Armed with direct lyrics and dark production, California-bred rapper Shakewell began his career as an emcee in the 2010s after pivoting from a previous incarnation in a hardcore band. As heard on his early mixtapes, his dexterous style -- which veers from melodic to menacing -- found an audience with fans of his fellow collaborators Pouya, Fat Nick, and $uicideboy$. The latter act signed Shakewell to their G59 imprint in 2020, with his debut album for the label, Pray 4 Shakewell, arriving in 2022. He landed on the U.S. charts the next year with Shameless $uicide, a joint EP with $uicideboy$. Born Andrew Adolph in 1991, the San Fernando Valley musician got his start on the hardcore scene, playing bass in the metal band Betrayal. After three albums with that crew, he switched to a different kind of hardcore, debuting his rap skills in the late 2010s with a trio of mixtapes, including 2017's Key Stone Prince and 2018's Big Juice tha Sip. Lyrically, he balanced sex, drugs, and violence with unflinching introspection and confessionals, quickly amassing a circle of like-minded associates that included Pouya, Fat Nick, Mikey the Magician, and Germ. And just like with the latter rapper, he caught the ears of New Orleans duo $uicideboy$, who signed him to their G59 label in 2020. In 2022, the pair appeared on his label debut, Pray 4 Shakewell, which also featured appearances by Fat Nick and Boobie Lootaveli. Their teamwork continued in 2023 with a full collaborative EP, Shameless $uicide, which debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

Ramirez, Shakewell, Germ, Deadly Poets, King Bishop Bars

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