WHO: Addi “Mindbender” Stewart, 30, rapper and hip-hop journalist. Stewart shares the space with his roommate/“polyamorous lover,” Diane Iantorno, 27, massage therapist.

WHAT: Two-bedroom apartment above a storefront.

WHERE: Queen & Spadina.

HOW LONG: A year and a half.

LADIES LOVE COOL ADDI: “[Will] you really put ‘polyamorous lover’? I would love that,” cracks an unsure Stewart about the label making it into EYE WEEKLY (it helps that it’s the Love & Sex issue). Further prodding on the matter has Stewart elaborate on what makes a three-year-long open relationship work: “Freedom goes both ways. It’s a lot of honesty and we have certain rules in the house. Besides that, tell the truth and open your heart. Respect[ing] each other is basically the bottom line.”

THE STORY: If you’ve ever been to a hip-hop gig, it’s more than likely you spotted Adhimu “Mindbender” Stewart wilding out in the front row — a strange sight considering our city’s reputation as the capital of screw face. But walk up the small flight of stairs in his apartment, passing the white paint-chipped armoire with the Buddha portrait hanging above, and behold Stewart’s street cred–worthy home studio.

Floor-to-ceiling posters of icons such as RZA alter ego Bobby Digital and Organized Konfusion cocoon the two-computer set-up complete with recording mic and large speakers donated by friend DJ Extrodinaire. His shelves are filled with music-industry books and cherished mixtapes of old campus radio-recorded rap shows.

The converted bedroom also has a built-in wooden bunk bed that’s used to help store his hip-hop memorabilia, including a collection of every local rap flyer he’s come across in the past 10 years. “When they make a Canadian Hip-Hop Hall of Fame, I’ve got lots of contributions,” he adds.
Downstairs, the long-time Pound magazine columnist’s burgundy-hued living room features a furniture set (snagged for free from his part-time HMV gig) that calls to mind Bill Cosby’s cable-knit sweaters. Horizontal wavy mirrors open up the fresh pine-floored space.

Stewart’s history is reflected in decorative details like an antique broom from his Jamaican father that hangs above an archway; a portrait of De La Soul that his twin brother drew in pencil while they were still in high school; and tiny wicker fans from the wedding of his friend Alexis, who co-organized the highly successful In Divine Style weekly open mic at the old Hooch with him.
“It was one of the top five weekly hip-hop open mics in North American history,” he says of the 2001-2006 grassroots event that saw many a rap crew pass through.

A huge cheerleader for our local hip-hop scene — he makes sure to name-check favourite local artists such as Eternia, 4th Pyramid, Junia T and others in the conversation — Stewart is not only gearing up to kick-start the event again but is also readying next month’s release of his much-anticipated a cappella concept album Invisible Rhythm Showcase on URB. 

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