From his flow to the beats that he rhymes over, everything about rapper Shade Sheist screams “West Coast” in no uncertain terms. Sheist has, on occasion, worked with some East Coast rappers — including Fabolous, Ja Rule and Naughty by Nature member Kay Gee — but even so, Sheist is very much a product of the Southern California rap scene. Heavily influenced by West Coast gangsta rappers such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, DJ Quik, Warren G, Dr. Dre, and the late N.W.A. agitator Eazy-E, Sheist was born and raised in the Inglewood area. Anyone who forgets how long rap has been around need only think about how long Sheist has been alive; the Southern Californian was born in the early ’80s, which means that he was only a baby when trailblazing old-school East Coast rappers like Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the Sugarhill Gang (as in “Rappers Delight”), and the Treacherous Three were at the height of their popularity. It also means that he was only two or three years old when Ice-T — the seminal father of West Coast gangsta rap — started recording in 1983. It was in 1999 that Sheist really started to get some breaks as an artist; that year, he was featured on “If You Were My Bitch,” a song he originally wrote and one of the tunes that Irv Gotti produced for the controversial Irv Gotti Presents: The Murderers project. The Murderers’ project was where Sheist met East Coast artist Ja Rule, who invited him to be a guest on his Def Jam release Rule 3:36 (which went triple-platinum). Shade’s other projects include songs on the Fast and The Furious, “The Wash,” Dark Angel, True Crime: Streets of L.A. and 25 to Life soundtracks. Being a part of all of these successful projects helped Shade Sheist build a strong foundation from which to grow. Shade Sheist did indeed grow and he signed a joint venture deal with MCA Records in 2002. MCA released Sheist’s debut solo album, Informal Introduction on September 10, 2002. It was not only hailed as a West Coast classic but also introduced Sheist to an international audience. The project features several Top Five and Top Ten singles: “Wake Up” featuring Nate Dogg and Warren G (produced by Kay Gee of Naughty by Nature) “Money Owners” produced by and co-starring Timbaland, and “John Doe” produced by and co-starring Dj Quik. The album’s lead single, “Where I Wanna Be,” features Nate Dogg and Kurupt. It is without a doubt that Shade Sheist is on his way to becoming a key figure in the music industry. He plans on releasing his third solo lp during the summer of 2007; as well as a major motion picture shot inside of the “Bates Motel,” the building made famous by the classic horror flick “Psycho.” As you can see, once Sheist has your attention he intends to keep it. His charm and the fact that he is so well spoken are just a few of the other great qualities that make Shade Sheist an artist to watch. Sheist is indeed where he wants to be. |
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