I was very excited to interview Shad once I found out he would be in our hometown. We talked about the new album, the people who inspire him, and we obviously caught his performance. Ch-check it out, brought to you by The Come Up Show and in association with L DOT ONLINE.
Shad K: London’s Prince of Hip Hop
Written by Phillie from L DOT ONLINE
For those of you unfamiliar with Shad, consider checking out the main page of his website where he showcases his sickening ability to freestyle for a recorded 6 minutes. Raised in London Ontario, Shad was born in Kenya to parents of Rwandan descent; and, in a few short years he has cemented himself as one of Canada’s best hip-hop artists (‘artist’ is used deliberately). His profound and conscientious lyrics mesmerize his audiences, as they are educated on Shad’s perspective of social issues that are relevant to us all. Listening to Shad’s lyrics, themes relating to religion, love, greed, racism, and many other characteristics of the human condition are all brilliantly balanced by two central components of his character, spontaneity and humour.
Shad’s debut album When This Is Over (2005), was a self-made, self-financed venture, financed with the $17,500 he won from Kitchener-Waterloo’s 91.5 The Beat’s Rhythm of the Future talent competition. When This Is Over achieved broad appeal and respect, while receiving a sold amount of support from the grassroots hip-hop community throughout Canada. Following the success of his 2005 album, Shad signed with Black Box Recordings in 2007 and released his second album The Old Prince, which received much critical acclaim. The Old Prince (a clever play on words) is a thoughtful and thought provoking look into Shad’s perspective of various social issues. Shortly after its release, The Old Prince received a Juno nomination for Rap Recording of the Year and was nominated for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize.
The future is very bright for this talented artist, who currently attends Simon Fraser University, where he is completing his Masters Degree. Recently, Shad gained some notable recognition from Kanye West when West posted Shad’s music video, for his song ‘Compromise’ (The Old Prince, 2007), on West’s blog. We can only hope that Shad continues to produce conscientious music that seeks to inspire, educate, and uplift.
The Come Up Show’s DJ Chedo had the opportunity to interview Shad while he was in London (scheduled to perform at Call The Office). They discussed his next album, due out in May, his ambitions and the people that inspire him. To find out whom, check out the interview below.
Photography by Tom Pilgrim
Watch the interview right here
We had the opportunity to see Classified live at Forewell Hall in Fanshawe College.
As usual, every time Classified is in London I interview him, he expects my face now lol.
Thank you to Classified for giving us access on the tour bus, we captured an interview and exclusive close ups taken by Danielle Da Silva, make sure to join her new fan page.
Oh yea and if you don’t know already Vote for yours truly click here
Thank you very much Two Crown King for allowing us to take these photos.
All Photography is by Danielle Da Silva.
This is one of the best experiences in 2009 and in my life so far. The exclusive access we got from Wale tour manager was amazing. From chilling in the tour bus with Wale and being able to photograph, record the concert and the interview.
Here are the pictures and the interview. Enjoy.
Wale and I discuss his new album Attention Defecit, how he and K’Naan hooked up and why do we have an attention defecit.
The Come Up Show.
Where That Feel Good Music Lives.
Real Recognize Real.
[poll id="4"]
J.Cole is the first artist signed by Jay-z to Roc Nation. He is one of my favourite new artists and I am really excited to see him go far. The Warm Up in my opnion is one of the best mixtapes I have heard, music with feeling as I like to call it.
Download it here
I had the opportunity to interview J.Cole while he was in London, Ontario opening up for the Blue Print 3 concert.
Watch the full interview here.
I estimated the interview to be around 10 minutes maximum but J.Cole and I went for 21 minutes. We decided to cut this video to 10 minutes and show you more quick questions as the year progresses. If you have a blog and want to share this video just share this page. The youtube version will be up later today
[poll id="1"]My adventures in London England, the summer of 2009. London, one of the most toured cities in the world.
Get ready to see some beautiful sights.
If you have facebook check out this album with the story of every picture.
If you don’t, enjoy these pictures.
I went to Sweden from July 13 to July 19 and here are my pictures. I hope you can get a good idea of what I saw and enjoyed.
Thank you very much to the Tekeste Family and anyone else who showed me an excellent time in Sweden.
Location: Uppsala and Stockholm Sweden
I hope you enjoyed viewing these pictures as much as I did taking them. I had an amazing time in Sweden and I will never forget it.
I had the pleasure of Interviewing Raekwon in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada during the huge event The Grand Bender. We talked about the latest album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.
Danny Fernandes was at Club Mansion in London, Ontario and we sat down and talked about what he accomplished in the last year and what is next for him.
I had the opportunity to Interview Reggae Superstar Serani, he has produced for Mavado, Sean Paul and is responsible for the smash hit No Games. This is at Club Large in our hometown.
