If hip hop is a state of mind and not a place or a scene, then Shad K is a poster child for hip hop continued growth and expansion to every part of the world. Shad K is the son of a Rwandan poetess and a refugee of his homeland's violence. He landed in London, Ontario, not exactly a hotbed for hip hop talent. To further exacerbate his unusual journey to a career in hip hop, he often includes an acoustic guitar and hints of other music such as techno in his music.

Yet Shad K still embodies the adventurous spirit of hip hop in his music. He combines limber and insightful lyrics with fresh beats to create his own place in the hip hop landscape. His new album may be named the Old Prince, but there is nothing stale about Shad K. Arize recently had the pleasure of gleaming insight from this most unusual of upcoming MC/producers.

Arize: Why did you name the album "Old Prince"?
There’s a big long explanation in my liner notes but basically I see it as a metaphor for a lot of things: My life. The human condition. My generation… It’s basically the image of a prince that should be a king because he’s old. An old prince is a prince – he’s royalty – but he’s a kind of pathetic one in that he’s not where he should be. And people are depending on him to step up and be that person… It’s serious but at the same time it struck me as a really funny image as well; could sort see this dude in disheveled, out-dated prince clothes with a crooked crown on his head… watching tv. Bored… people don’t know what’s wrong with him and he doesn’t know what’s wrong with himself. Sounds like me and most people I know. The metaphor and the story kept expanding in a number of ways – from the things I was writing to things I was seeing happen in my life and just all around me – starting about a year before the release when I started writing for the album and these ideas started coming to mind. It was a very cool, very interesting process.

Arize: Do you ever think of your guitar playing as a novelty? What is the audience reaction to your guitar playing?
I don’t pull out the guitar unless it serves the purpose of engaging the audience and putting on a better show. I don’t do anything in a live setting unless I think it’s gonna serve that purpose so no I don’t see it as a novelty thing cuz I do it for the sake of the audience and not my own sake. Maybe other people see it different but I think they get that impression from the idea and not from the actual real thing when they see it. The reaction in a live setting is generally pretty positive. It’s like anybody who plays guitar and sings – it’s just a part of the musical expression.

"It is INSANELY hard for Canadian hip hop artists to tour. Our country is geographically huge but has half the population of England or something like that."

Arize: Do any comparisons to other troubadours ever come up?
Mmm maybe k-os or k’naan? Are they troubadours? I get compared to them in the extremely broad sense that I’m another rapper from Canada that has live instruments in my show and seems to have a variety of influences. It’s mostly aesthetic though, the comparison.

Arize: How does being a Canadian hip hop artist come into play when you tour? Is the audience in the United States ready for the type of artist that Canada produce?
It is INSANELY hard for Canadian hip hop artists to tour. Our country is geographically huge but has half the population of England or something like that. There’s a lot of places where you’d have to drive a good 800km between major cities. The costs alone make it almost impossible unless you have a very strong fan base already – and of course it’s hard to develop a solid fan base unless you tour so there’s a vicious cycle there. It’s just a tough situation.

As for if American audiences would dig us, to be honest, I have no idea. I think if Americans were really into Canadian hip hop artists there would be more of us down there so I’m gonna say no. But I like what we got goin on up here in terms of hip hop. Maybe more heads down there would dig it if they got exposed to it. Arize: Are you purposely trying to expand the sound palette of hip hop or does that just come naturally?
Musically I usually get down with classic hip hop/soul grooves. That’s mostly what I rock on – sample-based stuff. I think people get the impression that I’m adventurous musically because I play guitar. I don’t think I take things too far outside of the box at all though in my recordings. I’m not there yet I don’t think in terms of my talent and my ideas to be able to really stretch the boundaries of the genre and do it right. At this point I think I push boundaries more in terms of lyrical content – things you can say and express in a rap song – more than pushing the limits of hip hop musically.

"I am what I am for better or for worse. I try to be as free as possible creatively. I try to follow my instincts, stay within myself, and express my ideas as honestly and creatively as possible. If people dig it, they dig it. If they don’t, cool. In the end, there’s much more important things."

