Toronto’s Shad, born Shadrach Kabango, is a critically acclaimed rapper with a Juno award (he won Rap Album of the Year over Drake in 2011), and is the TV host of the Emmy and Peabody-winning Netflix docu-series, _Original Hip-Hop Evolution_. In 2005 he released his debut _When This Is Over_, which was an entirely self-funded project examining topics such as the Rwandan Genocide and socio-economic disparities in his city. Shad’s frank and socially conscious lyrics tackle themes of race and the human condition, and his politics stand front and center in his forthcoming record, _A Short Story About a War_. Featuring Kaytranada, 2oolman of A Tribe Called Red and Lido Pimienta, _A Short Story_ is a concept album in which Kabango envisions a war-torn society (one not far from real life) split into factions. He’ll call in fromToronto today to discuss the album's themes of migration, environmental degradation and economics.
