Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Meeting with 92Q

Wednesday March 1, 2006...........I am going to sit down with the Asst. Program Director, Neke @ 92Q to decide the fate of "RAW" being added to the station's rotation.

I am very confident about my music..........it's just representing it and myself appropriately that worries me a little. I am not going to put negative vibes into the atmosphere, so just PRAY FOR ME!

Monday, February 27, 2006

8:44 PM Last Night

Was a turning point in my career. At 8:44 PM, My song "RAW" was played on 92Q, which is the biggest station (and ONLY HipHop station for real) in Baltimore.

Shout out to 92Q


And I can't forget to mention my homegirl Tasha from Divine Ideals. Bigups to you, cuz you showed love, when you could've been selfish and only talked about you and your artist. Shout out to B-Fly....whose song "Cut and Paste" was also played last night. This song envoked some feelings from me.....for real. Girlie, the song is definitely hot!!!

Call me corny, or think to yourself...."WOW, ya song got played once, that ain't shit!" But F*CK THAT, one small step for ShellBe RAW.....one giant leap for the Baltimore/Boston HipHop scene! O My GOD..........If I could describe in words how I felt when my song came on! It was crazy....for the first 15 seconds, I was paralyzed. Then I tried to call my man Mike Hurt (my Producer Extraordinaire....the genius behind the track)to let him know that our "baby" was being played, I couldn't reach him.....but I did get to Jay Boogie (BTW, Did you get to "Mr. Quiet YO"???) Then no bullshit, I turned the radio all the way up, opened my car door, got out and started rockin' to my joint. Right in my Parking Lot......people was looking at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care! WOW.......

Forward and upward motion........that's all I'm about right now.

The DJs at Rap Attack said they loved my song, and the kept my music...so now its time to get the "ShellBe RAW Call-In Campaign" going. So tell a friend to tell a friend, to call 92Q at 410-481-9292 and request "RAW" By ShellBe RAW

Friday, February 24, 2006

Super Stylewarz

Congratulations to my homie EJ, he won it all!!! $1,000, a trophy, some Don Bling shirts, a spot on DNA's next mixtape, and bragging rights!.........He really was practicing for this event, and it definitely showed in his performance! I'm glad he did the song I told him to do............I knew that song was a crowd pleaser, and ultimately I think his song selection definitely helped him in the finals, because his opponent Midas definitely knows how to rock a crowd as well.

Midas you definitely did your thing homie......you definitely have a certain "way" about you that is sooooo memorable. Keep doing your thing! You can't win em all!

To all the Champs in Super Stylewarz, you were Champs for a reason........I take my hat off to all of you!

P-Funk you held it down on the 1's and 2's. Some of them beats really sounded like instrumentals (industry standard for sure) so I gotta shout out the B-More Producers. Yall are definitely stepping your game up! Holla at me, I am working on my debut SOLO album! C-Love, did a great job hosting and handling the crowd. I give credit where its due......sometimes you just gotta kill em' wit kindness right?

I enjoyed seeing everyone......I'm not going to name names cuz there were too many. But if you got a hug, headnod, handshake, or a "hey where's my drink?" from me.....you know the deal.

Ogun, and my fellow Gritty Gangers........its always great to see yall perform. The energy in there last night wasn't really directed at yall so don't take it personal.
Real 2 Real, always good to see yall in the house.

great event....

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Quoting Myself

I'm gonna start this entry off by quoting myself...................In my first entry I said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why Did You Start This Blog?"
"The answer is simply .......because I want to give people a chance to read about an actual account of a person's rise from an Aspiring Artist to a HipHop Super Star. In this blog I will give you all the updates with my progress........and I promise to keep it as real as I can, without defaming anyone elses character/persona in the process."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hardest thing in life to do, is to live by your OWN convictions. Yesterday I kept it ultra-REAL........but I wonder if I defamed someone elses character in the process???

Here's what I said:
I guess I can't speak my mind around here.....somebody is sooooo
threatened by that! LOL


What What wrote:
you really arent trying to see me [in any way] so you should stop
talking shit!


Is this right Ms. HipHop Ambassador???

