Shyheim
Shyheim was one of the first child prodigies in the rap industry. Born on November 14, 1977, Shyheim recorded his debut album when he was only 14 years old! Imitating the style and rhymes of LL Cool J and Run DMC, Shyheim broke new ground with producer RNS, who heard him rapping on the street in front of his block in Stapleton Projects, a neighborhood also shared by Wu-Tang Clan affiliates the RZA and Ghostface Killah.
His depiction of inner ghetto life struck a chord with touching lines such as, "Ain't never had a good Christmas / So who's Santa Claus?" from his hit single "On and On" featured in his 1994 debut album "The Rugged Child." The critically acclaimed album which featured guest spots from the Wu-Tang Clan, earned Shyheim a comparison to a young Rakim. Following "The Rugged Child," Shyheim released a second album "The Lost Generation," in which The Source Magazine said, "presents a wise young brother who can now stand on his own...Shyheim is a graduate of the Nas and Raekwon school of criminology rhymes (6/96, p.76)."
Shyheim's talent spread into the silver screen as Hollywood demanded his presence in films like "Original Gangsters" (1996) with Pam Grier and Fred Williamson, playing a wily bike-riding teen named Dink, "The Preacher's Wife" (1996) with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston and "In Too Deep" (1999) with LL Cool J and Omar Epps. Shyheim also appeared in episodes of Robert Townsend's "The Parent 'Hood" from 1996-1997. Shyheim returned to the mic to record his third album "Manchild," in 2000. At 28, a mature Shyheim is ready to take on the world with his fourth album.