Shawn Jackson is the best of both worlds — he’s laid back like the flow of his West Coast home, and raps with the flare of his East Coast roots; he’s unendingly cordial and friendly, and gully to the tune of a menacing gaze and air of someone who’d fuck you up; he bends beats to the will of his rhymes, and has the golden ear of classically trained musician.

With more glowing cosigns than you could shake a major label at, Shawn Jackson might just be Hip-Hop’s best kept secret. Blu named him as “The Future of Hip-Hop” in XXL, House Shoes will vouch for him as fast as for Guilty Simpson or any other family, and when Shawn first met Like from Pac Div, Like said in true fan fashion “You don’t understand, I have all of your music on my iPod.”

Without question, Shawn Jackson is one of the only rappers left standing who keeps me interested in Hip-Hop. There’s no pretense about him — he’s willing to smile and laugh when most industry folks stand on the sidelines baring near comical mean mugs. With Shawn’s deep understanding of how to make any beat his own, consider this look at his Fave Five a spin-off of the Beat Maker Series.

Bill Withers – +’justments

“It was an emotional album — the first album I respected top to bottom just based on pure emotion. It’s like a beautiful sounding album, too. I didn’t know Bill could sing. I think that was the first time I really respected a guy’s voice. Like he was definitely a manly dude, I’m not saying he was soft or nothing like that, but his voice just sounded crazy angelic. [Laughs] It’s just a dope record even to this day. I went out and bought a turntable just so I could play that record. I didn’t even have one when I had my records out. I had to go to a yard sale — I bought me an $8 table just so I could play that record. This was just a couple years ago… later in life. I was over at a DJs house smoking and all that, and he played it and I was like ‘Damn that shit is dope.’ I even shed a tear on the inside. [Laughs] I’m not quick to call things my Favorite… but I heard that shit like one time and was like ‘Damn, this might be my favorite record.’”

Curtis Mayfield – Curtis Mayfield Live 1970

“Mayfield is kind of the same thing — I always loved his voice. I always loved his message too, though. It’s just an amazing album. They just re-pressed it and I’m trying to get my hands on that, I don’t even own it anymore. It’s one of those joints I owned twice and it got stolen twice — it was one of those ‘Yo let me hold that,’ and then they’d move to Kansas or some shit. And you’d never see it again.

“Curtis Mayfield was just amazing in general. Hearing him live, I wish it was something I could have done in my lifetime. I actually heard this one later in life too, though I listened to Mayfield while growing up. It’s funny like, my boy Jon was playing it the other day when I went over to his house and, once again, I shed a tear on the inside. [Laughs] Yo, for real yo, straight up, I shed a tear on the inside. It was like incense burning and shit, it was perfect — but this whole scenario is a big No Homo, I don’t want it to seem like Jon set the mood and invited me over or some shit. It was just a dope scenario to walk into — it was definitely a reminder I need to buy this album again. I’m slipping. It’s one of my favorites.”

Smif-n-Wessun – Dah Shining

“I was in a weird place at that time — I was growing dreds and shit because of these motherfuckers. Just Boot Camp in general. Yeah, I’ll say it; I had my fatigues and Timbs and shit. They kind of dictated what I was doing. It was kind of like what Wu was, but for me I don’t know. Wu is the greatest group ever, but Boot Camp just related to me on some shit. And Dah Shining was just like a perfect album to me for a Hip-Hop album.

“I was like 17 probably when that came out. I just remember Hip-Hop in general was so dope at that time. But that record, I just banged that album from top to bottom. That’s when Boot Camp as a whole was just my shit. That album in particular was the soundtrack to my life… If I go out now and you play ‘Bucktown’ or ‘Sound Bwoy Bureill,’ it’s a wrap. Like you better just clear the floor. It’s just one of them things where I can’t control myself. I mean there might be some mumble spots, but I know every word to every song people probably haven’t even heard on that album. But yeah, I’d say I could clearly recite 95 percent of that album. Even the little mistakes I can hear, but I love that shit. All of these albums are definitely in my thought process when I’m creating music. And again, I’m shedding a tear, but on the inside though.”

Yellowman – King Yellowman

“Yup. Yellowman. Y-E-L-L-O-W-man. All one word. He was the first color dude before Redman.

“I know that sounds funny as hell, but that is a dope album. It sounds funny though. Yellowman. It sounds hella cheap, yo. But he’s still doing shows and shit. He’s a reggae dude, but it was really happy. It was like a very happy album that I banged in my room for probably five years straight — like constantly — at a time in my life when I wasn’t really into that kind of music. It made me happy… and, I don’t know, I got that from him as an artist. When that album came out I had never heard any albums from that dude. It was just happy, and I feel like I want to do some of that as an artist too. Not too happy, though — I’m not going to have no extra-smiles. Just enough smiling. You don’t want to be too happy. [Laugh]

“But yeah, I don’t have any idea how I started listening to that, nor do I know how I even got it. I think I got it from my cousin — he lives out here [in Los Angeles.] And let me tell you a side story about that same cousin…*”

Ice Cube – Death Certificate

“This is absolutely my favorite album, and I can absolutely say that. It was part of the formation of First Of All… as far as interweaving songs into one big song kind of. It’s funny because in high school my best friend was a huge Cube fan and I was a huge Kane fan. And when I say “fan” I mean “Stans,” not “fan.” [Laughs] Like we were Stans, like this shit wasn’t normal. We were Stans, like it’s embarrassing nowadays to look at it because that was like some not cool shit. So we used to have these little competitions; like Kane would be popping, and then Cube would be popping, and then Cube just kept popping, and then my boy fell off.

“So I remember when Death Certificate came out… damn… Cube was an angry dude at that point. Like he was racist on that shit… That shit was just like raw emotion, and that was Cube at his finest. That’s my favorite, emotion-driven, lyrical, Hip-Hop album of all time. He was angry. It’s funny that this is the same dude, like years later when he’s not saying too much. [Back then] he was rapping for a bigger purpose than just himself. He was a smart dude — he went to Arizona State and all that — and I just always felt he was that dude who wasn’t talking necessarily about him personally, but for a people. For a bigger purpose. I think a lot of cats try and do that now, but since that era they just can’t do it properly… I think people are just out of touch.”

Please listen to Shawn Jackson featuring Ty, of Ty & Kory, “Soopafly”

Watch his video for TSS favorite “Feelin’ Jack”

Shawn Jackson’s recent release (and one of my Fave Five of 2008) First of All… available for purchase at Fat Beats.

Previously Posted — 14KT’s Fave Five – Beat Maker Series | Exile’s Fave Five – Beat Maker Series | House Shoes’ Fave Five — Beat Maker Series

* The Story About The Cousin: “Now this guy is from South Central, and this is like my second home. So basically it was me and my mom growing up, and whenever she worked I’d stay over there at my cousin’s in South Central. My older cousin was pretty much like an older brother. So his best friend is this guy we used to call Baby John, okay? Now this is a real story, I don’t want you thinking I’m crazy. This cousin is like six years older than me, and I’m like a little kid so I admire everything he does and Baby John is his best friend. Now the only memory I have of Baby John is he was a short dude, and he used to walk on his hands and shit. You know, up and down the block. He could do back flips… he was just a mad, I don’t know. But guess who Baby John is? Baby John is Ras Kass. I swear to God. I used to know Ras Kass when I was little, but didn’t know that was Ras Kass. Walking up and down the street on his hands. That was the only memory I have of him — I’m sure he did some other great shit. [Laughs]”

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