Join Juno Award-winning rapper, broadcaster, and storyteller Shad for a special conversation with acclaimed journalist and guest host of CBC Radio’s Q, Garvia Bailey, as we launch Museum London’s inaugural year-long Musician in Residence program.
Known for his thoughtful lyricism, sharp wit, and powerful storytelling, Shad will reflect on the experiences and ideas that have shaped his life and work, from growing up as a Rwandan Canadian in Southwestern Ontario to becoming one of Canada’s most celebrated hip-hop artists. Together, Shad and Garvia will explore memory, history, identity, and the role music plays in helping us remember, reconnect, and make meaning of our shared experiences.
From mixtapes, music videos, and ticket stubs to playlists and streaming services, the ways we listen to music have changed dramatically. This conversation invites us to consider how music influences the way we understand ourselves, our communities, and the world around us.
DJ Deem J will keep the energy going before and after the discussion, and a cash bar will be available for guests 19+.
Can’t join us in person? Tune in from anywhere! This event will be livestreamed and recorded by our friends at Words: The Literary and Creative Arts Festival.
Shad (Shadrach Kabango) is a Canadian rapper of Rwandan descent. He is known for blending humour with weighty themes, exploring a range of topics and sounds over the course of his 20-year career. Shad won the Juno Award for Rap Recording Of The Year in 2011 and five of his albums have been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize for Canadian Album Of The Year, the most shortlist nominations of any artist in the prize’s history. Shad has also served as a broadcaster, hosting CBC Radio’s Q and Netflix’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series Hip-Hop Evolution, and has taught Hip-Hop-related courses at the University of Toronto and Wilfrid Laurier University.
Garvia Bailey’s career spans over two decades as a producer, broadcaster, and columnist for the CBC and JazzFM, and as a freelance journalist. She is a co-founder of the award-winning production company, Media Girlfriends. Garvia is a community curator at the Stratford Perth Museum where she focuses on Black historical presence in Perth County. She hosts Happy Enough, a podcast from The Globe and Mail, which recently launched its fifth season. Garvia splits her time between Stratford and Toronto.
Museum London’s Musician-in-Residence program is generously funded by the Paul Seed Fund at the London Community Foundation and TD, with additional support from Cambia Development Foundation and the London Music Office.
Stay Connected
Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to hear about our exhibitions, events and public programs!