Brooklyn has a long-standing tradition for greatness, whether it was the Brooklyn Dodgers, Mike Tyson, a Spike Lee joint or the legacy of Christopher Wallace; Brooklyn has always produced a certain magic. Just when the magic seems to have passed away, retired, or gotten jerked by Don King, enters Franklin Rossman aka Shakespeare, and all the 28-year-old wants is for the world to “feel” him.
“When writing a song, I try to find ideas that everyone experiences at some level,” answers Shake when asked about his creative process. “Everybody experiences death, love, hate and betrayal,” he adds. Not only is Shakespeare willing to relate to his audience, he is also willing to show them vulnerability within himself that most rappers would never own up to. His sincere approach, distinctive fashion sense, and captivating stage performances have propelled him above the pack. This becomes evident when crowds sing along to his songs, and critics and journalist alike praise his work.
Besides traveling the country performing and opening up for some of his musical influences like Slick Rick, Shake has been featured in “Rap Sheet”, “Complex” and “Black Men” magazine. Additionally, he has graced the cover of “What’s Really Hood” DVD, and been featured on numerous others including “Hip Hop Uncensored” and “Grind Hard”. Most recently, Shake was featured in the new Ecko TV campaign that appeared in Macy’s department stores nationwide and on MTV’s Suckerfree.
Most “industry” heads will tell you, any rapper with dreams of being successful needs a hometown hit, but in order to obtain success on a national scale, a rapper needs to think beyond his block, That’s quite a dilemma right? Not for Shake. His sound has a definitive New York swagger, but is commercially viable. Songs like, “ShakyBaby” and “4.0” will have both new and old Hip-Hop fans chanting the choruses. Most of today’s new jacks claim to be the next Hov or the next Pac, but allow yourself to be introduced to the first Shakespeare.| |
