shad2Shadrach Kabango, or as most of his fans know him as, Shad K, is one of the most well-respected modern artists in the hip-hop community today. At age thirty-one, the flourishing emcee, who hails from Ontario, Canada, has been creating note-worthy hip-hop for nearly a decade now. From his first album in 2005, up until his recent 2013 release, Shadrach has been fully saturating the culture of hip-hop with a pristine catalog of refreshing and lyrically-captivating music. Shad, who clearly takes immense pride in his socially and morally cognizant music, also has an uncanny ability to relate and apply his love of sports and his fondness of humor, into his music and lyrics. With a truly authentic an inspired approach to his craft, Shad has constructed a potent catalogue of music that is some of the most thought-provoking and stimulating hip-hop currently accessible.  

We caught up with Shad earlier this week, and talked to him about everything from his childhood, to his love for the NBA, the inspirations and influences behind his music, the labels placed on hip-hop artists, and his thoughts on following your dreams. 

Shad, for our readers who may not be familiar with you or your music, can you start off by talking a little bit about your childhood. You were born in Kenya and then your family moved to Canada where you spent the majority of your childhood, correct?

Yeah, so I came to Canada when I was a year old. My family is from Rwanada, and my parents actually live there now. They retired and ended up moving back. But yeah, after moving to Canada, I grew up in a city called London, Ontario, which is halfway between Toronto and Winsdor and Detroit. It’s kind of a mid-sized town and a pretty ordinary place. So that is home to me. As far as music, All four of my albums were released while I was based in Canada.

Was music prevalent in your household growing up? When do you remember it first being accessible and becoming a part of your memories?

We actually weren’t like a crazy music household as a whole. It was more just me and my sister, as kids, that got into music and whatever was on the radio. While we didn’t have access to MTV, we had a station called MuchMusic, so that was really our thing. As far as what we listened to, when we were growing up it was mostly whatever was on the radio along with the videos that were being played on television. That’s kind of what we were into, and given that it was during the 80’s and 90’s, there was always a lot of hip-hop being played. So when I got a little bit older and it was time to mess around with music and see what I could create with my friends, hip-hop really came pretty natural.

You mentioned that  Common’s third album, One Day It’ll all Make Sense, is one of the most influential albums that you were initially introduced to. I share that same affinity for it, as it was right around that time, between 1996 and 1997, that I really started to develop an appreciation for what would end up being some of my favorite hip-hop artists of all-time. Was it around those same years, when you realized that hip-hop was something you had a deep passion for?

Yeah, definitely. I think that was right around like ninth or tenth grade, and that was when I was first experiencing things like free-styling with my friends. I mean I was a big fan of music prior to that, but that was definitely one of the first albums that made me go like, “Whoa, some guys are just on a whole other level with this.” Like, in terms of what Common was doing as a lyricist, and some of the subjects he was tackling on that album. It was definitely influential for me as far as just appreciating music on a whole different level. It was essential in that transition from just being a kid watching music videos and seeing music as “yeah, that was a cool video”, and “that wasn’t a cool video”, to being like, “Wow. There is some very real music out there.”

Any other specific albums that were equally as influential for you?

Yeah, definitely on like a deeper level, when I was in high school, Outkast’s Aquemini was a such an important album for me.

I’m with you there, man. ‘Kast is my #1 group of all time.

Yeah, I think they are still ahead of most artists today, and it’s crazy because that album is fifteen years old. So yeah, Aquemini was huge for me. A couple others would be Rass Kass’ Soul On Ice album, and then De La Soul’s, Stakes Is High. To me, those were all like mind-blowing, next level kind of influential albums.

You self-financed your first album, When This Is Over, with the money you won in a radio talent competition, and then your second album, The Old Prince, was received so well in Canada that it was nominated for the Juno and Polaris Prize Awards. For those unfamiliar, can you explain the significance of what those awards mean in Canada?

Yeah, so those are the main music awards we have in Canada. The Juno’s would be our Grammy’s, or I guess more accurately, the BRIT Awards if you were in Britain, because the Grammy’s aren’t necessarily limited by country. The Polaris Music Prize would be like the Mercury Prize in Britain, or in America, it is called the Shortlist Music Prize. The actual writers vote on the Polaris, so with that specific award, it is more in the realm of the critics being the ones awarding the artists.

