Shad – “new Don”
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Shad is a interesting breed of rapper. The Canadian-resident and London-raised lyrical master was born in Kenya of Rwandan parents. Try to wrap your heads around all those cultural influences to which he has been exposed. I first got wind of his work with his 2010 record TSOL that was showered in praise, and rightly so. Yesterday he released Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, which you can grab here.
Shad raps mostly about religion, hockey, and, like many other rappers, his life experiences. His beats are smooth, interesting, and inventive. His lyrics are strikingly intelligent; Shad is a learned man. He clearly has a strong understanding of the Old and New Testaments (I really don’t, but I took a history of religion class in college and it was enough for me to know his references), and he LOVES hockey like most Canadians. Almost every song on his third studio album, TSOL, makes mention to something hockey related, including a comparison of himself to Wayne Gretzky (“The Great One”). Mind you his raps are not primarily about these things, they’re just his way of staying true to his multifaceted background. Definitely check out this guy. He spits effortlessly.
Check out the final song off his newest release right now.
