CREDIT: SAYS.COM
Kenyan-born, Canadian rapper Shad is back in London September 9 for FSU's Froshfest.

BET called him the “next rap genius.” Pitchfork said he was “spiritual without being preachy, righteous without being self-righteous, and human without sounding mundane.” Okayplayer said he had a “quick-witted tongue, on-point ear, and a truly unique passion for hip hop.”

And he’ll be performing at Fanshawe College this September.

The award-winning hip-hop artist Shad will be part of this year’s Froshfest lineup on September 9 along with rapper Classified and electronic music group A Tribe Called Red.

Born in Kenya to Rwandan parents and raised in London, Shad began rapping seriously at about 20 years old, when he was an undergraduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University.

“It was just something I enjoyed,” said Shad, whose full name is Shadrach Kabango. “I found myself writings songs almost spontaneously and at some point had a few written that I really wanted to record. That’s pretty much where it started.”

A few years later, Shad won the first prize at an unsigned talent competition by Kitchener radio station 91.5 FM The Beat. He spent the money – $17,500 – recording and producing his first studio album, When This Is Over, which was released in 2005.

Since then, he has been signed by Black Box Recordings, completed a master’s degree at Simon Fraser University and released three albums. His second album, The Old Prince, was nominated for a Juno Award, two MuchMusic Video Awards and a Polaris Music Prize.

When asked about his influences, he said he didn’t really have any.

“It’s never really been a thing for me,” he said. “For me it’s always been the fact that I enjoy it, the fact that I find the meaning and purpose in it. That’s always kind of been it.”

He listens to a bit of everything, though.

“I grew up listening to radio, watching MuchMusic and just taking everything in. That’s always been my taste.”

With TSOL, his third album, Shad won the 2011 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, beating Drake’s debut album, Thank Me Later.

“It was great,” he said. “It’s a nice thing to bring back to your fans, especially people that have supported you and for them to see you achieve some kind of accolade … And having something like that to share with people you’ve worked with for a long time is also nice.”