So, The Old Prince didn’t end up winning that year, but three years later in 2011, your third album, TSOL, actually did win the Juno Award. You beat out Drake in that category, who is obviously the most popular rapper Canada has ever produced. Was that one of the first moments you had, where you thought to yourself like, “Wow, this is really all actually happening.”?

Yeah, that was quite something. When going up against a guy like Drake who is so huge, especially in Canada, you don’t really expect to win the award in that situation. So yeah, that was a big surprise and a really special moment. At that time I did feel like I had my career off the ground and running in Canada, so it was just a cool thing to be able to bring to the fans and say like, “Hey, this is something that we’ve done together. This award is for all of us”. That was definitely a very special moment in my life.

If someone were to search the internet for reviews of your music and albums, it’s a pretty common theme that a lot of critics and writers label your style of hip-hop as “conscious” or “intelligent” rap. While that is intended to be a compliment, doesn’t labeling hip-hop like that kind of box-in an artists’ creative efforts?

Yeah, I think a lot of rappers kind of hate that label, you know? It’s a form of pigeon-holing and I think the artists who get labeled that way, may see it as kind of a slight to our peers and other rappers that don’t necessarily get that label. I mean, there’s definitely worse things to be called (laughs). As long as you don’t box yourself in as an artist, you know, as long as you don’t say “OK, well I guess this is who I have to be, or what I have to be”, and you can allow yourself to be a person who just creates, I think it’s OK. I mean, I think what I have trouble with the most, and what I really don’t like, is the idea and perception that there are two categories of rap, and that one is intelligent, and the other isn’t. I think it’s much more fluid than that.

So essentially what may be perceived by some as “unintelligent” rap, should really just be viewed as an alternate form of creative intelligence?

Exactly. You know, it’s possible for an artist to make one song that is really simple and not very intellectual, and then the next song they make could be greatly intellectual. So you can’t really say that artist fits neatly into any specific category. So yeah, I think that’s something that happens a lot, that is harder to swallow. I can understand why people label certain artists in that way, I just personally don’t do it. When it comes down to it, I make the music I make and I’m glad I get to make it. One of the tools I definitely think I have, is a little bit of wit and wisdom, and that’s what I try to use to entertain people, and engage them, and share my perspective with them.

When I introduce your catalogue and music to people, some of the words I tend to use in explaining the specific style of hip-hop are adjectives like “authentic”, “genuine” and “hopeful”. Something special about the way you approach your music, is that you really embrace your character and have a large sense of pride in it, but you’re also very self-aware and have quite a bit of humility, which all show forth in your lyrics. If someone with zero knowledge of your music, asked you to explain your style to them, how would you characterize it?

I would maybe borrow from your description of it. My musical persona is pretty close to who I am as a person. As soon as I first starting rapping, I was referring to myself as Shad. You know, no other rap name really came to me, it has always just been an extension of who I am and my personality. I think I had fun with taking who I am on a day to day basis and making that person into an entertainer somehow. I thought that was kind of fun and exciting, and it just came very naturally. Beyond that, I would say that yes, I agree with you in that my music is hopeful. It’s like I’m always trying to find some hope. Even if the music goes into some darker places, it’s like I’m only going there to try and find some meaning and something positive. My music goes in a lot of different directions and dives into a lot of different topics, but it ultimately comes down to my journey through life and just trying to find some hope, find some meaning, and have fun at the same time.

I want to highlight a couple different lyrics of yours that obviously carry a lot of significance and meaning with them, and then have you touch on where you were coming from when writing them. On the track, Rose Garden (TSOL), you profess “There’s no such things as halfway crooks or half righteous. Those who have eyes should act like it. Help the sightless, seeking the light switch.” Isn’t this kind of a play on what your ultimate life advice would be? Using the qualities you were blessed with to help anyone that can benefit from them?

Yeah totally, that’s really what that comes down to. It’s basically just referring to the importance of not just sitting back with what positive qualities you’ve been given, and instead embracing them and using them to their fullest capability, by helping others that may be in need of them.

 And then on the song, Keep Shining (TSOL), you convey “You can’t be everything to everyone, so let me be anything to anyone.”‘ 

I’m trying to think of exactly what inspired that, but I really like that line, and I think what I was getting at was that, throughout your life you just have to understand that you can’t please everybody. And beyond that, sometimes you can’t even necessarily please the people that you really want to please. You’re not always going to gain the admiration and respect of the people that you’d want it from the most. You can’t always make the kind of contributions that you want to make, but you can at least make a contribution. In the context of sports for example, we can’t all necessarily be Michael Jordan, you know? Even on a certain team you can’t necessarily be the main man, but you can make a contribution on that team, and find your role, and contribute and play an important part to the overall success. It’s the same way in life, and that’s what I was trying to get at when I wrote that.

