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Viewing Posts Tagged "mixtape" View All

Hotter Than July (Rhyme & Reason)

August 05, 2008 | Tags: sha stimuli, mixtape, stevie wonder, hotter than july

When I finished recording Hotter Than July I was hoping that I had made something people could identify with as humans dealing with experience or as lovers of lyrics and concepts and thirdly as fans of Stevie Wonder's sound. DJ Victorious and I came up with different ways to attack each beat and in the end came out pretty crazy. It was like making an album in less than 2 months. Clams Casino is my hero. I never imagined most of the backdrop for a Stevie CD would come from a kid not old enough to get in my release parties and of a whole nother persuasion than the artist he was sampling from. I guess that's my prejudice huh? I need to listen to March On Washington again.

The idea to do this Steveland CD was one I had years ago and actually made an attempt at. Unfortunately my team wasn't where it is today and my focus wasn't there. Two close friends reinforced the idea; one of them even came up with the title. I was still skeptical since that was late May that I decided to do it but after alerting Clams and Vic of the plan things just started to fall into place. The word "masterpiece" is one I'm hearing in regards to the CD and usually I take credit away from myself but this time I would have to agree with folks. I mean I poured my heart for 14 tracks ranging from domestic abuse, drug use and depression to Christianity, infidelity and love. And I did it without profanity. I guess that's why I'm poppin shit a little bit today.

I've gotten messages from the thuggiest of thugs and the toughest of critics saying they enjoyed this CD and knowing we slipped in a few slow Stevie songs that's saying a lot. Of course I feel like we could’ve used better selections to sample from and some beats did not get used although they were hot. Some Stevie songs also didn't get touched because…well honestly Clams was the main producer and if he didn't do it then most of them just didn't match up. I was sending this kid songs to sample and hours later he was throwing back powerful sounding tracks and 2 versions sometimes. He freaked "Isn't she lovely?” and “Sir Duke” but the songs I wrote were a little too happy for this disc.

-Lately
Not that happy is bad because I got a few calls after people heard my version of “Lately” produced by J.Cardim thinking I should be on suicide watch. I thought that was funny. I wanted to just sound as if I was really a person at a place in life where you're ready for the next level in your career but you’re not really sure what that level is. Like if I blow up does it matter? Was all of this time I worked and went without what people call success worth what's in front of me? Or should I just go start my family now and stop trying to make a top ten emcee list when the words I'm putting out now pretty much crush who's on there anyway. This is where I'm sure other emcees are at some point in their life so I just jot it down and spit it out.

-Ribbon in the sky
Being compared to others comes with the territory in this business and ever since I started making mixtapes I've been grouped with others doing what I do. Some have gone on to stardom, some have disappeared and everyday it feels like there's some new rap guys peeping the formula for notoriety outside of radio or a major label and pushing the envelope to get more buzz. And if they have a punchline in their body someone will probably compare them to what I've been doing and I'm cool with that. Well maybe I'm not. For the most part I think they are some great rappers, lyricists, marketing geniuses whatever you want to call it that get more press and exposure than I do for whatever reason. I take nothing away from them but when interviewers ask "why aren't you as far as this guy?" Or "why don't you do a song with him?" it bugs me sometimes. What's even more annoying is having people call you and point out similarities from some other artist as if they’re influenced by me when they know I can't accept that nor do I have enough ego to admit that. So with all that said there was a day when you felt an emcee had a purpose, whether it was to educate, stay out of jail, feed his family, be the best, get money, say something or if you're like me you combine all those add a fear of dying early and you know why I feel like a different class of artist. Today I feel like a lot of folks are just doing it ‘cause they can or to get hot or ‘cause they can get beats or whatever their reason is I don't care. What I do care about is that I let it be known. I'm a venter, sue me.

-Redemption
I use the same voice to brag and say some things to move people any chance I get. I wanted “Redemption” to be my way of painting a picture of what goes on around us. A child using his pen to get out his frustration, a locked up father using his writing to try to get his son to change and a young girl putting all her pain from her stepfather's abuse in her diary to help her get through every day. I thought about releasing all the things we endure in life and how fortunate I am to have a talent to write and even better to be heard. I wanted to let the world know I don't take that for granted and that anyone can get their feelings out with their words.

