Shad: "I Don't Like Kobe"

Shadrach Kabango's ascent continues.

The Canadian hip-hop artist who's better known by his Shad moniker is growing into an unstoppable phenom. His self-made 2005 When This Is Over debut gained enough attention for a record deal, and two years later he returned with The Old Prince.

His sophomore album garnered a Juno nomination and was short listed for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize, while the memorable video for "The Old Prince Still Lives At Home" became an Internet hit.

Instead of rushing to capitalize on the momentum from The Old Prince, Shad methodically worked on his follow-up while working on a master's degree at Simon Fraser University. Last month, almost three years later, he released TSOL.

With clever and thought-provoking lyrics that soar above his previous efforts (explaining the history of his name on "A Good Name," and extolling the women in his life on "Keep Shining" are two of the many highlights on the disc), Shad is poised to hit higher heights as people discover the undeniable quality of TSOL.

Shad's currently on his cross-Canada headlining tour, and took some time to talk with CHARTattack about his new album, faith and getting nostalgic about his first show.

CHARTattack: Were you feeling any pressure having to follow-up the success of The Old Prince when you were writing these new songs?
Shad: Not really. I never really felt pressure. If anything, it was incentive or motivation to make new music. I didn't really consider it pressure.

Was there anything that happened in the studio that surprised you?
No, nothing crazy actually. It was a pretty straightforward process this time around. I had a lot of time to write, so when it came to recording, things came together as I expected. I didn't really have too many expectations for the end result. But from a song-by-song basis, it was pretty close to what I envisioned.

Were you reading/watching/listening to anything in particular that influenced TSOL?
Nothing really, in particular. When it came time to record, I was just thinking about song ideas. I can't say that there was anything in particular that influenced the album. If there was anything I was thinking about, it was about what I'm doing and my purpose for making another album.

What is your purpose for creating this album?
A lot if it just came down to the fact that I have the opportunity to do it. It's something I enjoy and I find purpose in that — this is what I get to do and what I like to do. Sometimes that's enough.

There's a line in TSOL's "Outro" where you say, "My heroes have the heart to lose the life I wanna live." Who are your heroes and what type of life do you want to live?
I heard in class that a revolutionary has to know when to die. It's like the comic book thing — you either die a hero or you live to see yourself become a villain.

I admire the people who have the courage to sacrifice for what they believe in. Everyone wants to be brave or wants to be seen as being brave, but there's a cost to that and I really admire the people willing to pay that cost.

There are a lot of great people throughout history. People like Nelson Mandela, who didn't happen to die, but there were a lot of people in that same struggle who did. Martin Luther King [Jr.]... the list goes on and on.

It's about living a life of selflessness.

How do you stay level-headed in an industry that's typically selfish instead of selfless?
That's always a challenge. A lot of it comes down to remembering why it is you do what you do, and to make sure what you do is for the right reason. It's not to be something else, or big and famous. It's to use the opportunity and any talents you have for something positive.

You're very honest and upfront in your lyrics, especially with your faith. To what extent do your beliefs play a role in your art?
I think that it plays a central role. I never considered it an aspect of my work, I think that it is the centre of everything. It affects my viewpoint, so it affects the ideas I express and it affects the way I express them. I think with anything to do with faith, the proof is in the pudding. It's not something that you really have to talk about — if it's there, it's there... if it's part of your life, then it's part of your life.

Is it a struggle for you to live the life you talk about in your music?
I don't think it's anything more than a good challenge. It's the kind of thing where if you believe certain things passionately enough to write a song about it, then it just gives you extra motivation and it's a reminder of those things. Every time I'm on stage or performing a number and someone is encouraged by it, that's a motivating thing for me.

I don't consider it that much of a difficulty, as much as it is a positive challenge. I think there's a difference sometimes — there are things that are difficulties and things that are real positive challenges. We all need to be pushed with positive challenges.

You've reached a level where you can set up a tour like the one you're on, play great clubs and have people come out. When you first started out, though, it obviously wasn't like that. I heard your first show was quite interesting. What was it like?
We got booked to play at this place that I'd never been to before. We got to the place, and I noticed there was a pole in the middle of the stage and there was a swing set hanging from the ceiling. It turned out it was like a lunchtime strip club or something, and at night it's a regular bar.

What was your reaction?
Well, when I saw the pole I thought, "That could be there for any reason." But when I saw the swing set I was like, okay...

With your last two albums, you had something to say about what's going on in basketball, so I was waiting to hear what you'd talk about on TSOL. But there's nothing. What happened?
I sort of thought about that, too. I didn't think anyone else would notice that. I don't know why. Basketball is the sport I follow the most. Maybe it's because Kobe [Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard] is winning and I don't like Kobe.