Shad made an appearance on this list way back in week 101, but it was as part of a collaboration. This week’s (brand new) song is a solo effort, and his considerable lyrical skills are front and centre.
Remember the early days of hip hop, when all rappers had to do was to make sure the last word of each line rhymed with the end word from the previous line? Poets like Shad raise the bar (see what I did there?) with incredibly complex rhyme schemes and prolific assonance.
In case you missed that day in English class, assonance is when a specific vowel sound is repeated multiple times in a line. Another way to think about it: if rhyme concerns the end of a word and alliteration concerns the beginning, assonance focuses on the middle of a word. To give an idea of the intricacy of Shad’s use of this poetic device, here’s the first verse, with the different vowel sounds colour-coded:
Notice how each stanza has its own repeated pattern of three vowel sounds; these individual instances of assonance come together to create multi-syllable rhymes that leave your ears burning…and that’s before you realize that the name of the album – Start Anew – has the same vowel pattern as “barbecue.”
But there’s more to this song (and this record) than just clever rhyming, and that’s why it’s been on repeat for me this week. The whole album sways seamlessly between solid grooves, meditations on death, and thoughts on dealing with change. I haven’t decided yet whether this song is the album’s best, but it certainly encapsulates the album’s messages – and its oscillation between the philosophical and the everyday – extremely well.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Putting rhyme aside for a second, let’s appreciate the avalanche of pop culture references in that first verse: Jason Bourne, Bob Barker, Shakespeare, DeBarge, Dilla, Lauryn Hill, Jordan Peele, and the Toronto Raptors. Safe to say no rapper has ever, will ever, pack those people into the same verse.
2. After warming up the listener with ridiculous rhymes in the first verse – where “Bars and BBQs” refer to musical bars and weekend cookouts – the second verse comes with more sombre observations on systemic problems in the world as Shad sees them. “Bars” become prison bars, and “BBQs” come to represent the low-nutrition food that are the only option for some. Shad is one of just a few MCs who would tackle the mundane and the profound in the same song like this.
3. The instrumental sets a great mood for both the mundane and profound sections of the track. The easy, laid-back percussion with that great slurrrrpy open hi-hat is perfect for picnics or pondering life’s big dilemmas.
Recommended listening activity:
Enjoying stars and harbour views.