Relic (feat. Saukrates) - "Just The Day"

This song pretty much sums up my life right now. An excellent listen from Toronto emcees Relic and Saukrates. Read on and tell a bud.

Elements of Music (EOM) - "Jeremy's Drug"

I’ve really been enjoying EOM’s instrumental effort, Further. A really smooth album, and this is one listen I’ve had on repeat all evening. 

Also, the dude produced Shad’s “Yaa I Get It.” +1000000 points for him. 

Check it out on The Wildebeest.

Why I love Shad's "The Old Prince."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll get back to posting actual music soon. I’m been pretty busy over the last few days. But anyway, check out one of my lastest articles on KN.

Check out my article for the National Museum of Hip-Hop!

The NMOH is an initiative to establish a true museum to hip-hop culture in NYC. For now, all they have is a website, but looking at their behind-the-scenes work they are making great strides to make the museum a reality.

They also run a frequent newsletter, so I decided to write about what I know: Canadian hip-hop, and while I was limited to 600 words I think I did it up pretty nicely. Take a look.

Da Grassroots (feat. Mr. Roam) - “Price of Livin’”

Being the transplanted Canuck that I am, I try to keep myself abreast of the latest news and happenings going on in my hometown of Toronto, especially when it comes to hip-hop. That’s why I was overjoyed to hear about CBC’s hip-hop summit last week, inviting prominent Canadian rappers, past and present, to perform. And a hell of a show it was! Kardinall? Maestro? k-os? Dream Warriors? Choclair? Red1 of the Rascalz? K’Naan? Shad? And that’s just scratching the surface! So many of these artists I grew up on, watching their videos on MuchMusic (think of a Canadian version of MTV which still actually plays music from time to time), and hearing them on Flow 93.5 (Toronto’s sole hip-hop station the last time I checked). It’s a nostalgic rush, but seeing the lineup also gives me a lot of hope for CAN rap, especially when it comes to dealing with America.

Name a Canadian rapper (who isn’t Drake) who has been a hit in America. Can you do it? That was the dilemma for a lot of rappers from the North: It’s great to be popular in Canada, but the real challenge is to make it in America, something which very few have done. In fact, the only dude who comes to my mind is Snow, of “Informer” fame.

You know him.

He’s the dude who did “Informer, gfdjsbncvcegswreicvlkvyuirthimmaplayer, A LIKKIE-BOOM-BOOM-DOWN”.

Not the best achievement right there.

But, what’s going on now is that we are finally starting to see Canadian rappers getting respect and success in the United States. There’s Drake, of course, but you also got Kardinall Offishall, who is working with Akon (and had a huge hit with “Dangerous” a year or two ago), Shad (who recently toured with Freddie “Gangsta” Gibbs and saw his latest, TSOL, reviewed by Pitchfork), k-os is making inroads, and K’Naan is going worldwide, with special thanks to his wonderful anthem, “Wavin’ Flag.” It took time but it’s good to see some of our great ones breaking out.

Alright, so let’s move on. Tonight’s post is a lovely little gem by Da Grassroots, the trio of Mr. Murray, Mr. Attic, and Swiff, a production crew out of Toronto who lassoed in a group of undergound T.O. and Vancouver rappers for their (very) underrated release, 1999’s Passage Through Time. Da ‘Roots style is understated, and very, very smooth. It’s another one of those late-night records, where you kick back and let the crew take you on a little trip. Don’t worry about it, they got everything covered. They’re professionals.

It was a tossup between several songs from the record, but I’m feeling pretty laid back at the moment, so tonight’s post is “Price of Livin’” featuring the indie T-Dot rapper, Mr. Roam. The instrumental is simple but infectious, and I love the voices in the background repeating “wake up.” Plus, Roam carries himself pretty well, too.

Geeze, you’re gonna have me singing “O Canada” up in this bitch in a moment.

Ian Kamau - “Summer in the City”

Yeah, it’s nowhere near summer and I’m quite aware that there are people pretty much freezing in their homes right now. You don’t have to remind me, alright?

So recently I’ve been vibing on Love and Other Struggles, the latest album by Toronto-based spoken-word poet Ian Kamau (or just Kamau…kinda like Cher). Kamau is pretty well known for his guest spots on the records of some prominent musicians from Canada, appearing on several albums from k-os and contributing to Shad’s latest, TSOL. Initially, I was never a big fan of the guy. His talent on the wordsmithery was overshadowed by his delivery: a straight droning, monotone style of performing which sounded awkward and out of place, and despite his host’s musical backdrop, he struggled a bit. 

I was a bit hesitant to pick up Love at first, but decided to do it for the hell of it. It had been a few years since his earlier spots on k-os’s stuff and his latest appearance on Shad’s album made me reconsider. Giving the record a listen was like a slap in the face.

A slap of awesome.

Kam must’ve been very well aware of his past, because he’s upped his game considerably for this one. His delivery on the record is more nimble, confident, and emotive. He’s addressed the monotone, and his words carry a greater presence and impact. On top of that, he’s got a selection of excellent beats to flow over as well, which drive home his poems on life, love, and perseverance.

