Shad: The Old Prince

A prince dwells beneath a king in both power and rank.  But he doesn’t fret.  The power, the glory, the wealth - it’s all in his grasp.  And as he ages, he moves towards the prize – the status.  More so, the old prince, the one who has lived the princely life for a little too long, edges nearer to the brink of prominence. 

Well, hip hop fans, Shad is the old prince and he surely can feel hip hop stardom in his reach.  And, despite the insinuations put forth by its title, as well as the soothing female voice narrating the record, the subject matter addressed on The Old Prince is no fairy tale.  But nonetheless, it’s an exciting time for fans as Shad begins to make the leap from prince to king. 

Flip on Shad’s record and you’re not sure what to expect.  A musical journey based out of London, Ontario?  Opening slots for Common, Lupe Fiasco and Guru’s Jazzmatazz?  Acoustic guitars?  Yeah, you heard right.  Shad is known for his tendency to spin out funky Dave Matthews tinged guitar lines while spitting freestyles on any topic.  Class struggle.  Jell-O.  You name it.  His fans have heard it all. 

But good news for all music aficionados, this diversity translates quite well on his newest studio project.  The opening track “Quest for Glory,” is reminiscent of a certain Mr. Kanye West’s production talent, while “Now a Daze” evokes Ron Carter era Tribe Called Quest bass lines.  “I Heard You Had A Voice Like an Angel” juxtaposes lush chords with a smooth fretless bass line, faint hand drums and delicate yet soulful guitar and piano melodies.  The funky bass and horn lines of “The Old Prince Still Lives at Home’” groove like an early Headhunters record.

But the strength of this album and Shad’s strength as a musician rests in the honesty of his lyrics.  While he tackles subject matter close to him, like his beef with aspects of black youth culture and global social injustice, he attacks the issues with an original spin while refraining from clichés.  And all the while, he never slips into preachy territory.  When listening to a Shad record, you never feel demoralized, but rather feel empowered, while the poetic flow keeps it all together.  No track speaks truer to this than “Get Up,” an anthem for acting for change and the strongest effort on this record.  

Shad’s quick and clever rhymes are certainly legitimate (“You couldn’t rap this dope with a zigzag”), while his wit is clear on the hilarious satire of ‘that cheap guy’ in “The Old Prince Still Lived At Home.”  But, Shad’s message of sticking to one’s beliefs and refusing to compromise spans the whole record. 

Shad is a perfect vessel for this message.  As a successful student from a prestigious business school who passed up potential big earnings for his love of music and as an emcee who resisted the image machine outfitted with guns, women, and bling, he has remained true to himself through tough times.  But, if this album is any indication of things to come, and it certainly is, things are looking up for Shad. 

For those of us who have met the emcee personally, it’s an exciting time as well.  Shad will never wander too far from the fan base he loves and happily interacts with before and after shows.  In “Compromise,” a fan favourite, he lets the crowd know “I’m feeling like the people’s champ, see my fans greet a brother with hugs, laughs and daps, they don’t yell like banshees” and further states “There’s no fans, we family.”  It soon becomes clear that no matter where his music takes him, Shad will always seem like that really cool, intelligent and down to earth older kid living up the street, who just happens to be able to do a few things way better than everyone else.

Judging by the tracks on this album, I have a title for Shad’s next effort:  The Reigning King.  But knowing Shad, all the riches in the world wouldn’t make this man compromise.

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