Years active 2013–present | Albums Rhythm & Poetry | |
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Born September 9, 1994 (age 22) ( 1994-09-09 ) Pakistan Occupation Speaker
Spoken Word Poet
Musician Similar Stephanie Braganza, Uzimon, Richard Nunns, Anna Coddington, Lizzie Marvelly | ||
Kendrick lamar x wali shah freestyle matthew santoro
Wali Shah (born September 9, 1994) is a Canadian speaker, musician and philanthropist. He has spoken most prominently on topics including bullying, mental health and social change while utilizing both spoken word poetry and rap music.
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In 2014, he was named by Plan Canada as one of Canada's "Top 20 Under 20". He has raised over one million dollars for The United Way as its ambassador for Mississauga's Peel region.
Early years
Shah's parents immigrated to Canada in 1997 when Shah was three, first settling in Toronto before moving to Mississauga, Ontario. As a result, Shah spent a number of years of his youth in Toronto before settling in Mississauga. Shah attended Cawthra Park Secondary School, his early years being turbulent and culminating in his arrest at the age of 15. This served as a turning point in Shah's life at which point through mentorship and resilience he reformed his lifestyle towards facilitating change in the community.
Career
In 2013 Shah released his first hip-hop rap album, Rhythm & Poetry, under the alias "Flo". The album spawned the single "King of the Castle" which addressed bullying as a social issue. The song's music video was used by the Peel Region District School Board, and had over 100,000 views on YouTube. It was shown on MTV for WeDay 2014. Following this, Shah collaborated with the Peel Board to create a bullying prevention video titled "Change The World".
In June 2014, Shah was selected by Plan Canada as one of Canada's "Top 20 Under 20".
On October 2, 2014, Shah was featured alongside actress-musician Selena Gomez at the 2014 We Day conference where he also freestyle rapped with musical artist Kendrick Lamar. His music video "King of the Castle" was featured at the event and would go on to air on MTV Canada. Shah is currently enrolled at University of Toronto Mississauga where he studies Sociology.
In 2015 Shah was awarded the 3M National Student Fellowship which is presented annually to 10 student leaders across the country.
Shah has spoken against bullying and violence using the turbulent experiences of his youth to serve as an example to try to help youth.