As hip-hop continues to embark on its detrimental journey fueled by big business, clones and a considerable lack of creativity; there exists a select few who, whether intentionally or not, through their styles, verbal intercourse, and their knowledge are bringing hip hop back to its essence. A spirit that embodies the creative platform that initially propelled this art form to higher heights- inevitably proving it to be much more than a fad but rather lifestyle- is eminent. Enter Sha Stimuli, standing 6 ft something (there is some truth to "[he] could have been on the Lakers") bearing the S on his chest, involuntary ridding the world of sucker MCs, "Yeah the muthafuckin' jig is up" ER: I know you got a lead role in movie coming up, what is it about?
SHA: It's about four dudes that just got out of high school; they have been out of high school for a couple of years ...trying to get money in the hood. With no direction, and I come up with a plan. I am like the leader-I come up with a plan to rob drug dealers that we know in the hood. Me and Pain in Da Ass are like leads. Roc from Heltah Skeltah is one of the drug dealers.
ER: Word...
SHA: Yeah, so...it's just cool because I am sort of like a laid back dude, who is in control of things so it's kind of like close to my character and the same time I am doing all this crazy shit that I will probably never do, so it's a stretch for me. But, I still get to be myself.
ER: So you like acting?
SHA: I love it, I act all the time. When I become Stimuli, its like (laughs) like somebody else. If you study acting they teach you to not really act. Like you would take what you would do and put that in the place of this other character; so it's like I am not putting on an act when I am Stimuli, I am just really becoming somebody else and living that. You know I breathe that person, its part of me; it's not like its fake. But, I am doing things Stimuli would do and that's just that. And there are things that Sherod would do, and I am him and when I am on set I am Craig. It's deep but we all have different personalities within us. When you are at work, you are Mr. so & so or whatever. And then when you are home and you got kids you become daddy...So I love it, I love acting.
ER: So if I were to step into your crib or whip what is Sha listening to?
SHA: Gnarls Barkley...
ER: Really, I don't like that album; I like the first one better.
SHA: Yeah I like the first one better, but I am still listening to it, like checking it out. I don't know- I ain't really listening to nothing right now. Being that I am doing a CD every month I get caught in that zone where I be listening to beats, trying to figure out what I want to say. I listen to a lot of R&B I ain't going to lie to you.
ER: What brought about the concept of a mixtape every month?
SHA: A couple of things, one was me being bored with the actual mixtape scene. Me having a lotyouknow its fun for me. It's like I have a job now, every day I am thinking like towards youknow putting this CD out and making it hot.... I'm putting it out there and letting people know that like, music is expression and I am not going to sit around and wait for the business side to get my life right on that end to in order to still reach people. of music, not saying I didn't know what to do with it but if I got to the studio I just record five, six songs like in two hours, one hour, just to get my ideas out. Sometimes the ideas are good, sometimes...but I would have different genres, different concepts like five or six girl records or 1 or 2 records about social issues. Me and Victorious just decided like, let's just do joints with different concepts. At the same time it gave some structure to the way I released records. Also it gave me a challenge, a lot of people think I can't do it, or it's impossible,
ER: Personally I feel that when you get on tracks with other artists, you outshine them i.e. Cornerstone, 125g. Pt.III. do you come at it a different, purposely trying to outshine, or do just do you?
SHA: I definitely do me. I think my peers put the pressure on me. People like Mr. Fame, DJ Victorious, "You better kill it, you better rip it" It always comes out that-I manage to hold my own. On that record [125 g] I ain't gonna lie-Me and Joell was in there the day same day writing at the same time. I knew Grafh was supposed to be on it, I respect him, and his penmanship is retarded. Rass Kass had already made his verse, even though he changed his.
ER: Oh he did, after he heard yours?
SHA: I don't know, I don't know when but I know his verse was very different from what they sent me, Rass Kass was the only one that I heard. And it was supposed to have Cory Gunz, I didn't really know who was going to be on it but I knew that this was going to be some lyrical shit. So I am just sitting there and thinking that I got to come with flows and lines, I got to stand out. Say what I say, do what I do. But as far as- I don't really think about trying to outshine, I just try to think about separating myself. When you listen to a posse cut, everybody is going to try to do what they do
ER: Which producers would you like to work with?
SHA: I don't know where the producers are at right now, I don't know where the music is heading, and I don't know what's hot in the streets...
ER: You wouldn't like a Preemo beat, some Pete Rock horns, Buckwild beat?
SHA: It's funny because both of those dudes, all of those dudes I am cool with it. But, I want them to want to work with me. Like Preemo always tells me, "Yo when it's time, when it's time" "Iight, (laughs) I see what you are working with brotha, holla at me" Pete Rock, he came to one of my shows and just lost it, like went crazy, like had never heard me before and gave me his number, "Call me we got to do something." Who I like right now is Sean C, he did most of American Gangster, and he did Roc Boys. I like his sound, not just on that album but I heard a lot of other stuff that he has done. He did the new Busta joint, which I like. I don't know man; I am into working with one or two producers that really zero in. I was just talking to D.R. Period, and he was just talking about how hip hop went from one producer doing an album to you trying to find the hottest producers. To me that just killed a lot of albums because record labels are going out to spend 200 on Pharrell or Timbaland just to find these hot singles.
ER: Only 200?
SHA: I mean at that time youknow, and then all of sudden your record sounds like a collection of different songs, different places. I mean it ain't bad, I ain't a hater but I never want to do that.
ER: Anything else you want the world to know?
SHA: Wow!, well I am doing a CD every month this year...This (The Secret) is an excuse for me to talk shit (laughs) at the same time uplift some people, that's really what it's about.
TURN OFF THE RADIO!
Sha Stimuli with Bugle- What I'm gonna doSha Stimuli – Look At You
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