I'm curious What exactly can YOU do to ME? I'm not about to
cyber-beef with you.........if you wanna handle this dispute like grown women I
can be contacted via phone: 443-854-7375 (after 6:30pm please, I'm at work)
or in person...........I'm sure you know at least ONE person who knows
very well where I live

I swear.........You are a manifestation of my bars:
"You ain't a friend to me, so F*CK ya feelings/
When You're a phony ass bitch, time will reveal it/"


Damn......after reading the last line (before my bars), that was kinda harsh.....but I was tryna piss her off for real. LOL, let me stop.........that was jus a smidgeon immature, just a smidge tho!

Well anyway........I got into it with a fellow female Hip Hopper. But let's keep it funky, my name is ShellBe RAW for more reasons than I think people realize. Yesterday, most of my comments and reactions to her comments were "RAW" and I was reacting off of "RAW" emotions. However, I'm woman enough to say that some of my actions/comments were very confrontational and a little harsh........but honestly sometimes I think people need that. Sometimes the nice approach doesn't always work. Sometimes you just need to get some shit off your chest. Sometimes you have to embarass the shit out of somebody. I feel like I probably embarassed her by shedding light on an aspect of her and her personality that she tends to keep in the dark. The fact that I did that, probably made her feel like she needed to up the anty a little. On a certain message board, I encouraged her to reach out to me (because I seen absolutely no resolution from a back-n-forth on the internet), I guess she took that as me calling her out and challenging her to a brawl. That wasn't my intentions at all.............truth be told me and her have somewhat of a history, and that makes everything she or I says (online) THAT much MORE personal. I felt like we probably needed to meet face to face, and let it all out. If she needed to call me a bitch, let her do that to my face.......shake that shit off, have everything out in the open and keep it moving afterwards! Ya know?

I am known for exposing people, but what I'm learning is that, this isn't always my responsibility. Things that are shown to me are not always meant for others to see. So maybe I need to just let people stay in the dark about things and people they deal with.....thats the conclusion I'm coming to.

But either way, this situation has shown/taught me alot. I received numerous phone calls from people that 'genuinely' care about me and my well-being. They encouraged me, and said "its not worth it....this is bulllshit, and you are doing your thing right now." For those that did that, I fux wit you heavy! But you already that and me, thats why you called me! Now of course, I also got the nosey phone calls from peeps who just wanted to know what was going on; and even those whose sole purpose was to try an escalate the supposed-'beef' to an actual altercation. I don't claim to be gangsta, by any means.........I'm not about justifying my gangsta (or anything else about me) to anyone. If I am going to fight someone, I will........there will be no plans, no scheduled meetings, etc. If I see you all the time, and we never go at it on a physical.....you are obviously a non-issue to me (as I am assuming I am a non-issue to you as well). I fight everyday: to stay alive, to make my dream happen, etc. I have no time for any type of altercation with anyone who is not stopping my cashflow, or adding to it. For real, I'm actually proud of the fact that I don't live and die by what people say/think about me. Cuz I know right now, people wanna see an actual beef/fight, it gives them something to talk about. But when I make the papers I want it to be about my music, my grind, my vision, etc..........not some bullshit! Call it what you want..........it is what it is.

Yeah I'm a rapper/MC/HipHop Artist but hell no I don't fit the stereotype. My rap style is pretty aggressive at times, but I'm not in the street fighting everyday. I'm sexy (appearance-wise and musicly), but I'm not slutting myself out for a dollar. Yea rap is seen as tough.......but thats not what I'm trying to portray. I carry myself as a lady, and I think people actually dig that about me. Thats why GOD has placed me in an industry where I am going to be the ultimate contradiction! But here lies the GIFT and the CURSE. I am an oppinionated young woman, and I will always speak my mind..........NO MATTER WHO DOESN'T LIKE IT. But I have to learn when the battle isn't even worth fighting. Nothing is alive, until you (or someone) breathes "LIFE" into it. I chose to breathe life into a dead situation yesterday, but now I realize that is seriously is DEAD, and I've buried it. I have too much going for me right now, to let bullshit deter me.

So I'll close out with this:
I'm am about unity, therefore anyone who sincerely is about building and making it happen.........I will support you in anyway I can.

