Shawn Jackson’s Fave Five — Beat Maker Series
ARTIST INTERVIEWS By LC Weber on December 12, 2008 at 1:37 pmShawn 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]”
Posted in ARTIST INTERVIEWS, AS TOLD TO, AUDIO, GENERAL, LOOSIES, MUSIC — Tags: First Of All, Shawn Jackson
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38 Comments
Good picks! Bill Withers (and Stevie) is one of my favorite artists of all time!!!
LMAO@ that Ras Kass story.
No Slum Village? No Dilla?
Props on picking “Dah Shinin’” & “Death Certificate”. Two of my all time favorite albums.
And “Go There With You” & “Maan Up!” are tied for my favorite joints off the album.
“Be about your B.I., Beeyotch!!”
hahaha…. Fantastic Vol. 2 was his No. 6… got axed at the last minute… hahaha
http://rapidshare.com/files/100801801/BillWithers_Justments.zip
Never heard this joint.
Pictures a little Rass Kass walking on his hands, doing flips off old mattresses in a vacant lot somewhere… *
Nature of a Threat still one the greatest lyrical onslaughts ever. I might have to put that on and zone out.
In other news: either LC is showing out on a Friday with the praise or she might be crushin’ a little on Mr. Jackson. methinks it could be the latter. Then again, i’m from Chicago, so maybe there’s some pay-for-play going on here. hmmmmm
lol!!!
“He was the first color dude before redman.”
^now that was funny.
a little soul friday:
Eric Roberson: The Collection
http://rapidlibrary.com/index.php?q=ercic+roberson&filetype=0
Alexander O’Neal - Alex Loves… NEW 2008
01. Secret Lovers (Featuring Mica Paris)
02. A Million Love Songs
03. Right Here Waiting
04. Unbreak My Heart
05. Your Song
06. Saturday Love
07. If You Were Here Tonight
08. What You Won’t Do For Love
09. When A Man Loves A Woman
10. Babe
11. Always & Forever
12. You’re The First, The Last, My Everything
13. Cherish
14. I’ll Make Love To You
15. We’re On Our Way
http://rapidshare.com/files/135834321/Alexander_O_neal-_Alex_Love.rar.html
@ Canseco… oh he’s absolutely one of my MC crushes. I get crushes on talent. There’s not one person I’ve interviewed or written about I didn’t fall in love with in some way *…. and don’t go reading into that… it’s purely innocent and music based.
*Except Grandmaster Flash.
@ Black Canseco: Speaking of pay to play, the bartenders here in the windy city got a new drink, in honor of Hot Rod: The Dirty Governor.
It’s essentially a dirty martini, made with Effen vodka, though they’re instructed to “steal the olives and hold the pimento”
I was at my boys crib in K-town for the game last night, he got the projection screen, a number of crew heads there, had to be about 20 deep. Everytime a flag went for the Bears or some shady shit went down mufuggas was like “that’s rod at work, that’s daley son”
The jokes will be coming for a looooong time, don’t know whether that’s good or bad.
Good looks on the Withers, TC. Saved me a search…
I somehow missed that album too…
Good choices…. I remember hearing Death Certificate and thinking this “Daaaaamn… this dude Cube don’t give a fcuk. He will say or do WHATEVER…..”
I had no idea he’d do mainstream children’s movies tho’…..lol
El Rosado:
The Dirty Governor!!! Yes!! I love it and i don’t even drink. (anymore… much)
Yeah, I’m from Chi–they used to call dude HotRod. but as i’m sure you know, the only difference between RodBlag and the alderman and mayor is Rod got caught on tape…
Dude’s hustle was beyond sloppy. But honestly, i can name like 20 alderman and 3 mayors that did/do the same thing. They just use “emissaries”.
Emissary–whitefolks’ speak for bagman/”ya’ boy sent me”
LC,
I’m juss messin’ witcha… it’s friday and i’m not drunk so this is what you get. but that’s what good writers do–connect to their topics/subjects…
now you have to explain mr. wheels of steel. lol!
^ Sounds like the plot from Barbershop 2 lol.
sometimes an indelible mark is made on your brain without any forewarning that completely changes how you remember an individual…
- JoJo @ 1:50
- Michelle Williams (the other….other Destiny’s Child member), busting her ass performing
- MJ dressed as ‘youknowwho’ on his way to court
etc
and now…… Baby John doing hand stands down the gawddamn street….
*Except Grandmaster Flash.
