Wali Shah

Wali Shah

Shah in 2015
Born (1994-09-09) September 9, 1994
Pakistan
Occupation Speaker
Spoken Word Poet
Musician
Years active 2013–present

Wali Shah (born September 9, 1994) is a Canadian speaker,[1] 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.

In 2014, he was named by Plan Canada as one of Canada's "Top 20 Under 20".[2] He has raised over one million dollars for The United Way as its ambassador for Mississauga's Peel region.[3]

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.[4] 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.[4]

Career

Shah began his career by releasing a hip-hop rap album in 2013 entitled Rhythm & Poetry under the alias "Flo". The album spawned the single "King of the Castle" which tackled bullying amongst youth.[5] Its music video became a standard in the Peel Region District School Board's educational resources, garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube and would go on to be featured on MTV for WeDay 2014. This foray would begin his career in speaking.[5]

Shah has spoken against bullying and violence using the turbulent experiences of his youth to serve as an example to try and help youth excel. He encourages youth and adults alike to contribute to social change by being active in their communities.[6] He often utilizes his rap and spoken word poetry during his speaking as a creative statement to reinforce and further his message.

Over the following two years Shah has continued to speak and perform at both major events and on national stages including at the Canadian Walk of Fame Festival,[7] Yonge-Dundas Square, The Sony Centre [8] and Celebration Square. He has also performed with a number of artists including Jully Black, Billy Talent and Sarah McLachlan.[9]

In June 2014, Shah was selected by Plan Canada as one of Canada's "Top 20 Under 20".[10]

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.[9] His music video "King of the Castle" was featured at the event and would go on to air on MTV Canada.[9]

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 only 10 student leaders across the country.[11] He was also selected as one of the faces for CAMIMH's national campaign for mental health awareness.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Louise (30 June 2014). "‘Tell kids to dream,’ says teen who turned life around". Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "City trio named Top 20 Under 20 award winners". mississauganews.com. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "United Way mentor shares lessons from his own troubled youth". mississauganews.com. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Finding My Voice". Education Canada. January 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Mixtape tackles social issues". mississauganews.com. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "United Way mentor shares lessons from his own troubled youth".
  7. ↑ "The Canada’s Walk of Fame 2014 inductees and upcoming festivities". Best of Toronto.
  8. ↑ Reuters Editorial (25 March 2015). "Count Me In(TM) Global Broadcast Returns to Toronto's Sony Centre, April 14, 2015". Reuters.
  9. 1 2 3 "3M National Student Fellowships for the founder of a mental health magazine and for a philanthropic rapper".
  10. ↑ "‘Tell kids to dream,’ says teen who turned life around". thestar.com. 30 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Mahnoor Ayub (5 October 2015). "Transitioning from a jail cell to success". The Medium.
  12. ↑ "Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health - Faces Campaign".
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