Arize: I know that your mother is a Rwandan refugee. Does your music address the issues of political instability and do you think that's important that artists address these issues?
I address issues that are close to me. I have a song about the impact of the Rwandan genocide on me and my family on my first album which features some of my mom’s poetry on the subject. I don’t think artists have any responsibility to be political. It’s not their/our job to address political issues. As citizens we should all try to be aware of what’s going on but I think the political responsibilities of artists don’t go any further than that of a regular citizen – meaning try to be somewhat aware of what’s happening around you. If politics is a big part of your life and you’re an artist, then yes reflect it in your music…. It’s like I heard Kanye say on his mixtape that he’s not a political person. I’ve heard Common say that too. Like most artists, they’re concerned with people, everyday things, feelings, ideas. That sometimes spills into the realm of politics but politics is rarely an artist’s focus. It’s just not in our nature generally speaking. But look at Kanye and Common again – they’ve made some pretty impactful political statements within music and outside of it without being that political aware as individuals.

Arize: When did you first come to North America and what were the circumstances you encountered when you first got to Canada?
I was a baby when my family moved here so I can’t comment. So many Canadians are first or second generation Canadians. It’s a big part of our national identity. My experience wasn’t much different from a lot of Canadians I’d imagine: You grow up immersed in a couple different cultures – one at home, one outside of the home – both interacting with each other and influencing each other. It’s an interesting environment. There’s challenges of course: My dad was recently forced to leave his work because he has both Rwandan and Canadian citizenships (which is legal in Canada) and his work wouldn’t allow it because of “security” concerns (crazy but true.), my sister – who was student council president and a gifted student in math and science – was told she should be a flight attendant by her high school guidance councilor, etc… but that being said, considering the alternative, it was a great place for my family. I’m really thankful I got to come up here in a safe place and with the kind of influences I’ve had around me.

Arize: Do you ever worry about being labeled a granola artist or do you dismiss any concerns about this?
I’ve never heard that term before, I don’t know what it means but I’m guessing …soft? digestable? I dunno… either way I try to never make music as a reaction to any label. It’s bad for creativity. More importantly, it’s bad for you as a person. I am what I am for better or for worse. I try to be as free as possible creatively. I try to follow my instincts, stay within myself, and express my ideas as honestly and creatively as possible. If people dig it, they dig it. If they don’t, cool. In the end, there’s much more important things.

Arize: How is the hip hop market in Canada and how does it differ from the United States market?
We have ten times less people for one thing, so the market is a lot smaller. We also don’t have the same amount of cultural emphasis on music and entertainment in general so the canadian market for music is more than proportionately smaller. And then hip hop isn’t as big here either so the market for hip hop is even smaller still. Especially if you put aside Toronto, we have a very different culture up here; a lot of our most successful hip hop artists have a very unique sound as a result. We’re heavily influenced by Amercian hip hop – like any country – but artists like K – OS, Kardinal, Cadence Weapon, etc. that have been successful making hip hop music here have all been highly original artists. There’s a lot of differences. I think it would take a long time to list them all.

"But look at Kanye and Common again – they’ve made some pretty impactful political statements within music and outside of it without being that political aware as individuals."

Arize: Who did you listen to growing up? Were your listening habits crazy diverse or did you listen to only certain types of music?
Yeah I listened to everything. Ever since I was a kid I just liked music and listened to anything from hip hop to indie rock and everything in between. Whatever was on the radio or on TV, I took it in. I didn’t always like it, but I took it in. Probably the most important albums for me in Jr. high and high school were Outkast - Aquemeni, Common - One Day It’ll All Make Sense, Rass Kass - Soul on Ice, Hayden – Everything I long For, among others. Those ones stand out to me though.

Arize: What do you want your audience to get from you, live and on recording material?
In a live setting, I hope they have a good time. I have a great time performing my songs so I hope they can get into it and just enjoy themselves. I hope they can vibe to the music, vibe to the ideas and the lyrics and enjoy themselves. Come away feeling good and energized and inspired in some way. I hope they feel inspired. From the album, I hope the same thing but I put a bit more of me on a personal level in to the albums so there’s a bit more challenge happening I think. I hope people take something positive from that too. I’m not trying to get too heavy for anybody. I’m just trying to push people the same way I want to be pushed to think and to act. And overall, I just hope they take something positive from it. That’s the whole goal.

Shadrach Kabango - "Brother (Watching)" ft. B and F:

Shadrach Kabango - "Comprimise":

Links:
www.myspace.com/shad