Shyheim

Lore & Background

As a teenager, Shyheim was considered one of hip-hop's brightest prospects, being referred to as a 'Wunderkind' and a 'prodigy', even being admired by fellow rappers such as Jay-Z, who said he 'looked up to him' in admiration in his autobiography Decoded. After 1996's The Lost Generation, Shyheim's career saw a string of underperforming releases over the next 18 years, and was finally derailed due to a hit-and-run conviction. He was released from prison in early 2020.

Reader's Guide

Shyheim's Virgin Records debut, AKA the Rugged Child, included the single 'On and On' the video of which featured Method Man, and the album rose to number 7 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart. He joined others, notably the Fugees, to provide a free concert to deaf children in a summer camp in 1996. He 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, Scoob and Big Daddy Kane at Madison Square Garden, for a live freestyle session.

He made an appearance on Big Daddy Kane's 'Show & Prove,' which featured Ol' Dirty Bastard, Sauce Money, Scoob and Jay-Z. Shyheim resumed his career after almost a decade and released subsequent albums on the label he founded, Bottom Up Records. His next few albums drew little notice. He released his sixth solo album, Disrespectfully Speaking, October 2009 on his label Bottom Up Records. In acting, Shyheim starred in the video for TLC's 'Waterfalls'.

He has had roles in films such as the 1996 Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, and Richard Roundtree vehicle Original Gangstas, In Too Deep, and The Preacher's Wife and he also starred in the television show The Parent Hood. He appeared in a small role in the prequel Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. In July 2002, Shyheim was sentenced to a year in prison after second degree attempted robbery. On November 4, 2003, he was released from prison.

In January 2014, he turned himself into authorities facing charges for leaving the scene of an accident during a hit-and-run accident that left one person dead. On August 21, 2014, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison after he pled guilty to second degree manslaughter. He also received a concurrent term of seven years for a gun conviction, and is subject to five years' post release supervision. On January 6, 2020, he was released from prison after serving a five year sentence.