========
LMAO
Son said Yellowman. *checks two points off for SJ*
hahaha drunk on a Friday morning? I like your style…
Hmm, yes, Mr. Flash. Suffice it to say he had no interest in being there, had no interest in answering my questions, never made eye contact with me once. Suffice it to say dude sonned me for talking about “White Lines” — the best cut, IMO, he’s associated with, though he isn’t actually on it… but he’s not on “The Message” either… soooo… what cuts is he really famous for? Suffice it to say the last thing he said to me was “Do your homework, sweetheart” and left. Suffice it to say, I did do my homework, I’m not an idiot, but he didn’t want to hear about it.
“Do your homework, sweetheart,” and he was gone.
Suffice it to say he’s a 50 year old man who’s trying to put out a NEW Hip-Hop album and expects it’ll succeed even if he’s a jerk. Suffice it to say I never posted that interview because he was a Level 9 A-hole and I had nothing nice to say about him. And you know what they say about if you don’t have anything nice to say…
Fin.
@ Black C - it’s Friday and you’re not drunk yet? what’s wrong with you? lol
@ Canseco: I’m still in shock, not over the fact that he was dirty, but the fact that he was so sloppy about it. This is 2008 man, you got the Chicago/Illinois politican handbook for corruption sitting right in front of you as Governor (25th edition no less, due to constant updates) and yet you STILL get caught for talking wreckless on the phone…shit talking at all??? Have these folks learned nothing about technology?? Blago voted in support of the Patriot Act when he was in the House of Reprsentatives, you’d think he at the least would have a semblance of a clue to the wire tapping privleges that legislation affords. And if he’s unclear on how to go about anything dirty without getting caught, he could ask Mayor Daley, dude is going on 20 years strong of dirt and corruption and hasn’t been stopped yet, nor will he EVER be. The Bulls could win the title in 2010, have the rally at Grant Park, and Mayor Daley could walk onstage at GP in front of half a million people, pull out an AK-47, spray the entire team to death, and STILL not get charged with even a simple “disturbing the peace” misdemeanor. His grip is that hard. Not to mention all the alderman as you pointed out, over half of which got some serious dirt still going on.
All of that…and Blago still gets popped for being wreckless. What a goofy.
Memo to the next corrupt governor of Illinois: Do it like the OG’s. Invite the underlings in to a secret meeting. Don’t say shit. Just write it down on a piece of paper. Let them read their orders for grime. Have the piece of paper returned there on the spot. Shred it. Send “emissaries” to do dirt. Repeat. No evidence, and damn sure no wiretaps.
I feel like Nas “phone tap” should be required listening for the next shady governor.
@ LC: So it’s just one of those scorned lover things?
We all been there.
Curtis Mayfield was awesome with his.
Damn, LC
would it have made a difference if you mentioned Scorpio?
…if he wanted to talk about Wild Style he just should’ve said so….lol
Methinks me and LC need to get drunk and toast Flashmaster GrandA-hole. First rounds on me, darlin’. Wow, i’ve never heard… wait, i’ve never heard much about dude since his Chris Rock Show gig… nothing worst that an old fool. Flash sounds like he’s gettin’ there.
Teef–it’s barely noon out here. Gimme a couple hours to get my Dean Martin on.
Meanwhile, I’m glued to the tube watchin’ Nancy Grace have an annuerism over little Caylee.
that White folks stay surprised when some chick snaps and chops up her chill’ren will always be entertainment. By next week, the tube will be covered with post-partum-battered-childhood-where-the-daddy-at apologist for this lady.
I used to catch Flash in the Bronx around the time he was doing The Chris Rock Show. I guess his son lived on my block cause everytime I saw him, he was with this teenage kid. I almost said hello to him one day, but as I approached him, he gave me the ill ice grill. I’m talking Arctic Ocean cold lol. I guess no one recognizes him or they’re just too intimidated to approach. And I think he likes it that way lol. Doesn’t surprise me at all to hear he’s a douche.
What is a Grandmaster Flash (c) Soulja Boy tell em
Hasn’t been said yet, but give Mr. Bird Walk some time.
El Rosado: I’m sayin’ tho…
Blago must not own a bungalo–that’s where all the powermoves go down. Get you one of these 2-3 bedroom bungalos in Marquette Park or somewhere off Archer or in Little Italy and conduct your meetings on the low.
Myaor Daley learned from his ol man–dirt is for the feet–you’re the head. Daley keeps 2 layers between himself and the business. You know what Daley want done, and you do it.
Po Flash… gets no luv from the younger folks… “chill’ren need to be ’spectin’ they elders!”
that goes for you too, LC!
i love how blagojevich keep showing up to work like nothin’s wrong… like “how you duurin’?!”
staffers look at him all shocked like, “don’t this negro (blago ain’t even black) know he got caught the get-indicted hotline?”
