Music and art have always played a vital role in the life of Shawn Smith. A product of Southwest Philadelphia, the birthplace of The Roots and the city where John Coltrane established his sound, the innovative and prolific rapper has carved out his own niche merging all things cool, audibly, and aesthetically.
With an ability to spit voracious freestyles while crafting intricate stories the Philly MC chose Don Cannon to appear on the latest version of his freestyle “Chain Gang.” Smith says, “The Chain Gang song featuring Don Cannon and video is an important moment for my career. The mixtape era is my direct inspiration to pick up a pen in the first place. This record is all of those moments wrapped into a new musical mural — an appreciation to hip hop and what this feel has done for the streets.”
The lyric video finds the young virtuoso on the streets of his hometown paying homage to state property and waxing poetic about everything from his admiration of Michelle Obama to questioning why Congress still hasn’t passed anti-lynching laws. Directed by 12vy of the Midnight Collective, Shawn can be seen decked out in a Marcus Garvey-inspired Pan-African flag. In “Chain Gang” Smith paints his rhymes in cinematic detail pushing the boundaries of hip-hop while also paying homage to the OG’s that paved the way. Describing the raw and gritty record with intricate punch lines as a “State Property flip,” Philly inflections pepper everything from the bars to the beat.
Long before his lyrical gift attracted the attention of some of the industry’s most recognized and respected figures (Black Thought, Meek Mill, Jay-Z), Smith honed his craft as a brotherly love hip-hop hopeful opening up for rap elites like Rick Ross, Jeezy, DMX, Juelz Santana, and Ice Cube. In the realm of contemporary pop culture, it’s easy to secure one’s 15 minutes of fame. But few are fortunate enough to make the most of it, transforming it into a launchpad for a long and viable career. Much of this is based on the right elements and a formula that incorporates the variables of time, opportunity, preparedness, and the intangible, elusive X factor. Shawn Smith seems to be at the intersection of all the above.
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