National Spotlight "Shad -Two Decades In, Still Finding Something New"

by Scott Roos

photos by Justin Broadbent

It’s hard to believe that Shad, the London, Ontario-born wordsmith and hip-hop thinker, is marking his 20th year putting music into the world. “Yeah, it feels good. You know, yes 20th. I put up my first album 20 years ago,” Shad tells NSMZ, sitting back and letting that milestone sink in. “It feels like my 20th year of…putting out music. That’s how I think about it more than kind of being ‘in the business,’ I guess.” And yet, Shad’s reflection is anything but retrospective - this is an artist constantly looking forward, considering what’s next, and daring to start over, even after two decades in the game.

With his seventh full-length release, Start Anew, Shad continues to embrace a mission he’s never lost sight of: spreading love, wisdom, and hope through music that doesn’t just entertain but also challenges. The album tackles our collective reluctance to step outside comfort zones, to embrace risk, to see what’s waiting on the other side of fear or loss. As Shad puts it, “These last three albums have been really kind of thinking about our world when I look out at it…trying to sort that out through music. This for some reason feels like the end of that exploration.” That trilogy—beginning with 2018’s A Story About A War and continuing with 2021’s TAO—represents years of reflection on society, personal growth, and the constant flux that shapes the human experience.

Thematically, Start Anew walks a line between introspection and social commentary. Tracks like “Slanted” grapple with subtle, insidious forces in the world, the slippery slopes of leadership and society, and how quickly things can devolve around us. Shad explains: “Slanted is…about that proverbial slippery slope. It’s about how we find ourselves in these situations where they escalate quick and we just don’t notice…by the time it gets bad, it’s a bit too late.” Elsewhere, songs like “Look Pt. 1” and “Look Pt. 2” explore the curious human tendency to overlook what’s right in front of us—both the pain and the progress we achieve. “Sometimes we miss seeing the good, we miss seeing how far we’ve come,” he says. “I see it all the time in music…people achieve amazing things and they’re bitter and resentful. Take a second to remember…look at the good.”

Musically, Start Anew is a continuation of Shad’s playful, soulful roots, embracing jazz, trip-hop, and a certain whimsical warmth that recalls his earliest albums. On the Toronto-heavy “K.I.S.S.,” for instance, Shad tapped Jon Kabongo and Grace Marr to elevate the track. “John really helped elevate that whole song. I wanted it to feel really fun…he comes in melodic and I was like, ‘Ah, that’s exactly what it needed.’” Grace Marr added a layer of timbre that only a female voice could provide, giving the song room to breathe. Shad himself contributes guitar parts across a few tracks, sampling his own archives and layering subtle musical experiments throughout.

Collaboration, as always, is central to Shad’s approach. Beyond Toronto talents, the album features Atlanta’s Chantae Cann on “Happiness,” and Queens, NY stalwart Homeboy Sandman on “Sacrifice,” with production by Datsunn, Dotan Bergman, Dom Dias, and T Lo, Shad’s touring DJ. But these aren’t just features to check a box - they’re extensions of his musical community. “Everybody that I have on this album…they’re all people I have a relationship with. I really believe in building with the people that are around,” Shad says. It’s a philosophy that underscores the warmth and accessibility of his music: thoughtful, yet never overbearing.

For listeners, this duality is part of Shad’s charm. His lyrics are deeply philosophical, yet the production invites casual listening. “I care about the listener’s experience,” he says. “I want it to be something that people can approach and spend time with…be good company.” There’s a subtle nod to trip-hop greats like Tricky and Massive Attack (even though he cites them more as inspiration than influence) in this approach, a mellow, cascading delivery where the words unfold gently, but the ideas linger. It’s the kind of music that rewards repeated listening, revealing layers over time while staying approachable from the very first play.

But beyond the music, Shad’s work extends into education and mentorship, another avenue for starting anew. He has taught courses on hip hop at the University of Toronto and Wilfrid Laurier University, blending musical craft with social context and historical perspective. At U of T, he co-developed a course exploring how cities and hip hop shape one another—a deep dive into both the art form and the society that nurtures it. Laurier presented a different challenge, where Shad was asked to create a course within the Community Music stream. “I put something together…there’ll be an element of history, hip hop history, but also classes about how hip hop approaches songwriting, production, lyrics…Just exposure to a different musical tradition,” he explains. He even let students handle turntables, sampling machines, and rhymes themselves, creating a tactile, immersive experience.

“I still remember that age and stage really vividly,” Shad says. “Being 20, 21…That’s when I started. I feel like I know how to speak to that time…having a connection to that particular age group matters a lot.” It’s a reflection of his larger philosophy: music as both a personal journey and a communal experience. Just as he mentors students, his albums mentor listeners through contemplation, joy, and honesty.

At the end of the day, the album’s title, Start Anew, is both personal and universal. It reflects a 20-year career spent exploring what it means to create, to influence, and to grow. It’s a statement about the courage to embrace change at any stage. That sense of openness permeates the album - musically, lyrically, and philosophically.

From his early days in London, Ontario, to Juno Awards, Polaris Prize nominations, hosting duties on CBC’s q, TV appearances on the Emmy-winning Hip Hop Evolution, and now teaching in university classrooms, Shad has worn many hats but, at heart, he remains the same: a thinker, a musician, and a human observer of the world. Start Anew is a celebration of that continuity, that openness, and that care. It’s an invitation to step into the music, notice what’s around you, and maybe, just maybe, start anew yourself.