But reguardless of that, if I don't dig how you're moving, I just don't.........respect it, and I'll respect you........wait a minute I'm lying, I'll just ignore you. There are certain things I can't respect. I'm not saying thats right, but I'm honest. This what I am going to do tho, I'll take that old-school advice to heart: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" ........I'm just gonna keep my comments to myeslf when it comes to certain issues and/or people if it isn't something positive! I don't want to be a part of the problem, I want to be a part of the solution!

So.......
You do you, I'll do me! I can agree to disagree. We CAN all co-exist! There is a place for everyone, diversity makes the world interesting!

On a much brighter note..........the girl has lost a total of 12lbs since January 2nd, 2006. Here's what I'm looking like now!!!





Yeah........this summer is gonna be off the hook, I'm tryna get bathingsuit ready! I'm working hard for real tho.....LOL

I also have a few shows coming up:
Saturday February 25, 2006 - Sonoma's (Columbia, MD)
Thursday March 2, 2006 - 5 Seasons (Baltimore, MD)
Saturday March 4, 2006 - Belvedere Hotel (Baltimore, MD)
Sunday March 5, 2006 - Club 429 (Baltimore, MD)
Friday March 10, 2006 - 5 Seasons (baltimore, MD)


Thanks for tuning in people........I do appreciate the love and support. Your comments make me feel like this blog does serve a purpose. So continue to support ShellBe RAW! I love y'all!

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Home in "The Bean"...here's the Re-CAP

Let me tell y'all.......I'm in an extremely awkward position. Boston is my home city, I was born and raised in Dorchester.......but I started 'really' doing music in Baltimore. So when I do shows in Boston its like I gotta work twice as hard cuz everyone there knows eachother (they see me as an outsider), and then I get introduced as "ShellBe RAW, originally from Boston, now by way of Baltimore" and immediately the crowds faces screw up! Right there its like I have to make the crowd feel like its OK to like me, and that I REALLY am from Boston.

So far so good.........I'm @ Hoffa's and I'm paying dues, cuz they make me go 2nd....but its all good. I kill it with the band. I was the only performer to really utilize them for real......and I performed songs that made the crowd get involved. Yet in still I gave them my crowd faves (at least they are B-More crowd faves) like "RAW" and "Rappin' Shit". They ate it up! I received so much love it was unreal...........I guess I was cool with them because I was good! LOL

Either way, my family and friends showed up in full force.....eventhough my dad acted like a complete ASS but that's neither here nor there. We had one whole side of the club on lock, everyone equipped in their www.ShellBeRAW.com t-shirts.....gotta love that young promotional scheme! My sister a.k.a. My Personal Assistant, did the damn thing. She was working the room, the entire night! She sold damn near ALL of my cd's, collected business cards, set up a few shows, and got me a couple of interviews. I see you Joy, do ya thang honey (Ya 10% was nice tonight huh, LOL)!!!!!

OMG.......I have to tell you ladies........the rappers in Boston are sooooooooo cute, and they definitely cater to the ladies. Each of them that performed did at least ONE song for the females....I love it! Did I mention that the rappers even went as far as to 'get dressed', no white/blacks tees....these brothers coordinated hats wit jerseys, button-ups wit matching timbs, even nice sweat suits....etc.

But the highlight of my night for real was finally getting to meet, one of my musical mentors and friends, Akrobatik...... in person, after chatting online for over a year. He happened to be walking into the club, as I was walking out! He told me he seen my name on the flyer and was coming to see me! Now this is crazy, cuz he lives in PA now......but nonetheless, I was so happy to finally hug my homeboy that I have gotten to know over this past year! I must say his fiance is a lucky woman, he looks EVEN better in person than he does online, and/or in pictures!

I love the BEAN.............but I definitely missed seeing familiar B-More faces/places. I can't wait to get back to B-More.....I got like 3 shows to get ready for. My flight leaves at 7:35am, so I gotta get some rest. I'll be back with more updates......thanks for reading!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Girls Night Out - Valentine's Day @ Sonoma's

Oh yeah............ "Do my LADIES run this motherf*cker?......... HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!"

