Toronto rapper Shad and Michigan based producer 14KT have surprised everyone by dropping a brand-new EP showcasing their recent collaboration. Reel Speakers, a four-track EP stemming from freestyles Shad did on socials, is a compact, high-energy listening with beat, grit, soul, and hope. It is out now on all streaming platforms.
The pair, having met at DJ Jazzy Jeff’s iconic Playlist Retreat years prior, connected over freestyles Shad was doing on Instagram two or three times a week for 10 weeks as a challenge he had given himself to celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary. 14KT started crafting a beat for one of the freestyles online, and the project eventually took shape and birthed Reel Speakers.
Shad wrote the EP in a free (association) style of rhyming, and tells us more about the creative process. “I’m describing what’s going on in and around me, playing with words, and stumbling onto new meaning in the process.
…as much as I’ve experimented sonically through the years and touched on a range of topics, my music always comes down to the same two messages: Keep going and don’t forget. An encouragement to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and to constantly remind yourself of what’s true and good.”
Stream / download Reel Speakers here.
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