This interview is WAY long OVER due, i was going to put it on my website iamtrakz.com (which i still am) but i just NOW got my computer back and now have a chance to actually finish up the final touches so for now..check out Sha stimuli...he has about a billion mixtapes out and has been grindin hard for the last decade ...i am honor to say i do have a song with him on my upcoming album "follow me" called "look into the mirror" were basically we just went in..a real lyrical joint. He blessed me with a interview on 06-11-09 but never had the chance to published the interview (thanks best buy you jerks) till now..so take a look, get to learn more about your favorite rappers favorite MC ( besides me) haha. Check his music out on datpiff.com or read his weekly blogs on hiphopgame.com..comment on this.... BIG BANG, AMTRAK, SHA STIMULI.....we stay makin moves!...WWW.IAMTRAKZ.COM it IS COMING. just a mad long delay. and Follow Me is comin soon
1. For the people that don’t know you, state your name where you from.
My name is Sherod Khaalis, some people call me Sha Stimuli and I am from Brooklyn, New York. Flatbush, Brooklyn actually. I am an artist that does hip-hop music full time. If you haven't heard of me, it's ok, I won't get mad at you. But read this anyway, i'm pretty cool...
2. Ok Back in 2008 you came out with an extreme amount of mixtapes, I believe about one every month. What made you decide to put out so much music back to back.
I was stupid. Nah i'm playing, I was just tired of people saying that they're grinding and going hard and all that, I just wanted to really grind and exhaust the mixtape thing. At this point, you never really know what people think about you or what they want. I never wanted to hear, "Sha is lazy" or "drop some more music." I wanted to do something crazy and irrational.
Also this was my chance to do entire discs driven by concepts. It was fun, exciting and scary trying to get the discs done every month. There are so many things that I want to say to people, and sometimes i cant get em out fast enough. I did all original songs, and i did most of them within the month before I dropped them, it was really an incredible feat if you ask me.
3. Did you ever catch writers block while creating these mixtapes?
Umm, not really. I hit a point where I would rush a song or a mix, and I wouldnt like it but DJ Victorious would like it and we would kind of hit a wall because he was putting them together so I couldnt piss him off. The biggest problem was getting artwork and engineering honestly. The rhymes came to me, I guess since I had deadlines, but i can remember a few joints that didnt make it because of me.
4.out of everything you release of last year which one is your personal favorite mixtape and why?
I think the only one I can listen to and not cringe too much is Hotter than July, my tribute to Stevie Wonder. I think that was the most honest cd for me. The music meant a lot to me, it was done almost like an album and I think it's timeless. It touched on religion, domestic abuse, love, drugs, and a little bit of bravado. It really was an accurate depiction of where I was at the time musically and in life. Sometimes it's tough to grab what you truthfully feel and put it on record but i nailed it with that one, Clams Casino and Stevie Wonder helped a lot too. Victorious was also very into that disc so he went hard putting it together.
5. Ok shifting gears here, Why do you think your so overlooked in this music business?
You tell me! That question has haunted me since the beginning of, well, most of my career. Maybe, I just havent been heard by a lot of people. Or maybe i'm just too broad as an artist for people to know what they're getting when they put one of my CDs in. Or maybe i'm blackballed, maybe i'm not ugly enough, I wish I knew but I will tell you this, I am fortunate to be thought of for interviews, have been on radio and to have had more than one record deal. I cant complain, and at this point, I dont mind being the underdog.
6. What do you think of the current state of hip-hop?
I dont know, I dont listen to much hip-hop. I think Jay-Z's song was necessary. So we'll see if the state of things change. I'm more into music than hip-hop though. It will never feel like it felt before because it's impure and things change. I wonder if the kids today love it the same way i did. I will say this, there's not enough variety and originality today. That saddens me.
7. What drew you to hip-hop in the first place?
My brother! He goes by the name of Lord Digga, when he moved back to Ny from Miami and gave me hip-hop tapes, i took all my Michael Jackson posters down. I would tape video music box every day and I was all into the industry. Once he started rocking with Masta Ace, that was it for me. I started to fall in love with hip-hop and I saw myself becoming an artist. I was good with words and rapping wasnt as common as it is now, I felt special being able to do it.
8. What artist/producers do you want to work with?
I dont really want to work with anyone. I'm feeling real to myself right now. I mean, let me take that back, I would love to work with Cee-lo or Andre 3000, I wouldnt mind doing something with Green Day or Glen Hansard, but I dont know man. I dont really have any desires, I just feel like if I come into contact with some people that I could work with then that would be cool to me. i think Kanye would get me honestly.
9. Whats something that your fans may not know about yourself?
I play basketball every week, i'm not nice anymore at it but if i didnt, I would probably be in jail or something because I have so much penned up frustration that I need to get out in the booth or on the court. Ummm what else? I love Chick-fila, i move back and forth from Atl to Brooklyn, I have an eating disorder/super power where I can eat whatever and not gain weight. I'm a wiz at spider solitaire and minesweeper and those are the closest things to video games that I play. I love making people laugh and smile, or think, I'm not hollywood enough and I have over 900 memos in my blackberry.
10. in 5 years where do you see yourself?
I would like to be a father, with a career in movies and a side gig doing music. Guess I gotta make that happen huh? I'm already rich, so now I just need financial freedom!
Iight before we let you go, we are going to put you in the hot seat
10. Kobe or lebron? Kobe all day, been a fan since 96!!
11. Keri hilson or Christina milian? Keri's a better writer.
12. Grey Goose or Hennessey? Im done with Henny, I blame it on the goose.
13. Major or Independent.
Independent's day!
14. Skinny jeans or autotune (LOL)
I'm all about both, either one is going to help my career.
15. N.W.A or a tribe called quest
I was a fan of both but I related to Tribe more. I wasnt shooting a lot of people when I was a kid.
16. Al green or Marvin gaye
I listen to more Marvin, thats a tough one. Donny Hathaway!
17. Dunks or Air force ones
Hmm Airs win by a hair.
18. Kanye west or Just blaze
I got Just beats so I pick him. Kanye's ill though.
19. Reasonable doubt or Illmatic
Both influenced me heavily. I think Illmatic touched me a little more.
Any last words, Shout outs, any cds we should be looking for??
MY SOUL TO KEEP! thats the album on chambermusik/Koch. I may be forced to do a mixtape to promote it but I hope not. Google me, check out my new songs, "I miss You" feat. Ne-yo and "Horrorglyphics" feat. Nas. myspace.com/shastimuli, twitter.com/shastimuli
thanks for your time
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WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SHASTIMULI
http://shastimuli.wordpress.com/
Sha Stimuli Feat Ne-Yo
