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Shad sporting a culturally relevant jersey. (NICHOLAS FRIESEN)

The Pyramid Cabaret was beyond electric on Friday night. Shad, one of the most critically praised MCs Canada has ever produced, had yet to even hit the stage, but the crowd was already in the palm of his hand. When the 29-year-old Kenya-born/London, Ont.-raised MC climbed over a ladder (carelessly left side stage) to rock the mic, he was joined by a DJ and bass player that effortlessly backed him without stealing any of his thunder.

And man, he brought the thunder.

Over the course of the next hour, Shad did not stop spitting the insanely forward-thinking and thought-provoking rhymes that he is known for. Touching on tunes from all three of his records, Shad only slowed the tempo at one point to rock out on guitar, allowing room for a little "Jazz Fest soloing" with his bassist. The man climbed the stage and leaped around while the packed house screamed back every word while dancing along. Seriously, I’m not talking about just the hit singles (such as The Old Prince Still Lives at Home, We, Myself and I and Yaa I Get It); every single person up front, from the blonde law clerk- looking girl to the heavy-set fella with the afro, knew every word. Make no mistake, this was Shad’s audience. The crowd even went batshit when he rhymed over The Cure’s Close to Me. It’s incredibly heartwarming to see that an MC with something to say has caught the attention of so many people, hip hop fans or not.

If he didn’t already have the audience throughout the entirety of his set, he absolutely had it when a fan tossed up a Jets jersey (Friday was the day we learned our NHL team would retain its original moniker) and Shad slid it on, instantly becoming an honourary Winnipegger.

Opening the night was local MC Nestor Wynrush, who spent every second song inviting a friend up to share the spotlight (and thus, spent that time sitting on a stool, flipping through his phone, lazily providing back-ups). When he was rocking the mic, his rhymes about Ace Burpee and Slurpees were a great blend of k-os-meets-Daniel Johnston, but the party really didn’t start until Shad walked in.