Shakewell

Armed with direct lyrics and dark production, California-bred rapper Shakewell began his career as an emcee in the 2010s after pivoting from a previous incarnation in a hardcore band. As heard on his early mixtapes, his dexterous style -- which veers from melodic to menacing -- found an audience with fans of his fellow collaborators <a href="spotify:artist:4nXOZlYoAD67hF9aUEncMY">Pouya</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5dfFr2qhmXQLvHZqg0dynx">Fat Nick</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1VPmR4DJC1PlOtd0IADAO0">$uicideboy$</a>. The latter act signed Shakewell to their <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22G59%22">G59</a> imprint in 2020, with his debut album for the label, Pray 4 Shakewell, arriving in 2022. He landed on the U.S. charts the next year with Shameless $uicide, a joint EP with <a href="spotify:artist:1VPmR4DJC1PlOtd0IADAO0">$uicideboy$</a>.

Born Andrew Adolph in 1991, the San Fernando Valley musician got his start on the hardcore scene, playing bass in the metal band <a href="spotify:artist:4U4M588jwyF1sfQNkrYzDQ">Betrayal</a>. After three albums with that crew, he switched to a different kind of hardcore, debuting his rap skills in the late 2010s with a trio of mixtapes, including 2017's Key Stone Prince and 2018's Big Juice tha Sip. Lyrically, he balanced sex, drugs, and violence with unflinching introspection and confessionals, quickly amassing a circle of like-minded associates that included <a href="spotify:artist:4nXOZlYoAD67hF9aUEncMY">Pouya</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5dfFr2qhmXQLvHZqg0dynx">Fat Nick</a>, Mikey the Magician, and <a href="spotify:artist:4OYIkXBBN6ET96coWyWAXh">Germ</a>. And just like with the latter rapper, he caught the ears of New Orleans duo <a href="spotify:artist:1VPmR4DJC1PlOtd0IADAO0">$uicideboy$</a>, who signed him to their <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22G59%22">G59</a> label in 2020. In 2022, the pair appeared on his label debut, Pray 4 Shakewell, which also featured appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:5dfFr2qhmXQLvHZqg0dynx">Fat Nick</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6f4aJlAHj8LX3yAytAmWlu">Boobie Lootaveli</a>. Their teamwork continued in 2023 with a full collaborative EP, Shameless $uicide, which debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi