Not really sure how many people dig Shawn Jackson aside from LC and me but we’ve both been known to have tunnel vision adoration for select music anyways. Shawn’s Brand New Old Me dropped in July and he pretty much added his name as one to know in Cali’s current underground renaissance. Read the rest of this entry »

God Bless Tiny Tim Cratchit, who first kept the dream of happiness and the hope of a livable income alive through Dickens. And God Bless Shawn Jackson, who keeps the dream of good taste and the hope of listenable Hip-Hop alive in me. Read the rest of this entry »

The world needs more producers like Cook Classics. Possessing the ability to right or left, gully or polished, you don’t need to know his face more than you know the sounds of his beatwork. Although he may moonlight as an alternative producer from time to time, Hip-Hop is his forte and with that expertise, he’s bringing the akaline tenfold with his debut album Recharged. Read the rest of this entry »

New mixtape from Athletic Mic League’s Buff1 as he gathers his friends – both on the boards and the mic – for the release of It’s A 1nderful Life, mixed by fellow Crown Royale member DJ Rhettmatic. Watch for the duo to release an album in early 2010 on the MYX Music Label. Read the rest of this entry »

Diz Gibran and Buff 1 in studio with Cook Classics from gregthedude on Vimeo.

If you feel like Buff1 was fairly absent this year, he shares your sentiments. That’s why he’s planning on closing out the decade in style for all you Hip-Hoppers. Just in the time for Christmas, he’s releasing the slyly-titled It’s A 1derful Life, which is a compilation of some of his guest appearances as well as a few new and unreleased cuts. Read the rest of this entry »

If you listen to nothing else today or only one song, give this one at least 15-30 seconds.

No room for an ode to Kobe here; strictly self-aggrandizing rhymes. Co$$ & Shawn Jackson coasting Read the rest of this entry »

It’s quite obvious that this is the LC show today as we presume the boys are off beating their collective meats in one hell of a competitive circle jerk pause. Since I have the time & space, I wanted to go back & shine light on the producers showcased in the consecutive/series of Fave Five’s we posted this week.

This isn’t in lieu of a regular The Week That Was. This is just an insightful series of pieces that needed additional light shined on them…

Shawn Jackson’s Fave Five

Read: Why Shawn cries a lot on the inside; What Hip-Hop legend used to be known as Baby John; How Yellowman usurps Redman. Read the rest of this entry »

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 Read the rest of this entry »

The day she introduced me to this song, it changed my life. Read the rest of this entry »

Shawn Jackson on the mic. House Shoes on the beat. Freshness respected. Read the rest of this entry »

“Is there anything Haircut can’t do?” © House Shoes

No. No, there’s not.

First time I heard this beat on Haircut’s [of Lab Techs] MySpace page about a year ago I played it back a dozen times with a vicious nod and gas face. Today the beat is breathed new life with Now On – of which Haircut is one third – and a featured verse from Rhode Island native Shawn Jackson, on “Write Back.” Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll admit it, I slept on Shawn Jackson’s music.

It took weeks for me to put his debut First Of All in the deck, but once I did I couldn’t help but feel stupid. There isn’t anything complex about it. Nevertheless, as a complete project, it just makes sense. It’s not forced or fraudulent, and with varied flavors of beats we get to see several aspects of the sharp-witted MC.

Speaking of beats, dude’s got an ear for quality production, which makes the album listenable from front to back without having to press “next.” He’s not just rapping to rap and actually has substance to his rhymes while skillfully avoiding coming off boring.

Nap no longer, Shawn Jackson is the real.

To further understand the man behind First Of All, The Crew’s Corey Bloom caught up with Shawn in his native Los Angeles to talk about his upbringing in Hip-Hop, how he himself has contributed and continues to contribute and also the debate of Dutchs’ versus flavored Optimos.

Be sure to check the videos for “Feelin Jack,” “Soopafly” and “Countdown” at www.youtube.com/user/bigshawnstud

From the album, First Of All.

Myspace.com/shawnjackson