The direct translation of “kung fu” from Chinese to English is “hard work”, and it’s a phrase that ShaoDow – real name Elliot Haslam – has made his motto. Hailing from Catford, south east London, ShaoDow is forging a career as an independent rapper, releasing on his own label DiY Gang Entertainment and earning the patronage of scene gatekeepers like the BBC's Semtex and Charlie Sloth. Outside of music, though, ShaoDow has dedicated his life to the physically grueling and highly technical practice of Shaolin kung fu – and last Saturday, he took his athletic prowess to the small screen, as he competed in “the toughest obstacle course on TV”, ITV’s prime time game show Ninja Warrior.
ShaoDow’s interest in martial arts began when he visited the US aged 11 and came upon the anime show Dragon Ball Z. “I started learning martial arts because I really wanted to shoot energy beams out of my hands and I thought this was the way to do it,” he laughs. But he took to it, and soon he was training five or six days a week, and spent his gap year in China where he learned from authentic Shaolin teachers. It was there that he started rapping, turning his love for technically adept, disciplined spitters like Ludacris and Tech N9ne. It’s a style you can hear on his new single Kaio-Ken – on indeed on his appearance on Charlie Sloth’s Fire In The Booth, below, where he became the first rapper to spit lines in Japanese on the show.
When he’s not on his music grind, you’ll find the London MC practising Shaolin kung fu and aiming for the top in ITV’s primetime obstacle course game show.
The direct translation of “kung fu” from Chinese to English is “hard work”, and it’s a phrase that ShaoDow – real name Elliot Haslam – has made his motto. Hailing from Catford, south east London, ShaoDow is forging a career as an independent rapper, releasing on his own label DiY Gang Entertainment and earning the patronage of scene gatekeepers like Semtex and Charlie Sloth. Outside of music, though, ShaoDow has dedicated his life to the physically grueling and highly technical practice of Shaolin kung fu – and this Saturday, he’s taking his athletic prowess to the small screen, as he competes in “the toughest obstacle course on TV”, ITV’s prime time gameshow Ninja Warrior.
“It’s the sort of show that, when you watch it you're like 'Yeah, I can do that',” he explains. “But I'm the sort of person who says that, and then actually goes and does it.” After applying on a whim, he forgot all about it – and then got invited in for an audition. “They'd set up some makeshift equipment that resembled a Ninja Warrior course, to see how I'd do on that… then you do a bit of VT to camera to see how you come across. Then got an email about five weeks before: 'We want you on the show – start training!'”
Preparing for a show like Ninja Warrior, he says, takes a lot of lateral thinking. “I've been trying to find a way to train for specific obstacles, because you don't get a chance to try it out until the cameras are rolling. A lot of it you'd never come up against in real life, or in the gym, so there's a big degree of luck involved in it. How do I work out this piece of equipment on the fly, in front of an audience, while trying to beat the clock?”
ShaoDow’s interest in martial arts began when he visited the US aged 11 and came upon the anime show Dragon Ball Z. “I started learning martial arts because I really wanted to shoot energy beams out of my hands and I thought this was the way to do it,” he laughs. But he took to it, and soon he was training five or six days a week, and spent his gap year in China where he learned from authentic Shaolin teachers. It was there that he started rapping, turning his love for technically adept, disciplined spitters like Ludacris and Tech N9ne. It’s a style you can hear on his new single Kaio-Ken – on indeed on his appearance on Charlie Sloth’s Fire In The Booth, below, where he became the first rapper to spit lines in Japanese on the show.
Watch the video to Kaio-Ken below.
As if music and kung fu aren’t enough, he’s also turning his hand to writing, and has collaborated with an artist on his first manga novel, titled The Way Of Shao Manga. “It’s set in a world where musicians have special powers and abilities, and the strength of those abilities is based on the amount of fans that they have,” he explains. “The whole premise behind the book is about showing how an artist builds their fanbase and their career – they get on stage and battle each other using their lyrics, and the mic is a conduit for their lyrical ability. It changes into various forms of weaponry, based on how good their lyrics and how big their fanbase is.”
Following his appearance on Ninja Warrior, ShaoDow is facing another grueling test – his first proper UK tour. Self-booked and self-funded, the Hard Work and Nunchucks tour is calling at Norwich, London and Derby. “I want to understand the touring engine, and get my head round how to do it, totally self-funded and independent – so when I start bringing people in I know exactly how it’s done.” It’s a long way to the top – but ShaoDow approaches everything he does with the same tenacity and discipline: you wouldn’t bet against him.