Polaris 2008 Preview: Shad

09/23/08 4:56pm

by Erik Leijon (CHARTattack)

London, Ont. hip-hop ruminator Shad (real name Shadrach Kabango) raps about still living with his parents on The Old Prince. But the Simon Fraser University grad student's album could place Canada's hip-hop prince in the Polaris Music Prize throne.

ChartAttack: You're getting older, but how do you feel you've grown by making The Old Prince?
Shad: I think with everything you make, you get a little more confident in your ideas as an artist. You trust yourself and you develop faith in what you're doing. As a person, I guess it's the same sort of thing because when you're putting your ideas out there, vocalizing the things you believe in, it kind of solidifies things for your mind as well.

What parts of Shadrach Kabango, the person, are most prevalent in Shad, the persona?
I would try to use wordplay and humour in order to engage people, but that's not really how I talk on a regular basis. My albums are definitely more heavy than I am in my normal life. The writer type side comes out, and I think a more serious side, too, since music is a way to express yourself and get things out. People who know me personally tend to be surprised at how serious my music is sometimes.

Tell me about this quest for glory we're all currently on?
It's a quest to become the kind of person we want to be. I think we all have that idea in our minds. It's always there. We always have the feeling that we can improve. Whether we want to treat people better or to be more responsible, we're always looking to improve ourselves.

In listening to "Brother," I was wondering how much of your development as a writer has been influenced in response to the narrow stereotypes of hip-hop you talk about?
I try to not make the way I write a reaction to it, and that's how the song concludes. Freedom is about not reacting to stereotypes, or negative and false portrayals of you or your people in the media. Freedom is about being yourself and not reinforcing or reacting to stereotypes, but just by doing your own thing.

One area of The Old Prince where you're very confident is assessing hip-hop and other rappers. Is hip-hop the one place where Shad feels like a king?
It is something that's very comfortable for me at this point. Hip-hop has always been something I've enjoyed and it has always come naturally to me. I wouldn't say it's where I feel the most at ease, but music is definitely a place where I feel comfortable.

How do you perceive yourself as being someone who still lives with his parents?
It's a weird thing because it's obviously not that bad of a situation, otherwise I would pick another one. But at the same time, there's a stigma of laziness attached to it, which is partially true as well. It's one of those funny situations where it's really not that bad, and that's why you stay there. But you wouldn't mind getting your own pad for the sake of feeling like a dude who has his things going on.

You talk a lot about money on The Old Prince. Does it bother you to not have a lot of it?
It doesn't bother me at all. Fortunately, I don't have a taste for nice things, so I wouldn't know what to get even if I had a lot of money. I don't really know why it comes up a lot. It's interesting. It's a part of my life, I guess.

In your quest for glory, where does finding love fit in?
I think it's more about finding the courage to love than it is to find a partner. That's where it fits in. You write about that one person waiting for you, but the real quest is finding the strength and character to really care for someone and sacrifice for that person.

In the title of the interlude, you suggest you may have wasted the last three years. Why don't you feel that hope for the future concerning your education?
I think it has less to do with education and more to do with life in general. I know for myself, and others feel the same way, is you just can't help but have this feeling that you could be doing more. You could be making more of an impact, and that's where the idea comes from. It's a less personal thing and more of me thinking universally. I think a lot of people can't help but have that feeling.

Is it difficult for you to write in such a self-analytical style?
For me, writing is hard in general, and it's hard to come across something I like. I'm rigorously analyzing myself, but I think maybe it is difficult because I always try to be honest and creative at the same time. That can be hard, but it's the only thing that interests me in music. So hard or not, it has to be done.