In some fashion, a lot of your lyrics have a way of giving the listener advice for different scenarios they may come across in their day to day life, and really a lot of your words are laced with encouragement to the listener to progress as a quality individual. When it’s all said and done, what do you really want a listener to gain and take away from your music after listening to it?

I think ultimately what I want, as you said earlier, is just for my fans to gain a sense of hope. At the end of the day, that’s ultimately what I’m trying to get at. I want it to be a fun listen, but what I’m really trying to provide is some encouragement and some inspiration. I just want there to be a sense of that, and not necessarily explicitly in the lyrics. I mean, hopefully in the lyrics, but even if it’s not in that, just something hopeful that the listener senses in the music itself, that they can take with them and apply in their life.

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So while there is a lot of weight and substance in your lyrics, on the other end, a constant theme throughout your catalogue is using sports references to keep certain tracks light and humorous. Can you kind of touch on how relevant sports was and still currently is in your life?

Yeah, I definitely grew up loving sports. At this point basketball is mainly the one sport that I follow, and the one sport that I play. It’s really the only form of exercise that I enjoy (laughs). As far as how that love ended up applying to my music and lyrics, it’s like because my music is kind of conversational, you know sports is a thing that constantly enters into everyday conversation, so that’s always felt kind of natural for me. And yeah, it’s also a away to introduce some type of levity in my music as well.

You also use sports as a way to shed light on everyday situations or scenarios people may go through. In Telephone, which is about a deteriorating relationship with a woman, you articulate, “Lessons learned on hurt and discipline, and repair. Still need a lot of work like Michigan. State improves when my Pistons win.” When broken down to its simplest form, isn’t sports very similar to both the good and bad momentum that people endure on a daily basis?

Yeah totally. You know, it’s funny how much you can learn from sports, too. Just growing up and playing them and being around them, it can teach you so much about things like momentum, and it just has so many lessons intertwined in it, really.

You hear some people talk about how trivial sports are, and that in the big scheme of things, “they don’t mean anything”. But I’d combat that by saying that for many people, sports was and is the most affluent teacher, especially in adolescence, of these really crucial life lessons, such as relationship building, internal ambition, and being able to handle both extremes of that said momentum.

Definitely. I think that’s exactly why people get drawn to sports. There are these specific emotions that are constant in sports, that people can relate to in life. Even just seeing the process of teams and players working hard towards championships, that mirrors peoples own struggles. Yeah, sports definitely carry those same emotions and struggles that people face in everyday life, and I think that’s why it can become so personal.

In staying with that mirroring theme, why do you think sports, and I guess more specifically basketball, is so relatable and important to the culture of hip-hop, and vice versa?

Yeah, at some point both the hip-hop and basketball cultures became very close. It definitely has something to do with just the demographic as they both connect deeply with youth culture and black culture, but at some point they became deeply intertwined, and really, all rappers want to be basketball players, and all basketball players want to be rappers. Their cultures and make-ups are very similar, and maybe it’s because of the individuality of it. You know with there only being five guys on the court for a team, there is definitely an element of self-expression there, you know? That sense of individuality isn’t necessarily there in other major team sports, like football and soccer, where there’s a whole bunch of guys on the same playing field. Also, the designed plays in those sports are very structured, and in basketball there is more of a sense of free, self expression in the actual game play. So in a way, that style and individuality that is in both basketball and rap, end up influencing each other.

Even from a fan’s perspective, basketball is really the most personal and relatable sport. Everything from how close fans actually get to sit to the gameplay and getting such an intimate experience while in attendance, to also the marketing of the players, where the superstars are really intently packaged and marketed to the fans watching at home.

Totally, and I think there’s just this huge element of personal artistry in basketball that fans can relate to. In terms of everything from like dunking, to passing, to ball-handling. There’s just that huge form of self-expression in it, and that style almost makes it feel like it’s one big expressional dance.

