Born in Kenya, of Rwandan parents, Shad was raised in London, Ontario. His mother worked in London as a hospital lab technician; his father, as a machinist. He attended London Central Secondary School.
His debut album When This Is Over (2005) was self-made, financed with the $17,500 he won from 91.5 The Beat's Rhythm of the Future talent competition during his time as an undergraduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University. The album is recognized for Shad's self-deprecating lyrics which is often atypical of the current rap scene and focusing on social causes—for example, the track I'll Never Understand examines the Rwandan genocide and includes poetry written by his mother, Bernadette Kabango.
In 2007, he was signed by Black Box Recordings and released his second album, The Old Prince. In 2008, The Old Prince received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize. The Album also nominated him for two MMVA Awards and won him a 2009 Indie Award.
In May of 2010, Shad released his third album, TSOL, to excellent reviews and a wider reception than any of his work to date. TSOL was a short-list nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, the video for the song "Rose Garden" received a nomination for a 2011 MuchMusic Video Award, and the album won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2011 Juno Awards.
Shad's fourth album, Flying Colours, was released on October 15, 2013. This album was nominated for the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2014, and was a short-list nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize. In 2016, he released a 90s-influenced soft-rock album, Adult Contempt, under the pseudonym Your Boy Tony Braxton.
His sixth album, A Short Story About a War, was released in October 2018 on Secret City Records and included collaborations with Lido Pimienta, Kaytranada, Ian Kamau, Eternia, and Yukon Blonde. The album was short-listed for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize, marking Shad's 4th Polaris short-list nomination. In June 2021, Shad announced his new album, TAO, would be released October 1, 2021. TAO was short-listed for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize.
Shad is bilingual, speaking English and French. He holds a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a master's degree in liberal studies from Simon Fraser University.
Listen
Shad Lyrics
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Tryin to listen to Jesus its hard as fake boobs
At times i stay tuned hear the bread break
And grape juice and grey goose gossiple
Prelude let it play through
I'm listenin to Mr J Medeiros and Nicolay
While I'm hearing drips of rain
Hit against the window pane
When it plays i hear the bullets penetrate
MLK, soul levitate
When the plane starts to escalate
Top gun, take my breath away
Its time to press and play
Drop the needle then step away
Hear whats said off the record
Before theres nothin left to say
In my room listenin to sermon Gershwin,
Earth wind, and fire
Listenin to persons i admire
Searchin for higher learnin like ice cube
On i-tunes, listenin to grown men
Rappin like it's highschool
Listenin to friends talk, hearin my pen stop
Used to write first, now i try to listen then jot
Listenin to pop like reddenbachs
City to the boondocks
Can't you hear the games like a jukebox?
Cause you gotta pay to play
And theres no lay-away
hearin from folks caught in real snares, no 808
Real talk, my vocals go and slay the tape
I say it straight and never twice
No fake delay
Listen with the volume down, push the sound back
If every lifes a movie all our soundtracks
Sound like sound clash
All our sounds bleeding in
To each other no sound reasonin
Stop, breathe again, listen
Music is a great way to heal
And a safe place to feel
Trapped in this fake world
A gateway to real
It's a great way to heal
And a safe place to feel
Trapped in this fake world
A gateway to real
Listenin to sounds in a space thats vacant
Profound and deep, underground as basements
And quiet as kept but i found it sacred
A sage said silence is the sound of patience
Listen
The lyrics of Shad's song Listen are deep and reflective. He begins by listing the different kinds of music he listens to in order to find a connection with spirituality. He mentions "strange fruit," which refers to the song by Billie Holiday that speaks about the lynching of African Americans in America. He also mentions Beirut, which is a city that has been ravaged by war and conflict. He refers to the difficulty of finding Jesus in the midst of all the noise and distractions of the modern world. Shad emphasizes the importance of listening and understanding before speaking, as he talks about hearing the raindrops hit against the window pane.
As the song continues, Shad reflects on the different kinds of music he listens to and their various messages. He describes listening to Gershwin, Earth wind & fire, and Ice Cube, as well as pop music and rap. He emphasizes the importance of really listening to the sounds around us and trying to understand what they are telling us. He talks about the value of music as a healing and affirming force in the midst of a world that can be tough to navigate.
The final verse of the song brings it all together. Shad describes the experience of listening to sounds in a space that is vacant or empty. He finds profound meaning in the stillness and silence, realizing that this is where true patience and understanding can be found. At its core, Listen is a song about the power of listening to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Listenin to strange fruit, Jay root and beirut
I'm listening to a diverse range of music, including Strange Fruit, Jay Root, and Beirut.
