We have been waiting for the right moment to introduce you to this talented artist from Nigeria since he contacted us with his music. Today, his birthday, we introduce you to F.shaw an emerging artist whose work has us paying attention.
LET IT GO
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“Olufemi Olukayode Adeyemi (born October 30th) who performs under the name F.shaw is a Nigerian Musician/Rapper/Songwriter. The third child of middle working class parents, he was born and raised in Ipaja, Lagos City.
F.shaw harboured child-hood ambitions of becoming a Petrochemical Engineer or joining the Army but these fizzled out as he developed a keen interest in music and break dancing. He was surrounded by tons of vinyl from the likes of Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, ABBA, to Michael Jackson, The Commodores and many more as his father was a lover of country, soul and pop music.
F.shaw’s primary education was at St. Mary’s Private School Broad Street Lagos. He graduated from King’s College Lagos in 2001 and then went on to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Computer-Science graduating in 2006 from Covenant University.
F.shaw became interested in Rap music in 2004 and started out by writing down and reciting his favourite rappers’ lines. He was/is a friend with K-Switch of the Mo’Hits who was already rapping at the time and they used to exchange raps on paper in class. One of the few songs that was recorded earlier was titled Bounce, which featured F.shaw, K-switch and T.I.B and produced by Dr. Frabz who was up and coming at the time as they were all in the same school. F.shaw had a hard time putting down lyrics till he got much needed advice and encouragement from a friend who advised him to strive harder and be more imaginative with his writing. F.shaw took rapping seriously in 2005 and hooked up with fellow rapper and producer Spellz and together they recorded a song titled Get Low which was first spun by DJ Humility on 93.7 fm and later got moderate airplay on Star fm 101.5
He met director and screenwriter Oliver Aleogena later in 2005 who showed him the inner workings of the industry and drilled him to become content conscious and a better lyricist in terms of quality and style.
F.shaw re-united with former high school mate turned renowned producer Cobahms Asuquo through Oliver Aleogena and together they produced what would become one of F.shaw’s critically acclaimed records titled Let It Go; for it content and newness of sound. The song was released late 2007 and received massive airplay from radio stations in Lagos and Abuja. Not satisfied with the progress of his career, F.shaw took matters into his own hands and released a 5-track EP in 2008 titled Avant-Garde printing a thousand copies of the EP, selling some and giving the rest away for free. The EP contained the singles Let It Go, Moonlight Serenade (produced by Tee-y Mix). This helped push his name to a broader audience.
F.shaw is influenced by the music of Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Fela, Nas, Tupac, Eminem, Jadakiss, Jay-Z amongst others.
F.shaw took part in the MTVBASE reality show ADVANCE WARNING alongside 25 other upcoming Nigerian artistes in 2008. He performed at the “Can U?” concert in Abuja early 2008 which had Timaya as the headlining act.
F.shaw also performed in South Africa on the 29th of august 2008 for the show “West Africa Tour” which had D’banj and the Mo’Hits crew as the headliners alongside Omawumi of West-Africa Idols and other South-African artistes such as MXO and Bongo Maffin. He also performed at the launch of Etisalat’s mobile stages early 2009.
F.shaw released a third official single titled “My Everything (Aya Mi)” in April 2009. He was brutally stabbed multiple times by armed robbers shortly after that and this halted the promotion of the record. F.shaw went off the music scene and spent time away with family recovering. He then proceeded to take time out and pursue a Masters degree in the UK where he is currently based.
F.shaw is currently working on his debut album which he’ll be releasing under his imprint “ROYAL STATUS” and will also be releasing a video for Moonlight Serenade this fall.
F.shaw’s style and sound is reminiscent of the vintage era. His music sounds like everything but yet doesn’t sound like anything. Revered for his content, F.shaw is known for his storytelling ability and his lyrics revolve around life, love, hope, personal experiences and many times plain wit.”
Contact Information:
+2348033480122 (NIG)
+447975518487 (UK)
Follow F.SHAW on Twitter @FsHaW_
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
