#BLACK

MUSIC
MATTERS
“BROTHER (WATCHING)”

SHAD FT B & F KABANGO

LESSON OBJECTIVE(S):
In this lesson, students will explore notions of Blackness and the impact of anti-Black racism and
stereotyping on ‘African’ youth.
English, Social Science, Geography, Visual Arts and Music-specific activities will enable students to
identify and respond to the social issues of Blackness, anti-Black racism and stereotyping.

GRADE LEVEL:
9 - 12
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CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

AUTHORS
1. LESSON CONTEXT Darren Hamilton
Music Educator, Researcher and
Choral Conductor
Background Information
Jon Corbin
2. FOUNDATIONAL ACTIVITIES English and Social Science Educator,
Hip Hop Artist
Pre-Activity
Key Vocabulary RESOURCE
Discussion Activity DEVELOPMENT
ADVISORY
3. SUBJECT-SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
Music Dr. Mark Campbell
Assistant Professor and Associate Chair,
English Music and Culture, University of Toronto

Social Science Adrian Khan

Teacher, Hip Hop DJ and Music Producer
Geography
Alicia Mighty
Visual Arts Music Teacher, Peel District School Board

Dramatic Arts Carlos Morgan

Recording Artist, Songwriter and Music
Producer
4. LESSON RESOURCES AND LINKS
Keziah Myers
Executive Director, ADVANCE, Canada’s
APPENDIX 1: “BROTHER (WATCHING)” LYRICS Black Music Business Collective

Nick Godsoe
Senior Manager of Programs and Education,
MusiCounts

For more MusiCounts Learn Teaching

Resources visit www.musicounts.ca

MusiCounts gratefully acknowledges ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music

Business Collective and the Saskatchewan Music Educators Association for
helping to make this resource possible. Last Updated February 1, 2023

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LESSON CONTEXT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In “Brother (Watching),” Shad outlined the challenges for young
Black people who immigrate to Canada where they face
stereotyping, racism, lowered expectations in schools and
limited job opportunities because of their ethnicity.
“Brother (Watching)” appears on the 2007 album, The Old Prince,
a concept album where the eponymous character is observing the
social challenges facing the young Black population, and battles
his inner demons before rising up to be a leader. In the context of
the album, this song is about the prelude to leadership. The main Still, Official Video “Brother (Watching)”
Photo: YouTube
character is observing the issues and has some ideas of how to
solve things, but has yet to take action.
The end of the song features the album’s narrators, and Shad’s
parents, Bernadette and Francis Kabango. The two break
character to share what their hopes are for their children as they
grow older. The couple serve as a guide for the narrator and a
symbol of the multigenerational interconnectedness found in
many African communities (Shad is Kenyan-born and his parents
are Rwandan).

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FOUNDATIONAL KEY VOCABULARY

Activist: a person who uses or supports

ACTIVITIES
strong actions (such as public protests) in
support of or opposition to one side of a
controversial issue

Affluent: having an abundance of goods or

riches; being wealthy
PRE-ACTIVITY African: a person and especially a Black
person of African ancestry

1. REVIEW SHAD’S BIOGRAPHY (2:00) Blackness: the social and cultural identity
and experience of Black people
Shad Artist Biography Blaxploitation: the exploitation of Black
people by producers of Black-oriented films
2. REVIEW KEY VOCABULARY (10:00) Capitalist: a person who has capital
especially invested in business
Review the Key Vocabulary List
Exploitation: to make use of meanly or
Read through the lyrics to “Brother (Watching)” (Appendix 1) unfairly for one’s own advantage

Infatuation: a feeling of foolish or

Re-read the lyrics again if needed obsessively strong love for, admiration for,
or interest in someone or something
3. WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO (3:35) Loot: slang for money

Official Video, “Brother (Watching)” (Moving) Packs: slang for selling drugs
Saturated: in chemistry, saturation is a
liquid with something dissolved in that con-
tains the maximum amount of the substance
that can been dissolved (Shad connects this
to culture, and the maximum amount of
negative images of Blackness that have been
shown)

Stereotype: to believe unfairly that all

people or things with a particular
characteristic are the same

Swagger: an arrogantly self-confident way

of walking
Shad. Photo: Justin Broadbent

Definitions from Merriam-Webster Online Dic-

tionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries

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DISCUSSION
ACTIVITY
ESTIMATED DURATION (20:00)
As a class or in small groups, discuss the following questions
and share responses. Refer back to the lyrics and reflect on the
pre-activity videos as needed while generating responses.
Note: Educators can select specific questions from the list
provided to engage students in discussion. Possible student
responses are also provided.

QUESTIONS
What is the purpose of the song?
(i.e., Shad is identifying the societal racism of lowered
expectations for Black youth in North America; Shad identifies
the ‘limited range of possibilities’ for Black youth and how that
adversely impacts their psyche; Shad endorses the modern day
activism of refuting those stereotypes by just ‘being yourself’)

Still, “Brother (Watching)” Official What examples come to mind when you think about the
Music Video. Photo: YouTube phrase “infatuation with Blackness”?
(i.e., when non-Black people get their hair braided, get hair
extensions or grow dreadlocks; when people from other cultures
open businesses that offer Black goods and services; when
non-Black people try to speak patois, etc.)