Speaking of the art of passing, when we talked previously, you mentioned that John Stockton is your favorite player of all time. I don’t really like getting into the conversations and listings of the “best players” of all time, because there is truly no way to properly compare different positions and eras and accurately come up with a legitimate list. I think “favorite players” lists are much more indicative of someone’s relationship with the game of basketball. So in sticking with the whole LeBron, Mount Rushmore theme, and strictly speaking on your personal “favorites” of all-time, can you put four players at the top of your list?

Yeah. I guess I’ll start with Magic Johnson. To me, just “whew” (sighs). Magic was just an incredible leader and an incredible passer. You know, he has this special kind of energy, and you can see it in his face, he has that energy that is just so infectious. You know, there is a reason that all of his teams he played on were winning teams. From high school, to college, to the NBA. The guy won five championships in how many years, you know? It’s evident when you watch his style of play, and when you watch him on the court he just has this style of leadership and energy that was so special. So yeah, I’m a huge fan of his.

Obviously, John Stockton has a place up there?  

Yeah Stockton is definitely up there. You know, he’s a guy that I admire on a personal level, too. Just the kind of man he was, and how he lived out his career, and kept a low profile, and took care of his family. The way he played and worked, and the things he accomplished on the court were absolutely amazing, too. I was a point guard growing up and playing in high school, so just having that admiration for point guards, looking at and seeing his records and accomplishments, was really something that I found special. His assists and steals records were crazy. His assists record, especially. That will stand for a really long time. I don’t know if anyone will ever touch it. So yeah, just the way he went about his business in general, in a really unique way, and with a lot of integrity. You know, I also respected the way he played so hard, and obviously played to win, but winning wasn’t the most important thing for him at the end of the day. You get taught in sports that you should win at all costs, and he definitely played as hard as anyone, but he had so much integrity and there were things that were more important to him than winning. It was really important for him to stay in Salt Lake City and try and build a winner there, and also be in a stable place with his family.

Alright, who’s the third face getting chiseled out up there?

I have to put Tim Hardaway up there. I was a huge Tim Hardaway fan, and I still think he has the best crossover of all time. AI’s crossover was pretty crazy because he came in with the long crossover, but Tim’s sort of like quick, two directional, change crossover was insane. I loved watching him play, and he carried that same kind of style that I was so drawn to.

And the final spot?

I mean, I got to say MJ.

There’s really not much explanation needed with that one.

(laughs) No, you know, he was just.. (thinking) he was MJ, man. Six champions, and it could have been eight or nine pretty easily. It’s just amazing to me, to see a guy that even Magic and Bird and players of that caliber, talk about like “this guy is the guy”, you know?

Exactly. In some of that initial footage from the Dream Team, the players were talking about how unbelievably intense those inter-squad practices were, and that when it came down to it, they all knew when it was time to defer to MJ. When it was MJ time, it was MJ time. Which is crazy, because that’s some of the best players of all-time who were realizing and respecting that.

Which is seriously amazing to see. To have guys that are on that level, and be aware of their impact on the history of basketball, but still be able to say “he’s the best.” Like that is really special, you know? MJ was just so amazing.

We both grew up in the golden era of 90’s NBA, but being that the league struggled for a little bit, and is probably now at it’s best since the 90’s era, can you compare the glory days back then to today’s game, in regard to athleticism and talent levels?

I honestly think the talent level now, is as good as it’s ever been. Like, I’m kind of blown away at the talent and athleticism. Just watching some of these guys is unbelievable. Yeah man, I remember watching the playoffs last year and seeing Harrison Barnes (exhales) throw down this incredible dunk, and I’m sitting there thinking to myself like, this guy isn’t even one of the best in the league and he’s doing this absolutely amazing stuff. The talent level and the athleticism now is seriously just crazy.

There are some major differences in the fundamentals of the game from back then to now though, wouldn’t you agree?

Yeah, the way the guys played the game was definitely different back then. Going back to the 92′ Dream Team, if you just watched the way that all of those guys could pass, and knock down the open jump shots. There is also a huge difference in the big guys from now and then, too. At that time, there were just some unstoppable post players, who really worked on their low post game and developed these all-around fundamentals. If you think about Karl Malone, he had no holes in his game. Zero holes in his game, man. He was gigantic, he could run the floor, he could draw fouls, he could face up and hit a jump shot and would never miss. You have these amazingly athletic big men in the league today, like Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin, but they aren’t like a Karl Malone or a Hakeem Olajuwon, who was another player who had zero holes in his game. Even Patrick Ewing, with that face-up jump shot and just being a fundamentally sound beast down low. So yeah, the athleticism in today’s game is probably at the best it’s ever been, but those fundamentals that were present in the 90’s may not be so anymore.

