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Every album, Im trying to die/The goal is ego death every time that I rhyme,is one arresting line, among many others on Shads forthcoming new albumStart Anew. Its taken from a track calledHappinessand for Shad it crystallizes one of the main themes of the new project.According to Shad, for a new beginning to emerge you have to be willing to discard the old way of doing things and genuinely challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone.I decided against calling the album fear of deatha phrase you hear throughout the record. I just figured thats not a very approachable title. ButStart Anewto merepresentsthe same ideathis fundamentally human thing of the difficulty we have embracing endings even though thats often the only way to arrive at something new,Shad says.The new start, that positive fresh new life is right there,he says.But it’s often on the other side of risk or even loss of some kind.

Its a concept that Shad has embraced himself in his musical approach and successful career. Since his 2005 debut, hes been racking up critical and commercial acclaim, winning the Juno Award for Best Rap Recording for his 2011 albumTSOLand being shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize a record 5 times.Hes alsodelivered music ranging from spontaneous head-spinning lyrical bars to deeply introspective concept albumscomplimented by consistently engaging videos for songs likeThe Old Prince Still LivesAtHome, Fam JamandRose Garden.

Additionally, Shad has branched out as a radio show host (CBCsq), TV host (the Peabody and Emmy award-winning Netflix docuseriesHip Hop Evolution), new wave singer alter ego (Your Boy Tony Braxton) and is also now an academic professor at the University of Toronto and Laurier.

OnStart Anew,Shads first album in four years, he even incorporates his own studio experiments, sampling music from his own unreleased vaults which veer from house to psychedelic pop into the albums sonic mix. These refurbished and repurposed cutting room floor elements are woven intoStart Anews throwback feel, evoking the playful soulfulness of Shads early releases.I feel like my last couple of albums involved a lot of experimenting and a lot of pushing boundaries musically and for myself,says Shad.Ididnt want to do that on this album. Musically, I felt like Iwantto make something this time that iskind of simpleand easy on the ears and very listenable. At the same time, incorporating these studio experiments felt like a fun, interesting creative challenge.Featuring longtime Shad producers like Ric Notes and his steadfast DJ TLO, this familiar sonic foundation allows Shad to advance the albums thematic bent in an unapologetically direct manner.Or, as one ofStart Anews most immediate tracks asserts,K.I.S.S.(Keep It Simple, Stupid). Either way, Shad contendsStart Anewhas a lot in common with 2018sA Short Story AboutAWarand 2021sTAO.

TAOto me, was about disintegration and the different pieces of ourselves and how they feeldisconnectedand this felt like the continuation of that conversation,says Shad speaking about his last album.It felt like that exploration almost ended with a question ofWhat do we do? Do we try to put the pieces back together?And [Start Anew] feltmorealmostlikean answer of,Well, maybe not.Maybe everythingcomes to an end.The answerisnt always putting up scaffolding and fixing it. Sometimes, the answer is, a thing has run its course. But maybe theres something good to come if we can embrace that.

In the effort to explore the issue at hand, Shad offers a number of approaches.Addressing the unavoidable fact that individual effort to change can often be confronted by systemic and social barriers,Slantedoffers up the sobering phraseThe land is slick and slippery and slanted/Few fully notice how a few take advantageto illustrate the deceptive illusion of an equal playing field for all,addressing wealth inequality among other issues. In doing so, Shad stakes out the case for renewal and change at thecentreofStart Anew.