-These 3 Words
I think this was the most complex record on here for me. I sent the original song to Clams but I had no clue what he would come back with. After I heard the up-tempo joint he pulled off I figured I could spew some crap about telling your loved ones how you feel about them. Victorious heard the beat and said I should be a funny heartbreaker on it. He wanted me to tell girlfriends and friends that I couldn’t say the L word and keep it light. I was going to shut him down but I instantly got this image in my head of a girl wanting me to say the words "I love you" and a story developed and soon thereafter I transitioned the song into a deeper more meaningful record and I wrote the hook in the booth which is really backwards for me but I think it tied everything together. My mother's favorite song by the way.

-Knocks Me Off…
Victorious thought we needed a straight up love song in typical Stevie Wonder fashion but I just can't do straight up predictable records. Clams however did a crazy rendition of “Knocks me off my Feet” that was a little too fast so I asked him to slow it down. As soon as he did I came up with 2 verses about a single mother I was considering going further with and an ex that needed to leave me alone. It’s my announcement that I can say the 3 words successfully.

It’s still not that easy actually, but I'm learning. I really do think about losing those close to me or leaving the earth and not saying what I feel. I also think about where we go afterwards and Heaven was born.

-Heaven
Roland Dice did this beat and he will get mad if I divulge his true identity, maybe because he hasn't learned drum programming or he fears backlash but let's just say this beat was an inside job. It automatically made me reflect on all the places I thought heaven could be and I evaluated my views on Christianity and spirituality and most importantly what I call "heaven on earth". I feel like I try to acknowledge heaven every day and my 3rd verse embodies what I mean. Heaven is probably my favorite song lyrically, it’s pretty thought provoking. It makes me think about all Stevie has done musically and if he would trade all his success and talent for a chance to see. Would that be heaven for him or is he already living it?

As for me, 6 discs in and I’m honestly exhausted, I was working on that EP in July and I’m not sure when I’m dropping it or what disc is actually next. I do know I need Hotter Than July to live for a minute because it drained my inspiration and I think it deserves room to breathe. People are concerned if I’m going to continue and I appreciate the concern, I didn’t know what I was capable until I pushed myself. Stay tuned because this is a rare occurrence that you see something like this go down. I’ve blabbed enough; on the 7th I host AZ’s mixtape release at Knitting Factory in NYC. My born day is on the 9th, I may party, I might not and on the 10th are the Underground Music Awards; if I win you win.

myspace.com/shastimuli

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

12 Mixtapes in 12 Months?

January 14, 2008 | Tags: Hip Hop, sha stimuli, The Wire, mixtape

Salutations, Happy New Year and White History Month and all that. If you don’t know me my name is Sha Stimuli and in 2007 to just run thru and sum it up I became a free agent again, dropped a few CDs, started this journal, got some magazine and DVD features, appeared on MTV and BET doing the freestyle thing, jumped in a few movies, got some hot 97 radio spins and won an award for Best Lyricist. Of course I’m leaving out a few things but I can never remember everything and I sound pompous.

Anyway it’s a new year and with it brings new things. So I decided to drop a CD every month this year and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about that whole idea and I’ll get to that a little later on. The 1st installment is a CD dedicated to and inspired by the hit HBO series The Wire. DJ Victorious and I put it together after discussing and anticipating the final season. I recognize the show’s influence and authenticity and decided to put out music that mirrored the program. I’ve received some slack for not including Baltimore artists on the CD and I understand that totally, I also know some of the songs were previously released. 1st of all we put together the concept from the point of view of a New York dude in that area trying to get money. We all know a lot of the cast members are from Brooklyn but that’s neither here nor there. I did reach out to some Maryland artists but time became a factor, Kingpin Slim, my dude from DC is on there and I did a song with my boy Panama from B-more who is on the actual show but the joint didn’t really fit. The finished product is available online (http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/mixtape/id.322) and it includes an unofficial remix to Scarface’s "Never," "Don’t Come Outside" featuring Cashmere and some other powerful music and show clips that pay homage to one of the most dramatic scripted shows of our time. Shout to Jaime Hector and Julito for offering services, we’ll get y’all involved next time. As far as the previously released stuff, we used joints that had a vibe that captured the essence of The Wire but for the rest of the CDs this year, don’t expect too much dated material. If a song is old it’s only included because it fits. It sounds like I’m coppin’ a plea but I’m not, leave me alone.