Where do you think that lack of structure and fundamentals derives from?

I don’t know if it’s because guys took more time to develop back then, not that I blame guys for leaving school early now a days at all, but maybe that is a big part of it. The lack of post presence from big men in today’s game, is really one thing I don’t understand at all though. I saw this mini-documentary about the hook shot and Kareem’s sky-hook, and they were asking him “why don’t you think anyone wants to learn the sky hook?“, and he was like (laughs), “I don’t know, maybe because it’s ugly.”

It was the most unstoppable move of all time.

Yeah, you know! It was so effective. I think there was a time when guys were trying to get that in their repertoire, but I’m not sure why they aren’t interested in that anymore.

Maybe it really is just a case of players being too athletic. Like, why focus on the basics and perfect these fundamentally sound moves, when I can just jump over you?

Yeah, it could be just that, and then they don’t really have to develop all of those core skills. I mean if you look at some of the point guards in the league today, guys like Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever before seen a kind of athlete at the point guard position, like Derrick Rose. And Westbrook is just so fierce, as a competitor and just his style of play in general. And a guy like John Wall, too. There’s always been quick point guards, but now it’s just on a whole different level.

Who are some of your favorite players to watch in the league today? I know you reference James Harden in your lyrics from time to time.

Yeah, I like James Harden a lot. I think because his style of play, just like Manu Ginobili, is so unorthodox and shifty and just interesting to watch. I do love watching the Spurs. Just the passing and chemistry they have, and Tony Parker being such a crafty point guard. I love watching the Thunder.  Kevin Durant like constantly makes me shake my head, man. I really don’t know how anyone is going to be able to guard this guy. Yeah, Durant is probably my favorite player to watch right now.

Finals prediction for this year? Who’s playing and who is holding the trophy at the end of the year?

Oh man, that’s tough. I still think Miami will get past Indiana this year and get out of the East. In the West, I don’t know though. It’s so hard to choose one team in that conference. It may come down to which of those top teams is the healthiest during the playoffs. I like San Antonio, but they don’t play well against the elite teams. I don’t know how they’ll fare, but I know that last year was really heartbreaking for them, so they are extremely motivated this year.

Every time I think San Antonio’s athletic window is closing, they seem to stay at the top of the conference, but this really may be their last year of that possible championship window.

Yeah, definitely. This is probably their last chance at a serious run for a championship.

So you’re going Miami and San Antonio?

Man, you know what, I don’t think San Antonio does well enough against the elite teams to come out of the West this year. It might be Oklahoma City. Houston is tough, and they are exciting. The West is really fun to watch this year. Houston can run, Oklahoma City can run, Golden State can run, and obviously the Clippers can run. The West is seriously tough. But come playoff time, I think Durant does his thing. I’m really excited to watch what he does in the playoffs this year.

Yeah, the playoffs seem to get better and better each year. I have to take Miami for the three-peat, simply because of LeBron being in this certain stage of his career where he now knows he can take over a game at any point. Whereas earlier in his career he seemed to be timid in some of those bigger moments.

Man, LeBron can control games in so many ways, and that’s really the scary thing. But you know, the thing I think about LeBron, is that he doesn’t have that MJ or Kobe scoring gene, where he can just turn on the scoring when it matters most. I mean, he’s going to score on you no matter what, because he’s Lebron James, but I don’t think he has that MJ or Kobe thing. That when it’s the 4th quarter in a tight game, that mentality of I’m going to score on you no matter what. I’m still not a huge believer in his post game. I think it’s improved a lot, but it’s not like what Michael’s went on to become, where it was just extremely reliable at all times. I’m not deathly afraid when LeBron has the ball in a tight game in the 4th quarter, unless he has a hot hand going into it.

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I know you just recently finished up your tour, wrapping up in Canada. The tour was promoting your latest album, Flying Colours. How’d the tour go, and what’s next on the Shad K agenda?

The tour was awesome, man. It was my favorite tour I’ve ever done. The fans were amazing and I really had a lot of fun with this one. In terms of what’s next, It’ll be pretty quiet until the Summer. We are doing some festivals in the summer, mostly in Canada. We will also play some dates on the west coast in the states, too. We’re looking at Seattle and Portland, and then on down to San Francisco and Los Angeles. So yeah, that’s pretty much it, man. Just looking forward to the summer and playing through it, and then hopefully working on some new music after all of that.

