Sha is not only my dude but he is a super talented emcee and without a doubt in a class of his own. So in light of his new mixtape "The Secret"...which by the way is an outstanding book written by Rhonda Byrne I urge all to go get it. Links + Interview after the Jump
"The Secret as Revealed by DJ Victorious & Sha Stimuli"
[Download]
"March on Washington by DJ Victorious & Sha Stimuli"
[Download]
"Love Jones by DJ Victorious & Sha Stimuli"
[Download]
"The Wire by DJ Victorious & Sha Stimuli"
[Download]
illRoots.com:What's good man
Sha: Whats goin' on?
illRoots.com: Not too much just the same old thing, sitting down watching YoMTV Raps.
Sha: Oh that comes on again right?
illRoots.com: Yea they kind of they still put the current bullshit on in between the old stuff to try to fool you.
Sha: Oh okay.
illRoots.com: So its like Queen Latifah - Just Another Day and then the Get Silly song comes on so its like okay here's history....no lets dumb it down....here's history...no dumb.
Sha: Oh I got it.
illRoots.com: Its kind of sad but either way. But I'm not going to take too long and I'm hungry. [Laughs]
Sha: [Laughs]
illRoots.com: So how'd you get the name "Sha Stimuli"
Sha: I never really had a clear distinct story but I know I used to rhyme back in the days and it was a name that came to me in a cypher. You know like one of those "off the top of the head" type things. I used to do those type of battles back in the day and I said, they always used to call me "Sha" and I said it in a cypher and when I said it in a cypher with my name I got back to my room[I was in college at the time] I looked it up. I seen the actual definition of the word "stimuli", you know "promotes a response" and I chose that if I would ever actually choose to be an artist full time then thats what I wanted to do. I really wanted people not to be like "Well he's okay", I wanted them to either love me or hate me. I think at that time I was thinking the industry was my fall-back plan. My brother was into it so no matter what I was going to be an A&R or something in the industry. So I was at the crossroads to either go full speed with this artist thing or just go ahead and just get a job at a label so that name symbolized alot to me because if I'm going to do it then I'm going to affect people. Then they will have to respond to me regardless.
illRoots.com: So if you could pick one song to summarize your entire life?
Sha: Shit......Anybody's song?
illRoots.com: Yea anybody's song, except not one you've written because then you could say well "I got this song that I wrote about my life"...then that would be cheating.
Sha: [Laughs] I can dig it. One Song...? Damn.....I wanna say something about Donnie Hathaway, but alot of his songs are about love.
illRoots.com: Yeaaa..that would have a real fluffy connotation [Laughs]
Sha: Then I want to go "Bohemia Rhapsody" by Queen but dude was talking about killing somebody so ehhh...but the way that song changes so much it reminds me of my life the way it goes one way and then confuses you and then goes into some next craziness but then the words don't match.
illRoots.com: True.
Sha: Um wow..nobody ever asked me anything like this. I'm kind of impressed.
illRoots.com: Okay well.
Sha: You know I'm trying to think of Stevie song.
illRoots.com: Yea that's always a nice generic answer to fall back on.
Sha: [Laughs]
illRoots.com: Go ahead pick one.
Sha: I'm thinking....the only thing I can think of that's close to me is the "The MisEducation of Lauryn Hill".
illRoots.com: The entire album?
Sha: Number 14...I think thats the title track, and it just focuses on relying on self and I think I go back to that song no matter what I do in my life because you have to rely on yourself to find the answers and tackle obstacles. I'm the only person I can rely on and focus on.
illRoots.com: Right now I think the biggest thing besides content, I don't think people know where to go with music and the lines between art and commerce haven't been blurred to the point where we can make music and get paid like Stevie did. So how do you feel you bring change?