The line-up consisted of: Ms. Madame of Murderland herself, Ms. Stress; the female phenomenons, and my homegirls Tha Plague; the Songtress, Ashley Alexander; and of course me............ShellBe, Ms. RAW if ya nasty..........LOL

Ms. Stress: I must say I was pleasantly surprised by how well you held it down.....SOLO, at that! You definitely had the crowd involved in your set! Kudos for that. (Sidenote: I love the artwork for your album, a review is coming soon, so stay tuned!) "Who am I, Madame od Murderland"

Tha Plague: Symph, L's, Roxxi...........all three of you bring something unique to the table, but it's your chemistry together that sets yall apart from other groups. Your song selection was very appropriate for the evening! "I'm not ya girl, I'm not ya girl"

Ashley Alexander: This girl is talented.......and is in a good position to really do somethin'. She has a hot producer (shoutout to Sonny Brix), and yes he does HipHop tracks too! And not only can she saaaaaaaaaang, but she writes her own songs! Then to top it all off, she is down to earth, and all about the female unity! I love it! "I can do this shit all by myself".......I 2nd that motion!

I closed out the show..........I'm not gonna toot my own horn or anything, wink!wink! but I killed that shit! Ask about me! (Nick did you like the special attention you got??? LOL) YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! "I'm Shell-Be-RAW" and I got my saaaaaaang on that night too!

But for real............Yall missed a GREAT show............the LADIES definitely represented!

Shout-out to: DJ Tru (always spinning my joints in Sonoma's), DJ Krucial (always offering a sincere compliment), EJ (my hypeman for the night), my homegirl Miesha (she ain't even into HipHop like that, but she supports ShellBe RAW whenever she can, I love her for that!, Nick Suprano, Jay Optimo, and anyone that brought a ShellBe RAW "Soundtrack" cd..........I appreciate the love and support! If I forgot you....... blame my mind, not my heart!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Old School - HipHop 101 @ the 5 Seasons

Definite Big-ups to my homie Sonny Brown for starting up this event. Considering the fact that there are no flyers for promo, and he's relying on word-of-mouth, his turnout is getting increasingly better. It seems like more and more of the HipHop community is turning out to this event as the weeks pass. I, myself being a performer must say that I enjoy the atmosphere and the crowd, who for the most part is very supportive of each performer.

Last night, my bestfriend Ogun turned it out of course................with some assistance from Profound and Ammo.........."Gritty Gang"!!!!! Unreal did his thing, and to me the surprise of the night was how well N.O.M. Clique did. Me and XO were commenting on their energy and performance ability. Midas and Team Green (shout out to Akira....the beats were mean shorty!) definitely entertained me. Midas you are even better than I anticipated. Unlike most MCs you didn't just get up there and spit ya hotest bars, you performed to the crowd, and made them want to get involved. The whole squad just looked like they were having fun.

All and all, last night was extremely fun!!! I can't wait until next week!!! Kudos Sonny

Saturday, February 11, 2006

I'm mad at the weather!

Well, Me and TALAL was supposed to go to PA to perform at the Darkroom Productions release party for the Hamsterdam Mixtape. But I swear, all week I had a bad feeling about this trip.........but I was trying to ignore it. First I had car issues, then money issues, now weather issues. I was really looking forward to the out of town performance, so I am very upset (to say the least) that it's not happening.

On the brighter side, one of my fellow female MCs, Ms. Stress, is having an album release party tonight, so now I'm planning on going to that. I'll probably hook up with Symph.......so we can go down to the 5 Seasons and show our support.

Valentine's Day I'm Performing in an all-female showcase out at Sonoma's. It's me, Tha Plague, Ms. Stress, and singer Ashley Alexander. I'm looking forward to this show as well. I got some tricks up my sleeve for this one! LOL

Wednesday the 15th (after V-Day), I'm going home to Boston. I am very excited about that! I got lots of stuff lined up.....visits to the radio stations, a few club appearances, and a meeting with a "special" DJ. On a personal level, I'm gonna see my new God daughter for the first time........I'm really happy about that. And I gotta show off the new figure, oh yeah........ShellBe been workin'out people!! The album cover is gonna be mean!!!!!!!!!