Shad

It’s pretty impressive that Shadrach Kabango’s debut album was recorded with the proceeds from his first prize win in the solo male category for the Rhythm of the Future unsigned talent competition held by Kitchener-Waterloo’s 91.5 FM The Beat. On the lead single, "I Get Down,” the self-professed "biggest thing out of Canada since Pamela’s double D’s” drops witty punch lines and brags over a catchy guitar groove, and is one of only two braggadocio tracks, alongside "Wild.” Instead, we get "Out of Love,” the lonely tale of a good-intentioned gentleman who suffers the consequences of choosing not to be a player, and "I’ll Never Understand,” an examination of the Rwandan genocide featuring the poetry of Bernadette Kebango, Shad’s mother and a genocide survivor. It’s touching as the song flips back and forth between Bernadette’s poetic memories of the loss of her father and Shad’s uncomprehending child’s-eye view of the situation. Shad also debates basketball with B. Green on "Real Game,” personifies the process of creation on "The Greatest Construction Crew,” and picks up a guitar to jam out the backing track for "Rock with It” and "A Story No One Told” with the rest of his band. When This Is Over is certainly money well-spent and demonstrates that his win was definitely deserved for this rarest of rappers — one who is talented but humble.