The ill ish is how Jesse Jackson Jr. (allegedly) bid a cool mil for that seat. Scandolous lol.
AMP,
Jr. is par for the course… it’s payola only the artists and program directors go by diff names in Chi.
Blago is the political Rodney King–folks outside Chicago are shocked it happened, Chicagoans are shocked it got recorded.
i’m tellin’ ya’ll this is regular. in chi, if you’re clean when you run, you’re dirty by the time you win.
our whole city/system is based on old italian/polish/irish mob business models. The current mayor’s daddy ran the irish mob in chi for years before he got into politics… The illinois attny general got her gig–despite being brand new out of law school because her daddy was the Illinois Speaker of the House (and one of the biggest kingmakers in the state…)
i could go on, but all you need to knwo about Chi is we had a womens basketball team once… it was called The Chicago Hustle.
nuf sed.
Co-sign everything Black Canseco just said.
Don’t forget about Todd Stroger Jr either. He’s the president of Cook County (the county that encompasses Chicago for y’all who don’t know) and he only got that gig cause his daddy, Todd Stroger Sr, was president of the County before him. And them fools are corrupt as a mufugga, blowing all sorts of taxpayer money on bullshit.
Daley is untouchable. Nobody can run against him and beat him. He got the machine on lock. The only threat to Daley was Obama, and what did Daley do? He got the machine spinning here in Chicago to help get Obama elected President so that Daley can stay controlling the city. Basically recognized who the biggest threat was to his base, a black male with crossover appeal to non-black voters, and got him a gig that keeps Daley safe. The Chicago Democratic Party Machine is truly sickwiddit. Like I said, Daley ain’t going nowhere, he could detonate a bomb at the Sears Tower, announce on the news he did it, 2 nights before Mayoral elections, and he would STILL get the vote and never spend a day in jail, much less be charged. He ain’t going nowhere until he is fully confident one of his kids is ready to take the throne.
BTW, Canseco, did you catch Pierre Thomas last night reppin’ against his childhood team on National TV? We got the W, but Pierre was killin like it was HS in the wild 100’s all over again.
He killed me on that 2nd TD run, for his celebration he did some straight Chi-Town/R Kelly shit and started stepping…man I was dying off that.
D’Angelo - Yoda II [2008]
01. One Mo’ Gin 1:26
02. Shit, Damn, Motherfucker 5:12
03. Bullshit 4:54
04. Jonz In My Bonz 5:50
05. I Found My Smile Again 6:10
06. Smooth 4:15
07. Spanish Joint 5:44
08. Really Love 4:16
09. So Far To Go (Interlude) 0:46
10. When We Get By 5:44
11. Nothing Even Matters Ft. Lauryn Hill 5:49
12. Your Precious Love Ft. Erykah Badu 3:00
13. Allright 5:13
14. Accapella (Interlude) 0:27
15. Shining Star 1:51
16. Ghetto Heaven 1:26
17. Heaven Must Be Like This 4:10
18. Your Love Is So Cold Ft. The Stuart Zender Project 5:52
19. Break You Off 1:19
20. She’s Always In My Hair 6:10
http://rapidshare.com/files/172793890/DA_Yoda_II.rar
Gawd damn:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081212/bs_nm/us_madoff_arrest
El,
i missed pierre but dude ran hard.
Todd stroger, jr! i almost feel sorry for him–he’s a total puppet for all the dudes that was eatin’ off his old man. Jr’s not dumb, he’s just not his own man and this is an easy gig… show up, talk to all those old school hustlers running the show for pops, then clock out.
Madoff clowned, didn’t he? 50 billion… with a B. straight pyramid schemin’ hard… Somebody cue up the I Get Money Remix with J, P, and Fif…
Oh My…
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh28hk88uUsot6Btk7
^ Talking bout a bad break.
http://tinyurl.com/578xbg
La The Darkman - Verbal Intercourse
Gucci Mane - Your Girl Is So Cold
Shawn Jackson Feat. Guilty Simpson - Strategies
Bored Stiff Feat The Grouch and Sick YG - Kingship
Bambu - Crooks and Rooks
Senor Kaos Feat Jax - For the Cream Remix
Swigga - About It
Swigga - Top Notch Scale
Tommy Gun -
Art of Flowing
MeccaGodZilla - untitled instrumental
Dave Dub + Motion Man - untitled
That Bill Withers LP is absolutely incredible, and anyone that namechecks Death Certificate as their favourite album is obviously a class act…