Rapper Little Shawn rose to fame in the early 90s when he released his debut album The Voice In The Mirror with the lead singles “I Made Love” and “Don Perignon,” which featured the Notorious B.I.G. The New York native was supposed to record with the late Tupac Shakur in 1994 but while on his way to Quad Studios, Pac was robbed and shot five times.
In 1998, Little Shawn began a seven-year prison sentence for drug trafficking and after his release in 2004, he changed his name to Shawn Pen and decided to become an author. He recently released a book entitled The Black Church, which the late Chris Lighty was shopping around for a book deal before his death.
With the release of this book, Pen, who was almost signed by 50 Cent, says that he hopes to make a successful transition into the world of novels and film.
“Having an extensive background in the music industry, I just felt like it was time for a mature transition, sort of like Shakim [Compere] and [Queen] Latifah,” he told AllHipHop. “Today film is being overshadowed by the resurgence of television [shows like] Power, The Wire and Boardwalk. I started as a ghostwriter and books are just an extension of me being a writer. I’d like [to] write the book and script and act like Tyrese and Will Smith would read, study & bring to life on camera.”
Read an excerpt of The Black Church below and purchase a copy here. If you’re not familiar with Shawn Pen, watch his video for his 1992 hit single “I Made Love (4 Da Vert 1st Time)” below.
Trevor Dean was a street dude, for real. But while in prison he found the Lord, and he started a church in his community when he came home, The Black Church. He’s gone straight, completely. Nowadays, his life is primarily focused on God, his church and his First Lady Rebecca. Unfortunately for him, a parishioner’s bad decision puts Trevor’s old friend Rudy in the middle of a problem that can potentially threaten Trevor’s church and his life. Now, Trevor must help his friend figure things out or risk his church…and his life out of the game.
