Shyheim | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Shyheim Dionel Franklin |
Origin | Staten Island, New York |
Genres | Hip-hop |
Occupation(s) | Emcee, Actor |
Years active | 1993–2014 |
Labels |
Virgin/EMI Wu-Tang/Priority/EMI Wreck/Nervous Records/ Bottom Up Records/The Block Never Sleeps |
Associated acts | Ghostface Killah/Method Man/Prodigal Sunn/Hell Razah/La The Darkman/DJ Des |
Website | http://Theblockneversleeps.com |
Shyheim (born Shyheim Dionel Franklin in New York, New York) is an American rapper and actor affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan. He was associated with a group called G.P. Wu and then began collaborating with Wu-Tang Records affiliated groups Killarmy and Sunz of Man.
As a teenager, Shyheim was once considered "hip hop's wunderkind", and a famed urban artist and heartthrob, whom "even the harshest of critics can’t deny the level of artistry displayed by Hip Hop child prodigy" and latter-day luminaries such as Jay-Z looked up to him, mentioning him in admiration in his autobiography Decoded. But run-ins with the law and an attack that needed 300 stitches to close a facial wound derailed his career.
Shyheim was born in Staten Island New York and raised there as a child. He spent time living with Wu-Tang Clan member and cousin Ghostface Killah in the Stapleton Houses.
Shyheim's Virgin Records debut, AKA the Rugged Child. It included the hit single "On and On" the video of which featured Method Man, and the album rose to #7 on the US Billboard R&B chart.
Shyheim joined others, notably The Fugees, to provide a free concert to deaf children in a summer camp in 1996.
Shyheim released another album in 1996, The Lost Generation, which featured members of G.P. Wu and Brooklyn Zu. He also shared the stage with the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, and Big Daddy Kane at Madison Square Garden, for a live freestyle session. He also made an appearance on Big Daddy Kane's "Show & Prove," which featured Ol' Dirty Bastard, Sauce Money, Big Scoob and Jay-Z.