Sunday, 4 March 2012

Music makes the world go 'round

At the top of my list of Canadian Hip Hop artists is Shad. Shad is a little different from some of the other artists I have posted and I think that everyone can appreciate his music. I hope there are some of you who have heard of him and take pleasure in such a great artist. If this is your first time you have even heard his name or music, I believe you will enjoy it and may even find yourself continuing to listen to him.

Shad or Shad K, born Shadrach Kabang, is a Canadian hip hop artist. He was born in Kenya and was raised in London, Ontario. Shad’s music has been described as an ‘old soul.’ His sound resembles that of some of the old school hip hop artists. He has stated that he grew up listening to artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and Maestro and are influences on his style of music. He is a lyrical genius. It is true that his music is thoughtful and reflective. Real meaning and soul are put into all of his lyrics and sound. Interesting facts: he never uses the F-word in any of his songs and has a Master's degree in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University.

To learn a little bit more about Shad watch here. This is a great interview of him at the CBC Hip Hop Summit in 2011.
Shad’s last album, TSOL, was released in 2010. You can find more of his music on his Myspace. The latest music from Shad can be heard on his Mixtape released in December 2011. Listen to it here
He is on tour right now in Canada and will be coming to Toronto on March 22.

One of my favourite Shad song's 'Keep Shining.'

The day I discovered he collaborated with another one of my favourite Canadian artists, City and Colour (Dalls Green) was a great day. 'Live Forever' is always on repeat. The mixture between the two genres creates a perfect song. Listen to 'Live Forever' below. I'm hoping there is more of this to come.


A group that has toured with Shad and other groups such as Bedouin Soundclash is Grand Analog. They perform all of their instruments live, even the kazoo!
All of their songs are great…they even have one featuring Shad.
Listen to 'Electric City' below.
Listen to more of their music here.

4 comments:

  1. You got me addicted to live forever... I don't really appreciate that I can't get it out of my head but thanks!

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  2. While I find your blog a little overwhelming at times due to my lack to understanding of hip hop and the culture that surrounds it, I think you do a very good job of explaining things in a way that anyone could follow. I appreciate that you focus on Canadian artists and culture in your blog. Also anything with City and Colour can't be all bad.

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  3. Ever since you posted this I have been listening to Live Forever on repeat as well! I've heard of Shad, but never really looked into much of his stuff. I will now!

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  4. I've been a fan of Shad for some time now. It's great that you are writing about some of the great Canadian hip hop that is out there that some people may not know about.

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