SHIWEN

YO EVERYONE!!!RASHEEDA'S ALBUM NOW IN STORES EVERWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BEST BUYNO EXCUSES, COP THAT SHIT!!!!!!I PRODUCED 9 OF THE SONGS ON THE ALBUM, SUPPORT UR HOME BOI!!!!ALL MUSIC PRODUCED BY SHIWENBorn in Atlanta, the heart of the Dirty South, music has been a huge influence on Shiwen throughout his life. Trained in classical piano since the age of 5, much of his younger years were filled with the likes of Beethoven, Chopin, and Mozart. Shiwens knack for music showed early in the many awards that he won while participating in piano competitions. With his strict Asian upbringing however he was not exposed to much hip hop during this part of his life. (What rap he was able to get his hands on, was quickly banned from the house.)Years later, during his second year majoring in classical piano at the University of Cincinnati, Shiwens roommate introduced him to the music that changed his life. Brian Bailey was a fan of hip hop. A HUGE fan of southern hip hop. So much so, that all of Shiwens days in the dorm were accompanied with the beats and flows of the Dirty Dirty. One day out of the blue Brian asked, Since you are from Atlanta, have you ever heard of the group called Outkast? A quick denial from Shiwen brought a look of disbelief from his roommate. Immediately Brian threw in Outkasts second album, AT-Liens, and blazed the room with some of the hottest tracks to ever come out of the South. From that point on he was hooked. Shiwen quickly made up for the deprivation he experienced earlier in his life by buying up every hip hop record he could lay his hands on. In those days, Rakim, the Wu Tang Clan, 3-6 Mafia, Mood, A Tribe Called Quest, DMX, 8Ball & MJG, Goodie Mob, and the Bone Thugs n Harmony rode with him wherever he went.After three years at Cincinnati, Shiwen realized playing piano was just not for him and thus had to find another path. In 1999, Shiwen returned to the South to attend Georgia State University as a business major. With all these huge changes going on his life, his love for music and hip hop stayed constant. Eventually Shiwen found a job DJing at a local Korean club. Every night people would pack the club dancing and drinking the stress of everyday life away. Realizing the music he was playing and mixing was a huge part of this made his job the highlight of Shiwens week.It wasnt until a little known game called MTV Music Generator came out on the Sony Playstation, did Shiwen start to experiment with the actual production of music. Through this game, he became captivated in the creativity process that was involved in producing beats. For two years he made beats with the game as a side hobby. In 2003 he met two friends, Ming Han Chung and James Kim that pushed him into taking his producing seriously. These three met often to experiment and discuss ways to improve Shiwens producing. They worked as his engineers and promoters while doing anything they could to help. Shiwens studio grew along with his skills through the year. Along the way, the three friends met many people in the industry that helped them on their way, Regina Davenport, the A&R of Aquemini records, Lady Drew, Menace of Amari Studios, Big Du of 8 ways Entertainment, D-shot of Sik Wit It Records, X of DARP Inc and others.Then in the fall of 2004 a stroke of luck would change Shiwens path in the hip hop industry. While at the local Guitar Center, Shiwen and his engineer decided to go to a smaller audio store to check out some equipment. In the store they overheard a man discussing a deal with Bone Crusher and the Ying Yang Twins. This man was Kirk Frost, the manager for Rasheeda the Queen of Crunk. Shiwen gathered his guts and asked Kirk if he was in the business. When Shiwen mention that he produced hip hop beats, Kirk stopped in his tracks thinking, an asian kat making beats?? I definitely need to hear this shit. After popping in Shiwens CD in his car, Kirk told Shiwen hed call him back shortly. Soon Kirk called Shiwen and offered an exclusive producers agreement for D-Lo Music; however, during this time Shiwen had been offered a contract by another, more famous production company, DARP Inc. (Dallas Austin Recording Projects). A week of deliberation went by and he finally decided to go with D-LO, knowing he would get the freedom he needed to grow with his music while getting a chance to work with a rapper he admired. In early March, Jive Records/Zomba Label Group released Rasheedas Rocked Away, featuring Lil Scrappy and produced by Shiwen Shann, worldwide.For the future, Shiwen hopes to follow his dreams by continuing to share his passion of making his music for the people. He hopes that through his success he will be able to help open the doors for other Asians whose passion for music and entertainment are as great as his own. Ive seen Asian artist and producers with skills as good or even better than me not make it due to the plain fact that they were Asian. Hopefully, I can be a part of the movement that changes that. I also believe that God has brought me to where I am today. Never give up on yourself and ALWAYS trust in God and he will bring you success.