Before we get started, there's one thing that you need to know: I'm a Shad stan to the highest degree. His wordplay, his flows and his constant referential nature to seminal works like The Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air have made me a die hard fan of his music. If you share a love for these things, then you'd be hard pressed to find someone who can do it better than this emcee. When naive heads dismiss Canada for being a country whose musical talents are limited to Justin Beiber and Drake, I quickly bring up Shad and watch their opinions change instantaneously.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/157064899"]
"Always Winning" is another jam that showcases his ability to rock the mic over any beat that is thrown his way. Shad continues the tried and true cliche of rap bloating, but instead of saying "I got this chick, I got this whip" and selling us on the dream, he raps about everyday vices like Homeland, Reddit, and famed basketball coach Gregg Popovich over this Gangstarr sampled heater from DJ T.LO. With some clever references to his old tracks– my two favourites being "I read some Facebook posts and open up TextEdit/ cause I don't blog or Twitter/ Yaa I Get-Get It" and "seven minute epic rap Illiad" which allude to "Yaa I Get It" and "Epilogue (Long Jawn)" respectfully, it's a track that leaves us wanting more from the duo. Shad and T.LO are reportedly working on a collaborative EP that'll drop in a few months time, so stay tuned to hear more. In the meantime, check out this hot track and enjoy.
Shad & DJ T.LO
"Always Winning"
- Black Box Music
- July 10th, 2014