My 1st performance of the year went down on Friday the 11th celebrating the release of Torae’s new mixtape/album entitled Daily Conversation. He received a lot of support from the fans and artists that are a part of the joint. He put together an incredible CD, I wish him much success with it. Chaundon, Skyzoo, The Away team, Kil, Kel Spencer, Torae and I all blessed the stage at The Knitting Factory. It was an epic night; we took a slew of pictures, did interviews and most importantly showed that New York hip-hop still has a pulse. My set wasn’t too long but I had enough time to give anyone who had never heard of me a nice display of what I do and why I was born. One of the biggest things for me was being able to perform in front of Masta Ace who had me on his album when I was in junior high school and actually helped get my earliest inspiration and fuel to begin writing rhymes. He never saw me rap until that night so to impress him meant a lot to me. It’s like your 1st basketball coach coming to your game in the NBA and you get busy…well maybe the NBDL but you get the picture. Pete Rock was also in the building and he was the 1st to congratulate me for doing my thing in front of the crowd.

Somewhere in between the mainstream hip-hop artist and the unknown rapper is a level that some refer to as the underground. Sometimes it’s because of content, other times it’s due to exposure. There are days when I wonder what it will take to go from internet buzz or street notoriety to national recognition. Some say it’s a hit single on the radio, others may argue that a hot video will do it. Most people feel like once you get a record deal you’re good but I think in the last 3 or 4 years that theory is gone out the window. So what’s the answer? It’s obviously not talent because the most talented are hardly the most successful. Is it marketing combined with luck and opportunity? Kanye had the biggest selling rap album last year and it was also celebrated by critics for its simplicity and consistency. But without the 50 Cent 1st week feud would he have sold as much? Is controversy the answer? Maybe there is no one solution to the puzzle. Maybe we as artists need to go back to the days when music didn’t necessarily equate with wealth. Wouldn’t that change our minds when we create songs if we weren’t focused on selling millions? Wouldn’t that change the labels’ strategies if they were content with reaching every artist’s target audience and keeping the budgets lower? That might even deter some of the people that have no business rapping from picking up a mic.

Maybe I’m bugging but with that said I vowed at the end of last year to drop a CD every month this year. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time but it got some people talking. They wonder can I keep it up. Will I drop mad old songs? Will it be quantity over quality? Didn’t Papoose and Lil Wayne already do that? Who cares what Stimuli does anyway? I’m not sure but when they ask why I ask why not. I have a bunch of material that I record when I’m feeling moved and music serves as a release and I'm tired of holding it in while I wait for promo and marketing dollars. My mission is challenging but doesn’t everyone need a challenge once in awhile? I feel alive again, almost like I have a job that I’m not getting paid for but I’m rich so I don’t need the money. Since the latter of that statement is untrue I have quite a bit of work to do. No gimmick, no real goal in mind, just good music for folks to identify with and enjoy. Thanks to Big Ray we’re also adding some visuals to the music as time progresses so stay tuned.

I’m not gonna beat y'all in the head with this but for those that doubt me or hate on me thank you because you are part of why I’m still here. I have some surprises for Cinderella Man and Thee Emotion Picture, yes they are still on the way this year but don’t worry about me running out of material…good material I should say. Check me out in the new Connex List magazine and thanks to BET for showing me rapping on back to back days. I got more bars if y’all need em by the way.

R.I.P Malaika Bermiss, hold ya head Sek. I’m out.