Shad

Photo by Justin Broadbent

Where is the respect for hip-hop? It sounds like a leading question, but it’s truly a perplexing one. Hip-hop is easily the most dominant music genre on the planet and yet it’s without a doubt the most disrespected form of music. To tackle this bizarre phenomenon, I enlisted the help of Canadian rapper/broadcaster Shad, a man who’s spent his entire life educating people on the unique qualities of hip-hop.

Shad is a winner of multiple Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy), has been nominated for multiple Polaris Music Prize awards AND he hosts the Peabody Award-winning Netflix Series, Hip-Hop Evolution; which many consider being the definitive chronicling of Hip-Hop history. Recently, Shad has released a new album called TAO, which is a body of work that’s come right when we needed it the most. Throughout the album, his raps attempt to pinpoint what it means to be a human being, along with highlighting how even our most mundane experiences can be filled with nuance. On this episode, we not only go into the making of TAO, but we also attempt to explore what makes hip-hop so special and tackle the misconceptions people have towards the genre.

After you hear the episode, be sure to check out Shad’s track Work on the official New Exchange Playlist. Also, follow Shad on Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.