Luckily, I got to catch one of your three scheduled shows in the states, in Chicago. What was the reasoning behind such a limited amount of US shows being scheduled on the tour? Is that something that comes down to not knowing exactly where your fans are located at in the US?

Yeah, that’s mainly the thing. You know, because I’m not there, I don’t really know where there’s interest and if there’s interest. So it’s a bit of a risk in booking shows without that knowledge. I think the West coast run will be nice to just kind of dip in there for a week, and see what’s going on, and get a sense of what’s going on, on the ground. The Chicago show was a lot of fun, man. I really liked that venue and being there.

Touching on the subject of not knowing exactly where your fans reside at outside of Canada, and hoping to reach people all over the World with your music. In your opinion, what are the biggest hurdles in today’s music industry, in attaining that widespread mass reach?

I think in general the challenge with music, and what can be a gift as well, is that there’s just some things that are out of your control. You can do the work, you can make the music that you want to make and get it out there, but for some reason there are just variables that you can’t control that can sometimes work in your favor and sometimes work against you. It may be the way the wind is blowing one day, and sometimes people’s attention is just elsewhere. When it comes to your music, you truly have to realize that you can’t control everything that you want to control.

The platforms to reach fans have never been better, and from a fan’s perspective, the accessibility to an artist has never been so clear. But, I also feel like there are so many really talented artists who have limited fan bases, and it’s difficult to really pin point why. Is it a case of there just being so much content out there for people to choose from?

Yeah, that is definitely a factor. I think the climate now, because of all of those platforms that exist and everything, fortunately I think they’re such, that if you keep going, and keep doing your thing, and the music is truly good, and you just continue to do it, you’ll get something, you know? You might not get as big of fan base as some other artists, but you’ll get something. Whereas before in music, there was a lot of barriers and you could be a great artist, but if the gate keepers didn’t let you in, then you weren’t getting in. But now, if you keep doing your thing, you’ll get something and you’ll eventually find your place.

Finally, in finishing with that, can you give some advice or words of wisdom to any artists, or really anyone in general, who is currently in pursuit of their goals, but might be going through some of those inevitable hurdles along the way? 

My advice would just be enjoy the process and every step of the way. I think that’s a lot of the fun of it. Just enjoy the ride and everything that comes along with it. Also, I would say that most importantly, don’t second guess yourself. Don’t second guess taking that chance on yourself, your ideas, what you’d really love to do and what you feel you can have a contribution in. I think you at least owe that to yourself, you know? Just take a chance, and if it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I think you’ll never regret stepping out and taking a chance on yourself. It’s really a beautiful thing for someone to get to that place, man. To go out and say, “I’m going to try and make my contribution to the world by doing something that I truly love.” Whether it pans out or not, you can rest easy knowing that you tried, and that’s so awesome. There is something about giving your dreams a shot, that allows you to enjoy the process of it, no matter how tough it may be.

You just reminded me of a quote that I love, and it applies to the title of one of your tracks, Keep Shining, as well. The quote is, “Don’t cheat the world of your shine”. That’s essentially what your above advice is getting at, right?  

No doubt, man. It’s such a big thing to recognize. You have a contribution to make, and the world needs it. You have to try to make it happen. You owe it to the people of the world, just as much you do to yourself.

Awesome, Shad. I really appreciate you taking the time and sharing some of your insight into the things you are passionate about. Your ability to relate with your fans is something that makes you and your music very special. Best of wishes this year in your travels, and on the journey that your music will take you.

Hey man, thank you so much. That means a lot and really feels great to hear. Take care, and I’ll see you back in Chicago.

 

We constructed a Spotify playlist of some of our favorite music from Shad’s catalogue. You can stream it right here below, or find it on our Spotify page HERE. 

Shad currently has four albums out: When This Is Over (2005), The Old Prince (2007), TSOL (2010), and Flying Colours (2013). To keep up with Shad, his future shows, and future music, you can find his website HERE, his Facebook page HERE, or follow him on Twitter HERE.  

Writer- [Michael Blair]

Below are a few choice videos from Shad’s last three albums: 

Rose Garden (TSOL) 

I Don’t Like To (The Old Prince)

Stylin’ (Flying Colours)

Keep Shining (TSOL)