Lil Shies is a New York rapper with a deep history of exploring hip-hop’s diverse corners and applying them to his own, excellent music. His recent releases have all topped one another, and due to his natural talent and ability to make industry connections he has created a quality brand for himself. Watch out for more from Shies very soon.
1. I first heard about you through ‘UPPINA PRICE’ w/ Lil $ega, hosted by AsToldByMeagan’. How did you and Meagan get to know each other?
Upinna Price is definitely one of my favorite songs I’ve done, shoutouts to $ega he really killing it right now. It was actually funny how I met Meagan, I was recommended to hit her up by a friend of mine at the time so i did that. I was interested in having her send me some voice overs that she was doing which I wanted to use for a song and when she sent some samples over, I was asking the dumbest questions ever, I was still a new artist and many people didn’t know who I was. But I never even bought any of them from her now that I think about it. She didn’t reply back to me after awhile, I didn’t think much about it anymore but I felt dumb as shit looking back at the DM’s. Somehow we clicked after being on a group chat together. We spoke about that moment over the phone one day, it was hilarious.
2. Your track ‘HAVOC’, which was produced by moziATL, recently appeared on my tape. You collaborate with Mozi a lot on songs like ‘Goblin’ and ‘The Mozi Effect’ EP. Would you say you two have the best chemistry out of anyone you’ve worked with?
It’s something about mozi’s beats that compliment my style so well, it just happens naturally. I have a cousin of mine who produces beats too and you’d think since we family we got the best chemistry but even he admitted to me that me and mozi got the best chemistry together, I agree with that 100%. We got another song in the stash right now that’s crazy! I think my best work with mozi is yet to come, I truly enjoy working with him he’s real cool people. Any artists out there looking to get beats go buy some from moziATL.
3. Of the songs you’ve released this year, which is your favourite? I’d go for ‘Walk The Walk’ or Lonely’, personally.
Walk The Walk is a cool song no doubt, I’m surprised you like that song that much but I gotta go with Lonely. It never gets old to me and the way sub9k came in on that was crazy, shoutouts to sub for that and shoutouts to swvsh on the production he’s one of my favorite producers right now.
4. Do you have any plans for a full length tape or album? I’m sure 2019 is gonna be a big year for you either way.
I’m just planning on throwing more songs out, drop more visuals and work with different people wether it’d be artists or producers. I really wanna push for a mozi effect part 2. I’ve talked about it before and It’ll probably be all self made, no features. For me to do a full length album I would need to be locked in and really take my time with it, I wouldn’t rush an album at all. I don’t know much about plug-in’s or vocal effects or anything really which is a disadvantage for me as an artist. I know that would really help, I just be struggling sometimes to get things the way I want them to sound. 2019 I wanna push myself more to learn about things like that.
5. As well as working with sub9k, you have an upcoming song with LoudPack KAP. How have you secured these industry connections and who else would you like to work with in the future?
I made connections to different artists who know certain people who know these people. It’s all about making connections and having confidence that the person you’d wanna work with is down to work with you. They all just regular people just like me and you at the end of the day. Being involved in group chats also really helps out. I can’t really say who I’d like to work with, a bunch of names come to mind.
6. Your most recent track is a feature on ‘DOUBLE VISION’ by Qro. Any other surprise appearances from you fans should be looking out for?
I definitely got some surprises but I’m not going to announce any of them. All I ask for from everyone who’s in tune with me is to keep staying in tune, enjoy what I have for now.
7. You are from New York and I know you fuck with the classics from there, but who were your favourites growing up, and by extension who was it that specifically inspired you to rap?
Growing up my favorites were 2Pac, Nas, Prodigy, Eminem, DMX, Biggie, Jay-Z, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Method Man and Redman, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Styles P, Jadakiss, Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, T.I. Young Jeezy and Ludacris. Then I got more into Wu-Tang like ODB, Raekwon, Ghostface, Shyheim a bunch of of them. E-40, Lupe Fiasco, Max B, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Vado, Spaceghostpurrp, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and a lot of down south shit too like Master P/NO Limit, Juvenile, B.G, UGK, Outkast, Scarface, the list goes on. One day I was in my room listening to a new mixtape that Styles P dropped it’s called The Phantom Menace, after a couple of plays I went crazy and that’s when I decided that I really want to rap or at least try, that tape is a classic. At around that time I was going through tough times too, mentality, so all of those gritty and grimey bars really got to me.
8. Are there any other dope rappers from NYC that people might be sleeping on?
I don’t keep in tune too much with NYC artists. There’s a big ego thing going on here in NYC with these artists and I’ve seen it first hand, i guess that’s how it is in a lot of places but when you’re from here and you witness it happening it really makes you feel like shit sometimes. I fuck with Trippjones , i don’t know if people really sleep on him from here but his shit hard so shoutouts to him. Then there’s this kid who i fuck with on my IG he goes by Spliffhappy he goes hard too, I think he’s from Brooklyn.
9. You are a big supporter of 108MICS and I appreciate that, and doing this interview has been cool although it’s taken me a while. Now is your opportunity to do some shoutouts! And thanks again bro.
Shoutouts to Trapwolfbeatz, my sister Rosa, my lil bro Justin, my cousin Isis, mozi, 239Turk, my engineer Frado, UVC, Undagroundlink, Meagan, vvarlus, shoutouts to you 108MICS for this interview and thank you bro for all the support I really appreciate what you do. And this last shoutout goes to everyone and I really do mean EVERYONE who’s been supporting me wether it be supporting me since I dropped my first song on SoundCloud or even after that, I just really wanna thank all of you, it means so much to me. I feel like I don’t have anything else but this music shit. I do plan on going back to school in 2019 even though music is what I really love. I want everyone to remember that life is always going to be hard but being happy and enjoying the small things will make it better. Being angry all the time and being ungrateful is not going to cure anything, just stay up and keep fighting because that’s all we can do.
Listen to Shies on Soundcloud. Follow him on Twitter at @lil_shies.
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