thesongotheday:

So, in celebration of the Polaris Prize’s shortlist announcement in 10 days, I’m going to countdown my favourite 10 albums ever nominated for the Canadian music prize, excluding long list nominees, and give y’all a taster while I’m at it. If you want some more information on the prize, check it out here.

9. Shad - Brother feat. B&F Kabango from The Old Prince.

Conscience hip hop just seems to attract the right crowd. I can’t think of a single example of a person dedicated to this style of rap who isn’t absolutely mind blowing in their word play. But, that doesn’t mean some aren’t better than others. Shad is one of the elites in this spectrum. You’ll find all the usual ingredients for an album of this ilk (Shad would defy this pattern in his third album, also Polaris short listed, T.S.O.L.). Heavy sampling of Motown and old R&B, live instrumentation, breaks for moments of spoken words that include very deep and introverted topics, etc. But the thing with Shad is his charm and humour. Even on the album’s more serious cuts, Shad seems to be still able to look past it and see the comedy of it all. This attitude seeps into the man’s flow, which always feels free and fun. Shad takes his moments, pauses when he feels it and then comes back with a breathless verse that references everything from bounced cheques to Michael Bay flicks. This myriad of topics feel completely random, but to see Shad connect them all, it’s almost as if he’s seeing something I can’t. Shad has a universal flow. He rhymes as if he’s in touch with everything ever. Shad could be the greatest Canadian MC ever. We’ll see.

Shad’s lyrics are great and rewarding. He’s got the PMA.