If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (BUY IT THROUGH A WEB BROWSER OR THE PATREON ANDROID APP, NOT VIA THE PATREON iOS APP. YOU'LL GET CHARGED EXTRA MONEY AND IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO PROCESS.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk movie night archives, and more!

My guest this week is Canadian rapper and host of Hip-Hop Evolution, Shad. We spoke about Highest 2 Lowest and the works of Spike Lee, An American Tale, Welcome to The Dollhouse and the works of Todd Solondz, his work on Hip-Hop Evolution, the 20th anniversary of his debut album When This Is Over, balancing having a message with having fun, the overarching narrative of his last three albums, A Short Story About a War, TAO, and the creative process behind the third, and his latest, album, Start Anew. Come fuck with us.

Start Anew is available now wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping it directly from Shad's Bandcamp. Follow Shad on Instagram and Twitter: @shadkmusic

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly

Support the show