April 19, 2017

Shyheim "AKA The Rugged Child" (Billboard, 1994)

Shyheim AKA The Rugged Child OG Sticker "Hip-Hop Nostalgia"
Shyheim AKA The Rugged Child Billboard Article March 26, 1994

'AKA The Rugged Child' was the debut album from Staten Island MC, Shyheim; cousin to Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah. He was 14 years old at the time of the release and it just so happened to drop through Virgin/EMI on the same day as Nas’ ‘Illmatic.’ The entire project was produced by RNS, with the exception of one track produced by the RZA. Shyheim was affiliated with GP Wu, which consisted of Down Low Recka, Pop Da Brown Hornet, June Luva and Rubbabandz, all of which are featured on the album. The album's lead single ‘On and On’ also saw a dope remix from DJ Premier, which combined with ‘One’s 4 Da Money,' convinced me to purchase the LP, and I still revisit it from time to time. His follow-up albums ‘The Lost Generation’ and ‘Manchild’ had joints on them too! In 1997, he caught a box-cutter to his face which took hundreds of stitches to close and left a scar from his nose down along the side of his jaw. In Jay-Z’s celebrated book ‘Decoded,’ Hov describes his studio session with Shyheim in '94 for Big Daddy Kane’s track 'Show & Prove,’ and also shares how Shyheim was originally asked to be on Hov’s 'Coming of Age,’ but someone in his Shy’s camp turned it down. In the end, Memphis Bleek was featured on the track instead. Last I’d heard, he was facing a long bid for leaving the scene of an accident in 2014 that left at least one person dead, as well separate charges for a gun conviction. He'll be back though! The OG sticker and an article from Billboard in March 1994 are above, audio of 'One's 4 Da Money' is below...