Sha: Well, I'm one of those people that I guess I'm old fashion because I really do want to perform art in the ways that they did in the old days and still get paid for it. Honestly bringing change is just that. I don't think alot people are doing that I think every body is focusing on commerce and selling and going into this panic because records aren't selling and they are trying to get money. I think for me I'm trying to find that in-between line where I can do what I do and still eat off it. I think when I first got into this game it was more just eating. You get with a major label and they are going to tell you and get you do everything to sell records because that is their "major" thing. I think the underground is still alive, hip-hop isn't dead, and I wasn't aware of that. I thought it was still nobody out there buying music and I think my role in this is to take that world and bring it mainstream like it was before. I talk about the fact that when I was growing up I was listening to alot of the native tongues and different crews and they just did what they did and was still selling records. I think the people that are still doing what they do aren't selling and aren't mainstream and for some reason I feel like I am supposed to be one of those people that makes it to the forefront and not compromise anything and still selling units. There is still people out there I think Kanye is still doing it yet there is a few people that have lost site of where it came from. I think I'm supposed to represent that person that respects the art and still get bread and lyricism as well.
illRoots.com: Amen. Well I don't know I think right now that everything is so structured in the machine that you know when that machine stops working they panic...so your right. Also people are trained like the monkey with the cymbal and everybody wants to be a rapper. Nobody is taught to be like an Andre Harrell. Too many Indians and not enough Chiefs [Took that one from my 1st grade teacher].
Sha: Your right. They need a hip-hop school, class, textbook.
illRoots.com: I mean there is stuff out there though, we've just gotten to the point where we are lazy and its not even a hip-hop class its music and ethics and being able to come into this with a business mentality but respecting art for art.
Sha: Right, Right.
illRoots.com: But with the new projects what is the main prowess behind putting out a mixtape ever month for a year?
Sha: Its a couple of reasons: One of them was to give me some organization. I'm talking to majors about putting out my album that was originally going to be put out on Virgin but in the meantime what would make their lives easier would be to show them that I can sell records and to break on the radio. Too widen my fan base. So what I was doing was haphazardly leaking tracks to the internet and recording and maybe dropping a mixtape here and there and for me it wasn't really challenging nor helping me. My fans weren't connecting so for me I decided I have all these ideas and things that I probably won't be able to do when I'm signed to a major label so the first CD was inspired by The Wire and it wasn't really too big. This was actually Stephanie's idea, like you should do a song about relationships. I've done so many songs about females and go out on limb and as an artist make a cd dedicated to girls and relationships or whatever. I had about a couple of songs about females that were old and I was in the studio and then people started giving me ideas.
So I figured if I could put out something every month, you know 10 new songs every month. Its like a job now i wake up to get this CD done. Its really just like I got bored with the mixtapes, I don't want to do a track where I'm the shit every verse. For me lets do a CD that will impact people. With this March on Washington CD if I feel like hearing some social commentary then I'll throw that in. The next one "The Secret" is going to be me just talking shit but positive thinking. Its fun. But You know it takes it back to the roots and with no less then 12 records on a CD and it gives people structure. If I have a song on illRoots then people know that you can go to this site and get it and at the end of the year. Its alot of reason as you can see its something that can help me out.
illRoots.com: I know if I don't ask anything about NY/NJ hip-hop that I know somebody from Jerz will call.
Sha: People still talking about New York Hip-hop like that?
illRoots.com: I'm just saying my peoples in Jerz would scold me if I didn't ask. But I think its unfortunate because we box ourselves into these regions and shit. Just make music people.
Sha: Its sad man. If I went on a southern track then people would be like "oh he's trying to..."
illRoots.com: Remy Ma did that on that last tape like half of them were chopped and screwed hook and madddd people criticized her for that. Its unfortunate but either way.
Sha: True you know Prince is from Minnesota but we don't see him like "Man you not repping your hood dog"
illRoots.com: "You not repping Minnesota"..[Laughs] If you come out and just be yourself and not give a fuck then you'll be alright. Nobody criticizes Cee-lo for Gnarls Barkley…because it sells units.
Sha: Yea.
illRoots.com: If you could work with one artist that isn’t necessarily hip-hop who would it be?
Sha: Anybody?
illRoots.com: Anybody..you could pick Jesus I don’t care, I mean he was the greatest poet of all time.
Sha: Yea he was pretty good…[Laughs]
illRoots.com: Yea 4 or 5 mics [Laughs]
Sha: I would love to bring back Donnie Hathaway I think his voice was crazy. I actually would love to work with Cee-lo I know that’s not much of a stretch.
illRoots.com: I don’t know two or three more Gnarls Barkleys people might for “Who’s that Creeppinnn round my winddooww”.
Sha: Yea.
illRoots.com: Thanks for the time big homie and keep a look out for this guy. As well I go to school right across the street from DELSTATE…WESLEY COLLEGE ALUMNI…so you will be completely surprise of how small the world actually is. Shout out to Bonsu and LG.
