Allow me to introduce to you an up and coming artist who is so multi-talented. He has written, produced and recorded his own album called “The Push” set to release on June 15th. I personally am excited for this album to drop. Shane Eli, a charming kid from L.A. who has truly impressed me over the few months that I’ve been lucky enough to know him, is living his dream. But the sky is not the limit it is only the checkpoint! You see people trying to promote their music via facebook, myspace, twitter, or out the back of their trunk…and I honestly haven’t heard anything that I would bat an eyelash at. But this kid right here nigga…this kid right here…is the TRUTH!! First song I heard from him is called “Grey Area” and I knew right then that this dude got something here… So I continued to follow Mr. Shane and he just continued to impress me.
I’ve seen him come leaps and bounds in such a short time seem like. Not to mention his lil gig he had on Fox Business Network a few weeks ago, talking about his recording efforts. I’m still trying to figure out why I was so hyped he was on tv…like it was me on there lol. I guess it’s just because I was so proud of him and I believe in him so much. I know he is going nowhere but UP!!!
Besides his talent, Shane is a kind-hearted person, real down to earth kind of guy, and has a great sense of humor. That type of genuineness and sincerity coupled with his extraordinary talent will be a 1-2 punch that’s undeniable in the music business. So he better not get big-headed haha. And ladies if nothing else give him a chance just cuz he’s easy on the eyes lol. Recently Shane was kind enough to answer some questions so that I and the rest of the world can get to know him just a little bit better:
SF: Where were you born and raised? What were the struggles you encountered growing up as a bi-racial child?
I was born in Canada, grew up mostly in Los Angeles, and lived in the Bahamas for extended periods. I think the struggles I encountered were ones I partially created for myself. As a kid, you don’t realize that people say things just to stop you from shining, and those aren’t the people you should take seriously, but as a kid it still hurts. I think that everyone has some kind of identity issues they’re working through, but for me, growing up biracial meant I didn’t really know where I fit in. I wasn‘t “black enough” for some, and I was “too black” for others. What I ended up realizing is, I belong everywhere, and because of that upbringing, I feel comfortable in almost any social situation.
SF: When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
The first thing I can remember wanting to be is a spy. I grew up watching James Bond movies (the old Connery joints) and then I realized real spies don’t just sleep with beautiful girls and wear fresh tuxes. I really liked Biology, so after giving up on my spy dreams, I thought about being a marine biologist - but it didn’t take long before I realized I wanted to do something in the arts. I used to draw a lot and I’ve been writing poetry and lyrics since I was a teenager. Arts and Entertainment became more of a focus as I grew up.
SF: What is the very 1st album you ever purchased?
I owned a bunch of cassette tapes that were mixes of stuff, but the first CD I remember buying was Wrecks n’ Effect’s “Hard or Smooth” when I was 10 years old. Rump Shaker is still one of the most ridiculous beats ever.
SF: Who are your inspirations?
As far as writing lyrics is concerned, there are the obvious influences: Biggie, Jay-Z, Common and Outkast, but there’s also the Pharcyde, The Alkaholiks and the DOC. Growing up in LA, there was a lot of stuff to choose from in the early 90’s and the latter half really stood out to me as unique and expressive in a way that some artists are lacking today. On the production side, I pull from everywhere. I listen to more rock/soul/reggae and electronic music than I do hip-hop, so when I make beats I don’t feel pressured to follow the current trends. When I first started, I tried to emulate my favorite producers so I could sound relevant, Timbo, Just Blaze, Neptunes, et al., but now I feel comfortable drawing little bits of everything I’m into and melding it together to suit my mood.
SF: Tell me your unique story of recording this album “The Push”.
