The Rugged Child Speaks: Shyheim's Story on ROC Solid | Drink Champs Network

TL;DR

Shyheim reflects on being hip-hop's first explicit young rapper at 13, his Wu-Tang ties, incarceration, and his foundation helping at-risk youth.

Key Points

• 1.Shyheim signed his first deal at age 13 for $350,000. Virgin Records outbid Warner Brothers, who had offered both an album deal and a spot on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air via Benny Medina.
• 2.He was the first rapper to have an explicit lyrics sticker on an album as a minor. He fought the FCC and his label, who wanted bubble-gum content, to keep his authentic street material.
• 3.Jay-Z was inspired by Shyheim to write a record, but his representative never passed the message. Shyheim read about this in Jay-Z's book while incarcerated and considers it a missed opportunity he still wonders about.
• 4.His debut was shaped by extreme poverty — his fridge had only water and baking soda. With his first check he bought a chain at Albee Square Mall and put food in the refrigerator for his family.
• 5.His acting career launched from the TLC 'Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls' video. This split his career into two audiences: rap fans and film/TV fans who knew him from Original Gangstas and The Preacher's Wife.
• 6.He performed at Madison Square Garden's Budweiser Superfest at age 14 alongside Tupac and Biggie. Big Daddy Kane fought for him to be included because he was a minor and venues were selling alcohol.
• 7.Shyheim cleared up the Cassidy 'stranded' story, saying they simply miscommunicated at Port Authority and the Staten Island Ferry with no cell phones in 1994. The two later linked, squashed it, and recorded a track called 'What's Up.'
• 8.He founded the Rugged Road to Recovery foundation to mentor at-risk youth and visit prisons. He says he wanted to 'be what he needed,' citing his mother's substance abuse and his father's imprisonment leaving him running a household at 16.
• 9.Shyheim considers himself part of the Wu-Tang legacy, which is nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He identifies three tiers of Wu-Tang: the corporation, the group, and Wu-Tang Family, saying he is 'root for life.'