownership.

"I'm trying to figure out the vehicle that best suits me. I'm looking at ideas out there. I must have the time and I have to own it," he says. "Everything takes time … my long term goal is have my own black television station and it's not far-fetched for us to have our own."

T's multi-genre music knowledge has earned him an enormous fan base that runs the gamut from pre-teen boppers to true hip hoppers along with the dancehall massive and all his cool-cats, making it hard for him to leave the interview unnoticed.

When three excited pre-teens realize they were looking at Master T they couldn't help but get his autograph, and like the Master cool cat that he is, he stopped, smiled and took it all in with a stride.