The best of Shad’s previous four albums
TORONTO With respect to Shad’s award-winning career in cerebral hip hop, it’s likely many Canadians first heard the 32-year-old’s voice as he played guest host of CBC-Radio’s Q.
Now that CBC has named Shad the full-time successor to Jian Ghomeshi, The Canadian Press presents a list of highlights from Shad’s four critically acclaimed albums.
1. I’ll Never Understand — from 2005’s When This Is Over
Interweaving chilling spokenword soliloquies from his grandmother had reflects on the inconceivable horrors of the Rwandan genocide that tore his family apart. With a restrained whisper, he raps: “I’ll never understand how people can go on and live/ The miracle of finding the strength to forgive.”
2. Brother (Watching) — from 2007’s The Old Prince
Over a spine-tingling sample of Isley Brothers’ Brother, Brother, Shad probes the world’s “crazed infatuation with blackness.” With an eye to his upbringing in London, Ont., he examines the pressure leveraged on young blacks to assimilate with their mostly white peers while also proving their stereotypical black bona fides, rapping: “You’re expected to have mastered this smooth swagger and move with the right walk, the right talk, fashion and crews.” Kanye West praised the track on his blog.
3. The Old Prince Still Lives at Home — from 2007’s The Old Prince
Here’s Shad at his most lighthearted, rapping through a grin about the rarely hailed pleasures of living with your parents. With a clever Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-themed video — if only BuzzFeed
You’re expected to have mastered this smooth swagger and move with the right walk, the right talk. SHAD
and Jimmy Fallon were mining for viral gold back in 2007 — he gradually comes to simply find cheer in cheapness, including this nugget of post-grad wisdom: “Why get a bed and a couch when you can slouch on a futon instead?”
4. Yaa I Get It — from 2010s TSOL
And here’s your reminder that Shad can rap with the best of them. Over a flaring beat, he sprints through bars like he’s on a pub-crawl, dropping rap-a-tat references to Method Man, Jet Li, Microsoft XP and even fleet-footed outfielder Otis Nixon. He even takes a rare dip in braggadocio, breathlessly testifying to his own status as “Rakim, North Pole edition.” No arguments here.
5. Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrants) — from 2013’s Flying Colours
Once again, Shad finds creative soil near his family tree. As the guitars make clear, though, this time it’s a celebration.