Tryin to listen to Jesus its hard as fake boobs
It's difficult to truly listen to Jesus, like it's difficult to take fake boobs seriously.
At times i stay tuned hear the bread break
Sometimes I focus on the sound of bread being broken, like during communion.
And grape juice and grey goose gossiple
I'm also listening to the gossip that comes with grape juice and Grey Goose.
Prelude let it play through
I let the prelude of a song play all the way through.
I'm listenin to Mr J Medeiros and Nicolay
I'm listening to Mr J Medeiros and Nicolay's music.
While I'm hearing drips of rain
I'm also hearing the sound of raindrops hitting my window.
Hit against the window pane
The raindrops are hitting against the glass pane of my window.
Hits on tape, hit parade 1968
I'm listening to music from 1968.
When it plays i hear the bullets penetrate
When I listen to certain songs, I can visualize the bullets penetrating someone's body.
MLK, soul levitate
Listening to MLK's speeches make me feel uplifted.
When the plane starts to escalate
When the song intensifies, making me feel like I'm on a plane taking off.
Top gun, take my breath away
The song reminds me of Top Gun, and can give me chills.
Its time to press and play
It's time to hit the play button.
Drop the needle then step away
I drop the needle on my record player and step away.
Hear whats said off the record
I want to hear the unfiltered, off the record conversations.
Before theres nothin left to say
Before it's too late and there's nothing left to say.
In my room listenin to sermon Gershwin,
In my room, I'm listening to music by Gershwin.
Earth wind, and fire
I'm also listening to music by Earth Wind and Fire.
Listenin to persons i admire
I'm listening to music by people that I admire.
Searchin for higher learnin like ice cube
I'm searching for knowledge and wisdom, like how Ice Cube raps about.
On i-tunes, listenin to grown men
I'm listening to music by mature men on iTunes.
Rappin like it's highschool
Even though they're mature, some of the people I'm listening to are rapping like they're in high school.
Listenin to friends talk, hearin my pen stop
I'm listening to my friends' conversations, which sometimes inspires me to stop writing.
Used to write first, now i try to listen then jot
I used to write immediately, but now I try to listen and take inspiration before I write.
Listenin to pop like reddenbachs
I'm listening to pop music, like Reddenbachs.
City to the boondocks
I'm listening to music from all different types of areas.
Can't you hear the games like a jukebox?
Can't you hear the games people play when they select songs like a jukebox?
Cause you gotta pay to play
Because you have to put in effort to get something out of it.
And theres no lay-away
There's no way to get it for free.
hearin from folks caught in real snares, no 808
I'm listening to people who are struggling, without the use of a bass drum machine.
Real talk, my vocals go and slay the tape
I speak honestly, and my voice sounds great on the recording.
I say it straight and never twice
I always speak my mind, and don't repeat myself.
No fake delay
I don't hesitate or stall.
Listen with the volume down, push the sound back
Listen closely, but don't turn the volume up too high.
If every lifes a movie all our soundtracks
Each person's life has its own soundtrack-like music.
Sound like sound clash
The different soundtracks mix together like a conflict.
All our sounds bleeding in
All our soundtracks are blending into each other.
To each other no sound reasonin
None of the soundtracks really make sense to each other.
Stop, breathe again, listen
Take a break, calm down, and listen again.
Music is a great way to heal
Music can be a helpful tool for healing.
And a safe place to feel
It can also be a comforting and safe space to feel emotions.
Trapped in this fake world
When I feel stuck in this artificial world.
A gateway to real
Music can be a way to connect to reality.
Listenin to sounds in a space thats vacant
I'm listening to the sounds in an empty and quiet place.
Profound and deep, underground as basements
The sounds are meaningful and emotional, like the deep basement of a building.
And quiet as kept but i found it sacred
It's a secret and private experience, but I hold it in high regard.
A sage said silence is the sound of patience
A wise person once said that being silent is a sign of patience.
Listen
The most important message: listen.
Contributed by Jeremiah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
NEWT BANGEM
A Sage said silence is the sound of patience "LISTEN" !
PrezPoet
One of those Shad lines that sticks with you.
Lee Venable
We need to get this music on like a big twitch channel and get it out there. Everyone needs to be introduced to his 2 masterpiece albums. This was over a decade ahead of it's time. 2021 needs this