“Summer in the City” is a short (rather too short!) but sweet listen, with a relaxed but determined beat which carries a deceptive sense of security, like a summer day somehow corrupted… perfect for Kam’s lyrics about struggling on the streets. It’s a tune I’ve been bumping regularly for the last few days, and I can’t get enough of it. Plus, the sample of Do The Right Thing in the end is a nice little addition.

Shad - “Rose Garden”

Everything’s coming up roses.

I’m been bumping Shad’s latest, TSOL, nearly daily since it’s release last May, and along with Ms. Janelle Monáe’s The ArchAndroid, which I’ve had nothing but glowing praise for, I feel that TSOL is a strong candidate for album of the year. You’ve heard me rave about him before, but for those who missed it, here’s a short intro to Shad:

- Canadian

- Awesome

- Stupendous

- Brilliant

- Fan-freaking-tastic

…and a whole bunch of other superlatives.

Shad is the definite article, a rapper who is incredibly good at what he does: Spitting sharp, endlessly entertaining rhymes, and TSOL stacks up favorably against his previous works, 2007’s The Old Prince and 2005’s When This Is Over. TSOL has Shad working hard at refining his craft, dedicated to making his rhymes and beats tighter, smarter, and more resonant than ever, which, he pulls off nicely, making the album a quirky, entertaining, and all-around solid listen.

“Rose Garden,” the first song on TSOL (and a warm opening to both the album and the wonderful dude who is Shad), is a beaming song with lots of heart, humor, and irrepressible charm. I love that “rose garden” soul sample, along with the harmonies, cheery whistles, and boom-bap drum kicks. The icing on the cake are the additional vocals on the chorus, provided by Lisa Lobsinger. This is pretty much the song for a perfect, happy day, and it’s guarant-freakin’-teed that one listen to this will brighten anyone’s mood.

As well, it wouldn’t be a Shad track without the mind-bending, super-fantastic, stream-of-consciousness-but-well-thought-out lines which only Shad can pull, such as:

“Glenn Beck better duck like foie gras…” - Self explanatory, but Wikipedia foie gras if it still flies over your head.

“The missing saga (Mississauga) continues, in Brampton / While my DJ’s lamping like Green Lantern, sampling…” - Mississauga and Brampton are two neighboring suburbs of Toronto, Canada, and Brampton is my hometown.

“Seven days of black power naps every forty eight half hours / That’s 24 star Jack Bauer…” - One of my favorite TV shows!

And to top it off, this video, with it’s recorded-backwards premise, is a callback to the L.A. rap crew The Pharcyde (a group I still have yet to write about…) and their ingenious video for their 1995 song “Drop” (which Shad spells out for you in the end if you didn’t catch it).

Ah, a dude after my own heart. Wonderful, wonderful track. Listen to it right now.

"World full of pain got us waiting on a miracle / Waiting on the world to change, when we should wait on the world, like a waiter - serve the world… man, this world is strange, / Bizarro, lovers of tomorrow… that break under the weight of the wonder and the sorrow…"

—

Shad, “Call Waiting” (from TSOL, 2010).

A verse that’s been on my mind all day.

Shad - “The Old Prince Still Lives At Home”

I’ll try not to gush here. I’ll try.

If you know me, you know I can talk from sun up to sundown about Shadrach Kabango, A.K.A. Shad K, or simply enough, Shad. Basically, he is the best rapper you’ve never heard.

Yet.

Maybe we can chalk it up to the fact that he is very unassuming. Unlike damn near every other rapper out there, he doesn’t let his ego run unchecked, and lets his talent speak for itself. Shad is very much the “rapper next door,” humble and gracious. His music is very personal, and he doesn’t shy away from speaking about his joys, his fears, his aspirations and doubts…he’s not afraid to examine himself closely, even if it means confronting issues he doesn’t want to confront.

We can also chalk up Shad’s relative obscurity due to the fact that he’s from London…Ontario, as in Canada (his hometown is 90 minutes away from mineee!), and Shad easily takes the crown for the North’s rap scene, but hell, he’s one of the best rappers in the game, regardless of origin.

So he’s Canadian and down to earth, you think. So what? Well, the dude can rap. He can rap circles around the competition. He has a gift for clever and insightful lyrics, employing slick metaphors, wordplay, double (and sometimes triple) meanings, a lot of humor, and genuine intelligence and thoughtfulness. Shad really has too many quotable lines to list.

Anyway, it was easy to pick a song by Shad to post about. This one is the track that made me a legit fan of his. Everything I’ve mentioned previously about him can be heard right here. On this one, Shad speaks about his life as a 20-something living at home in his parents house (which…I can sympathize). It’s a topic most rappers wouldn’t touch with a 20-foot pole, but Shad makes the most of it, coming off as the smoothest penny-pinching player on the planet. Hilarious, and the a cappella switch-up towards the end is simply brilliant.

So yeah, listen to this right now. Really. Right now.