I spent the better part of four years teaching myself how to make music. Most Friday nights, I’d stay in the house just making beats until all hours of the night. I tried to place tracks with some local artists who were really talented but couldn’t put the business side of things together. I got frustrated waiting for other people to hustle and get my name out. I decided to make The Push because I was tired of waiting. I wrote, produced and recorded the entire album in the bedroom and kitchen of my Los Angeles apartment. All 15 tracks on The Push are original – created without sampling other artists’ works. When I finished it, I put up a post on a music blog asking if anyone knew of an engineer that could mix on the cheap, and I got a response from Damien Lewis, assistant engineer to the legendary Phil Tan at Atlanta’s Soapbox Studios. The dude was a GODSEND. Not only an amazing engineer, but a good guy, who really helped with advice and connecting me with mastering engineer Johnny Horesco, whose recent credits include Usher, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Bow Wow.
SF: What made you take a leap of faith to produce and record an album on your own?
I realized that I had the potential to do it, but kept living off that potential instead of actually DOING it. So many times I’m around intelligent, creative people who are capable of so much, but because they know that they’re capable of it, they never follow through. They’re content with just knowing. I decided I had to know if I could really do it. So, on Jan 1st 2010 I got a tattoo – it was a quote my mom had on a bulletin board when I was a kid, “THOSE WHO DON’T CREATE THE FUTURE THEY WANT MUST ENDURE THE FUTURE THEY GET” (Draper L. Kauffman). I didn’t tell anyone about the tattoo. On January 2nd, I started recording. I would come home from work and either make a beat or record a song. The upsides to producing, recording and engineering an album on your own are limitless creative control and a flexible timeline - but there are huge downsides as far as recording quality and promotion are concerned — recording your lyrics in a linen closet is not a good look. But I put every ounce of my soul, and everything I could afford into this, so I’m going to throw it out there and see if it sticks.
SF: When making the album did you ever feel discouraged or want to give up? If so, what made you keep ‘PUSHing’?
No, I didn’t really get discouraged. I think there were times I wished I could afford a better piece of a equipment, and times when I wished I could call in a live horn section or something to make a song sound way bigger, but I was realistic with my goals for this album. Considering the limited resources, I think it sounds pretty good, and it’s a good starting point for where I can go with my music in the future.
SF: The track you produced for Diggy is sick! And in the words of my sister ‘disgusting’…lol. How did you come about working with Dig on the song “What They Been Waiting For”?
Haha, tell your sister I love her. The Diggy song came about in a funny way actually. I was just about to log off Twitter, when someone retweeted something in my news feed about “submit tracks to diggymanagement@blahblah.com” - so I quickly emailed three beats to that address. I thought nothing of it - then three weeks later I got a call from Diggy’s manager and he bugged out like, “this shit is ridiculous…we want it,” and that was that. Diggy recorded the song the next week and shot the video a couple days after that.
SF: If you could collaborate with any artist dead or alive who would it be and why?
That’s a great question, and it’s tough to answer. I think I would collaborate with Fela Kuti if I had the chance. My dad is Nigerian, and although he left when I was born, my mom told me about Fela from when I was young. When I really started listening to Fela’s music it changed my life. Here was a guy battling corruption, genocide and injustice in his native country, and he was making socially conscious music, but it could make you dance your ass off, and the music is still as relevant today as it was then. No one has been able to touch Fela, and no one will. He stands alone.
SF: What’s the craziest/funniest thing that’s ever happened to you?
Well, I’ve had a lot of crazy and funny things happen, but I was just telling someone this story the other day, so I’ll tell you too… Most people don’t know that I’m almost 6 feet 7 inches tall, and I was once responsible for temporarily shutting down Space Mountain at Disneyland because I couldn’t fit in the seat on the roller coaster. I refused to get off the ride because we had waited in line for 90 minutes to get on, so they had to stop our car from launching while they figured out a solution. Needless to say I received death threats from a lot of third graders that day.
www.myspace.com/shaneeli
www.twitter.com/shane_eli
www.shaneeli.com
ALBUM DROPS JUNE 15
LOVE STUNNA
P.S. YOU ALL BETTER REMEMBER THE NAME SHANE ELI BECAUSE HE WILL BE FLOODING YOUR TELEVISONS SOON…YOU JUST WAIT AND SEE. AND THANK ME LATER FOR GIVING YOU A TASTE OF WHAT’S TO COME!!
Dope interview and the album is great
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