Count Five: Shad Reveals Favorite Films -- NXNE

Posted on Jun 18th 2011 3:00PM by Lonny Knapp
Comments

Che Kothari

Music critics and fans applaud Vancouver-based rapper Shad for his uncanny ability to drop both social commentary and humorous riffs on pop culture over dope beats.

On his Juno-winning disc, 'TSOL,' the Kenyan-born and Canadian-raised rapper subtly name drops Canadian literature icon Mordechai Richler, tackles heady subjects such as gender equality in rap, and traces the linguistic origins of his name back to a slave in Babylon -- yet he still finds time to pay tribute to fanboy films such as 'Lord of the Rings,' and shout out to the likes of Vince Vaughan and Jet Li.

In fact, when he's not performing or pursuing a master's degree at Vancouver's Simon Fraser University, the scholarly rapper is not above a bit of low-brow entertainment. He even considers himself a bit of a movie connoisseur.

In advance of his upcoming appearance at NXNE, Spinner asked Shad to list his five favorite flicks. Here's what he said.

1. 'Hoop Dreams'
It's a documentary that follows two college kids trying to make it to the pros. When I was a kid, I was really into basketball, but I pretty much knew right away I wasn't good enough to go pro. It's a really compelling story and gave me a glimpse into the culture surrounding the sport.

2. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'
I gotta rank 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' It's a simple film, with a smart story, realistic dialogue and an excellent soundtrack. I never take photos -- I keep it all stored in my head, so the thought of having my memory erased is disturbing.

3. 'V for Vendetta'
For some reason that movie stuck with me. It was a lot about overcoming fear and some of those darker social and physiological themes really speak to me. There are some definite parallels between the fictional world in that movie and the world we are living in now.

4. The 'Lord of the Rings' Trilogy
I never read the books, but every Christmas when the films came out, some friends would drag me to the theater. At first, I made fun of them for nerding out, but in the end, I became a fan. I can't pick one of the films; you have to consider the trilogy as a whole. It's just a classic story and each film is a visual spectacle.

5. 'Bamboozled'
I don't know a ton of people who have seen Spike Lee's 'Bamboozled,' but it contains some of the funniest scenes ever captured on film. It's great satire, socially relevant and outright hilarious at points. It's on the way to being a masterpiece before it derails at the end, but that just makes me like it even more. It's an ambitious film that loses its way a bit, but that makes it more endearing to me.

Watch Shad's 'We, Myself and I' Video