What are some ways that Black youth “souls [are] subtly
attacked and abused”?
(i.e., societal expectations of having ‘swagger’ and being ‘smooth’;
the homogenous representation of Blacks on television; the
limited amount of socially expected jobs for Black youth “making
tracks or it’s hoops”)

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What do you think Shad means in the hook, “I’ve been

watching everything, oh brother, brother, brother?”
(i.e., “Watching” reflects Shad’s vision of the experiences of young
Black people and their encounters with racism; “Oh brother” is
both an exclamation of sadness as well as expressing solidarity
with Black youth)

Why does Shad consider “just being yourself” and “doing

what you’re passionate to” as Black activism?
(i.e., this is considered as Black activism because society often
puts Black people into a box, dictating what they can and cannot
do, what careers they can and cannot pursue - “doing what you’re
passionate to” is activism because Black people are challenged to
pursue any career they want, even if it is not common for them to
be represented in a certain career)
Shad. Photo: Canadian Encyclopedia

Shad mentions the Black experience in school, representation

of Blacks in the media, and limited job prospects. How does
this song contribute to our current cultural discussion of
systemic racism?
(i.e., this song reaffirms the lack of representation of Blacks in
high profile jobs and positions of authority in our society; this
song speaks about how Black people are often passed over for
opportunities just because of the color of their skin)

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SUBJECT-SPECIFIC
ACTIVITIES
MUSIC
• Return to the lyrics of “Brother” and complete these analysis
activities (110:00)
• Re-read the lyrics with a focus on the rhyme scheme. Describe
any patterns you notice.
• Examine one stanza from the song. Identify how many syllables
are in each line of the stanza. What patterns, if any, do you notice
between the lines of the stanza?
• Consider a social justice issue that you are passionate about.
Write a 4-line stanza expressing your opinion on the subject.
(Each line should be between 7-12 syllables)

ENGLISH
• In groups of 2 or 3, examine one stanza from the song. Analyze
the meaning of the stanza and discuss its effectiveness. Share your
ideas with another group. (40:00)
• Write a 250-word response journal. Write your thoughts about
any aspect of the song. Consider questions like: What lines stood
out to you? What lines did not make sense? What does this song
tell us about the author? (75:00)

Photo: Brad Neathery

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SOCIAL SCIENCE
• Conduct research on a 21st century Canadian Black activist.
What work are they involved in? Describe their impact on the
modern social justice movement. (75:00)
• Research project: Research the historical stereotypes of Black
people in 20th century television and film. Then, research a
modern film or television show that effectively challenges “the
narrow conception of what’s Black.” Prepare a brief presentation
to share your findings and explain how your media product
challenges stereotypes. (175:00)

GEOGRAPHY Photo: Pinho

• Research the percentage of Canadian immigrants coming from

African countries. Represent your findings on a map of Africa.
Then, research where in Canada immigrants from Africa are
settling. Represent your findings on a map of Canada. (115:00)

VISUAL ARTS
• Consider Shad’s line, “So young blacks don’t see themselves in
scholastic pursuits or the more practical routes…” Create a visual
arts piece that celebrates a positive image of Blackness. (225:00)

DRAMATIC ARTS
• Identify a scene from a TV show or movie in which Black
culture is negatively portrayed. Write a script or script treatment
that reimagines this scene to present a more positive image of
Blackness. (225:00)

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LESSON
RESOURCES
AND LINKS
Shad | Game Changer (CBC)
Shad’s Biography
“Brother (Watching)” Official Music Video

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APPENDIX 1
BROTHER (WATCHING)
LYRICS
HOOK
I’ve been watching everything
Oh, brother, brother, brother

VERSE 1
I try to hold some hope in my heart for these African youths
Coming up where I’m from, many traps to elude
Surrounded by mostly white and affluent dudes
And somehow, you expected to have mastered this smooth
Swagger and move with the right walk, the right talk
Fashion and crews, souls subtly attacked and abused
And what’s funny’s being Black wasn’t cool
Where I’m from till suddenly you started hearing rap in the school
Hallways, amidst this madness I grew
With a knack for amusing through this little skill for rapping at dudes
And we all like to laugh at the truth
But when you young and the same facts pertain to who you rapping ‘em to
Well, I opted not to bring that to the booth
But after a while, it sort of starts nagging at you
The crazed infatuation with Blackness, the trash that gets viewed
And the fact that the tube only showed blacks acting the fool
And I was watching

HOOK
I’ve been watching everything
Oh, brother, brother, brother

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VERSE 2
Saturated with negative images and a limited range
Of possibilities is strange

And it’s sad cause that naturally do

Sort of condition your mind and over time that’s what’s attractive to you
So young blacks don’t see themselves in scholastic pursuits
Or the more practical routes, it’s making tracks or it’s hoops
Or God-forbid moving packs for the loot
Shoot, even with this music we so limited, it’s rap or produce
And that narrow conception of what’s Black isn’t true
Of course, still we feel forced to adapt to this view
Like there’s something that we’re having to prove
Now add that to the slew of justifications the capitalists use
For the new blaxploitation, many actions excused
In the name of getting cash that’s adversely impacting our youth
With mental slavery, the shackles is loose
And it’s hard to cut chains when they attached at the roots
So what the new Black activists do
For our freedom is just being them, do what you’re passionate to
Not confined by a sense that you have to disprove
Any stereotypes, so-called facts to refute
Or match any image of Blackness they’ve established as true
Perhaps we’ll break through the glass ceiling, shatter the roof
And emerge, from these boxes that they have us in-cooped
And grow to smash the mould that they casted of you
I’ll keep watching

HOOK
I’ve been watching everything
Oh, brother, brother, brother

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