The third album from the Canadian rapper, Shad is set to cross over and become a major force stateside. His music is accessible, with most songs featuring killer soul samples reworked to a funky new life. What is going to put Shad in that upper echelon of emcees is his clever wordplay. He’s a smart guy who strikes a great balance between exploring his own emotions and life experiences and connecting them with the larger world. It seems a little unfair in this day and age to make the comparison, but I feel like Shad fulfills the potential that Kanye West hinted at on College Dropout. It’s a tall order for any emcee, but Shad shows he’s more than up to the task.

The standout track for me is “Keep Shining.” Here, Shad pays respect to all the amazing women in his life, especially those in his family. It features some heavy drums and swirling horns and strings that play against each other. The second verse is my favorite, in he which he states that we’re not hearing women’s voices in hip hop, and therefore we’re only hearing half the truth. It’s a great moment of recognition from a male emcee about what is historically a boys club. My only complaint here is that if we’re recognizing the lack of female emcees in hip hop, why not let one of the few killer women out there (Jean Grae, Psalm One, Invincible, Dessa, etc.) on the track to shed some light on this truth you hint at?

“A Good Name” is set to be another stellar anthem on this album. It showcases a killer funky drum shuffle with some horns and synthesizers that drop and come back in to build to a climax only to drop right back out to let the words speak clearly. Shad tells the story behind his name, taken from one of the three men who refused to worship a golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar II had built. To complete the story, he also relates the origin of his last name, as he expresses pride for his father and grandfather and the example they set for him.

“Telephone” proves to be one of the most mature break-up songs I’ve heard. Shad evenly presents a look at a failed relationship where both sides don’t provide what the other needed. It’s refreshing to hear a song like this when, regardless of genre, we usually get stories about how a woman did a man wrong.

“Yaa I Get It” is a battle rapper’s dream track. Shad takes everyone to school with his wordplay as he drops line after clever line full of references and double meanings over a hard-hitting funky beat that pushes a sense of urgency as he builds his case as an elite emcee. What makes this song truly fantastic is that he never stoops to cheap gimmicks like name-calling or using sexist or homophobic language. Instead he builds himself up like “Well my name ain’t Lil’ Wayne Gretzky/But ya’ll know better than to check me/In the game I hold records like a technique/Tellin’ referees peak at the press seats a sec please” or “No eviction notice/Still I’m homeless on a poet’s mission/Not that I’m a fiend stealin’ base like Otis Nixon,” which is one of the best sports references in hip hop I’ve heard. For those that don’t know the name, Otis Nixon is the former center fielder for the Atlanta Braves, known for his base-stealing ability. He also sat out the 1991 World Series after testing positive for cocaine. Repeat listening is required on this one.

Shad isn’t breaking any new ground or doing anything strange or weird here on TSOL. It’s something relatively simple musically, but it’s very effective and catchy and funky. On top of that we’ve got lyrics that are so well thought out that you want to listen to each song several times so you can unpack everything he’s saying. I’m going to predict that this is the album that makes us in the states take notice of this immense talent to our North.