Shane, the Shaman Wants Us To Acquire Knowledge of Self | Interview
East Flatbush has birthed some of the most innovative and creative personalities in hip-hop. Busta Rhymes, MC Lyte, and Shyne just to name a few. Shane, the Shaman is a product of not only his surroundings but also of the generation to which he belongs.
I caught up with Shane, and he explains how he came up with his artist name, the current state of Hip-Hop, his brand new EP “Lifestyles Of The Young, Black, and Gifted” and more.
Check out the full interview below.
How has the year 2022 been for you overall?
2022 has been a year, to say the least. Kind of felt like a blur, I couldn’t tell you a lot that went on. But on the bright side, I became a God father (shoutout Millz for entrusting me with this honour), I got into my Physical Therapist Assistant program at school, I’m engaged. So the highlights were really high.
That’s so amazing! Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. Let’s take it back to the beginning to East Flatbush. What was it like growing up there?
It was cool, it was a different time for sure. We all grew up in the same house. I’m talking 3 generations. I got to grow up with all my grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins. And you know how black families go, we all young. So it’s more of a brother/ sister kind of thing than it was an aunty/ uncle thing. And the cousins are basically your siblings too. Shoutout East 54th Street!
How has growing up there influenced you?
Well, the topics I write about are all like coming-of-age stories; stories of love, a few gems here and there, and then just rapping for the sport of it. East Flatbush is the basis for all of that. When I start to get in my zone, I’ll close my eyes and go back in time a little bit. I think back to me as a kid, to all of us as kids, and what I would say to them knowing what I know now. I tap back into our innocence at that time, how we didn’t really have much to worry about. Just freedom. That’s how my hometown influences me.
That’s a beautiful thing! Was music always #1 for you?
Nah. I’ve been writing since I was 10 years old; writing both raps and short stories. But I never really thought about being a rapper. Ask anybody who knew me, they’d tell you I was either going to UConn to play ball, or the University of Florida to play football. Neither my grades nor my work ethic were good enough for either of those fields. Navigating the adult world ultimately led me back to my writings. I started growing up and had a lot to say but didn’t say it all out loud, so I started keeping journals. It felt natural, it felt good, it felt like I was supposed to be doing this. Two weeks before my 25th birthday, I sent a voice recording to a good friend of mine, and the rest has been history.
Certain things just have their way of falling into place at the right moment. Can you recall an artist that you heard that made you want to pursue rap?
An artist that made me want to pursue rap? Hmm… Cole, Kendrick, Wale, Lupe, 2Pac, Method Man, Ab-Soul, and Curtis Mayfield. All of them. Those are who come to me in my years of major development.
Speaking of rap, your artist name is very interesting. How did you come up with it?
So my artist name is just my twitter name. I was making a new account and I wanted to use Avatar Shane. As cool and fitting as that sounds, I had a feeling it couldn’t be transferable. So I’m like “what’s the closest thing to an Avatar? A SHAMAN! Booyah!” And thus, Shane, the Shaman was born. Rolls off the tongue, too.
What gets you in the zone to record your material?
Life, Jaz. Life itself gets me in the zone. Core memories. Nature. My inner child. The man I aspire to be. Things I read. Things I see. Everything.
Do you write your lyrics down?
Indeed I do. I went like a month and a half without writing anything; just recording off the feeling. It felt really nice, organic… I got some REAL good verses out of it. But there’s something about putting my thoughts down on paper or even in my notes app that inspires me further.
You work quite a bit with producer Artivist. How did you link up with him and what’s the energy like working with him?
Artivist! You’ve been doing your homework. That’s my brother for real. I’ve known him for like 10+ years. Met him through his cousin who I went to high school with, also one of my closest friends. We all used to chill, play ball, have 2k tournaments. When it wasn’t his turn to play, he would be working on beats. The brother always worked his ass off and continues to do so today. We would always play with the idea of us rapping together. Remember that voice recording that I mentioned earlier? He’s who I sent it to because he’s family to me and he brings out the best in me. He’s gotten the better of me on a few occassions. I’ve learned a lot from our exchanges in and out of the booth. If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I’d be as sharp as I am now. Aside from that, when I’m going back over my verses, I think about what his reaction would be. Shoutout you, Artivist!
Let’s get into your brand new release. You just dropped an EP titled “Lifestyles Of The Young, Black, and Gifted”. Tell us the inspiration behind the project/ what the process was like?
Lifestyles started as a freestyle. The intro is the first track I recorded and I threw that at the end. I sat with it for a week, changed it to a chant, and that drove the rest of the tracks.
*You can stream the project on: Apple Music | Tidal
What do you think about the current state of Hip-Hop?
I feel that Hip-Hop is in a beautiful place. The girls that grew up listening to rap have a lane and are absolutely killing it. I used to think that accessibility made it weaker, but because there are so many different sounds, you have the choice to listen to everything you want all the time. There’s a ton of skill, originality. Hip-Hop is looking real strong right now. The only real critique I have, I guess is that I’d like to see more competition.
Do you have a favourite song at the moment?
My favourite right now is between Sistanem by J.I.D. and Dirty Secrets by Burna Boy.
*You can also stream the song on: Apple Music | Tidal
You got the opportunity to do a Sofar performance. Congrats on that! How did that come about and how was that experience like for you?
I got put on by a good friend of mine who works for the company. Didn’t even know they did Hip-Hop; I’ve only ever heard of them because of a Yebba performance. I signed up and they contacted me the day of my birthday saying I’m booked! It was a super cool show to do.
With everything going on, what keeps you inspired/ keeps you going?
You’re right. There’s a lot of moving elements at work. It’s important to acquire knowledge of self. That’s your foundation. With that, you’ll never lose. You’ll be able to adapt to any situation, you’ll never be without. A quote I adopted from Bruce Lee: “Be water, my friend.” A quote I adopted from Bruce Lee: “Be water, my friend.” A quote I adopted from Bill Belichick (coach of my favorite football team): “Bend, don’t break."
Any piece of advice you would like to give any aspiring artists?
To all my aspiring artists, get you an at-home setup. You can figure out the tricks of the trade on your own. You’re probably back loaded with thoughts and ideas. You need to get them out before you explode, literally. And you may not have the facilities to go to the studio as often as you’d like. Do not keep a time constraint in your creativity. Invest in you. You are worth it.
Anything else you want to let us know? What’s in store for Shane, the Shaman?
A lot more EP’s, TikTok’s, just a whole lot more from me!
You can follow Shane, the Shaman on his socials below:
