After many years of honing his craft in the Bay Area scene, Shaya is finally set to make his official introduction to the world of hip-hop with his forthcoming release, Fallen Awake. Shaya is currently under the mentorship of iD, the same A&R guru who introduced the world to Little Brother. Fallen Awake will be released by Interdependent Media on July 29th, 2008.
Prior to signing with Interdependent Media, Shaya spent nearly ten years hitting the pavement in his native Bay Area slanging handmade CD's and mixtapes at shows and on street corners. Shaya's lyricism, determination, and charismatic personality caught the attention of many industry leaders but personal obstacles often prevented him from taking his craft to the next level. He did, however, perform regularly and opened up for Bay Area luminaries such as the Hieroglyphics and the Living Legends. Although Shaya and iD have known each other for years, they waited until the right moment to pursue the creation of an official release. Now, backed with the support of Interdependent Media, home to Canibus, K'naan, Tanya Morgan, Eyezon, J*Davey, and other artists, Shaya and iD are proud to finally release the fulfillment of the potential that others in the industry have always seen in Shaya with Fallen Awake.
Devoid of the clichés and excess that have come to characterize mainstream hip-hop, Shaya succeeds in crafting no-frills, honest, and intelligent hip-hop music. Fallen Awake is Shaya's long overdue, debut musical statement, inspired by years of difficult times and a lack of deserved attention. The production by Jake One (50 Cent, Freeway) and The ARE (Lords of the Underground, K-Otix) on Fallen Awake provides a solid foundation for Shaya's lyrical attack. "Proud," which embodies Shaya's clever, heartfelt musical approach, has already garnered underground attention. Under the manifesto of resurrecting “thinking man’s music,†Shaya considers Fallen Awake to be not only an open-palm to his listeners, but a chance to lay to rest the pains of his own life.
