SHAI-GIRL BIOGRAPHY “Queen of the South”!!! That’s a brave declaration for a newcomer. Her name maybe a mouthful but it tells you exactly who she hopes to prove herself to be in the music game. Sincere, Humble, Ambitious, Intuitive, Girl, is a femcee with an angelic voice and a dynamic way with words. You can tell English was her favorite subject in school because vocabulary is not a problem for this college-educated rap-singer. She definitely has her stuff together. The female emcee has been a dying breed for many years. Shaneika "SHAI-GIRL" Alston is a Hip Hop artist with intentions of bringing the female emcee to the forefront of music again. With fellow musical influences in the genre such as Queen Latifah, Salt & Pepper, MC Lyte, Left Eye, and Lauryn Hill. SHAI-GIRL intends on establishing a name for her self as these great female emcees did. “Some of the female rap artists that I enjoyed growing up were people like Salt & Pepper, MC Lyte, Left-eye, Eve and Missy. I’ve always been a fan of rap music but as female artists, they stood out in a way that only they could. I plan to do the same.” Born and raised in Charleston, SC, SHAI-GIRL has five siblings all sisters and a son that makes her light up when she speaks of him, Markeis Khalil. She notes her family, other relatives and friends as being the inspiration behind her lyrics as well as personal experiences. She plans to provide music people can relate to. “When I thought about doing my own album I just decided that I was going to have to offer the music world something they weren’t getting at that time. I know music has been my prescription and it’s been so healing and therapeutic to put all my emotions into words. Doing music is how I express myself and heal and being the voice for others is my way of giving back to the universe what it’s given me. Music has gotten me through life. It’s beautiful and that’s why it was made. Music is life sung beautifully; or at least it should be.” SHAI-GIRL embarked upon her journey at the tender age of 8 years old. In 1992 she discovered two artists who she notes as the sparks for her musical epiphany. “Whitney Houston, I discovered in the doorway of a movie theatre. I definitely knew who she was and heard her music before but it was something about that song, I Will Always Love You. When I heard it I was in awe. The feeling that I had at that moment was amazing and I wanted to create that feeling for others. It was the best feeling ever and it gave me the greatest idea ever, to become an artist.” “Tupac, I discovered through his video “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” He just had a presence that impressed me and I admired his ability to tell a profound story. Even at that age I appreciated his art. As I got older he really inspired me even more and even after his death I still reference him. I still look at his interviews and listen to his music. He stood firm behind his beliefs and took it upon himself to spark change. I have learned so much from him. One thing that stood out is something he said.. I will not change the world but I will spark the brain that will change the world. I don’t know if that brain is mine but he definitely inspires me to not be afraid of impacting the world and speaking my truth.” Not long after SHAI-GIRL discovered another artist who she credits as being the artist who influences and inspires her in every way. “Wow when I first saw Brandy on television it was something about her that just showed me, me. She was acting at the time and doing what I wanted to do and I remember asking myself, who is this girl? When I saw her first music video that just sealed the deal for me. She was everywhere and that was my dream, because I always had so much that I wanted to do and she was doing so many things. I kept my eyes on her throughout the years and she’s such a strong person and I’ve been blessed with the chance to see her evolve. One thing I love about her is how she’s not afraid to do her own thing. She makes music that’s within her experiences and you can really feel and relate to them. Her voice has an element to it that heals my soul. I’ve gotten through the toughest times in my life because of her voice and the influence she has had on me. I love her to this day. I met her on her Birthday in 2010 and it was one of the best experiences in my life. To have someone that I’ve admired most of my life, show me a lot of love in return made my life. I will never forget that she’s done that because that was so important to me pursuing my purpose. Once I knew my idol was real I could believe dreams are real. She’s opened herself up to me and that’s something I will always treasure. She’s definitely a mentor.” Now SHAI-GIRL strives to establish herself as an artist that fans could list as inspiration. She prides herself as being a storyteller and true lover of music. She has dedicated her life to fulfilling her purpose through reaching as many people as she can, by putting her personal struggles and triumphs of her life in her music. “Some of the things that I struggled with growing up were bullying, not feeling as if I could express myself, acceptance and dealing with feeling rejected. My father wasn’t apart of my life. He was there sometimes in the beginning I could remember, but once my mother got married.. At that point I hardly saw him and that hurt me to not see my father and even know him as a dad and man. I missed my older sisters on that side of the family. It bothered me that I didn’t know them and I often wondered if I would recognize them if I ran into them by chance. You know, they were right there in my city and I didn’t know where to find them or felt like I could reach out because of the situation that I was living in. And then with the bullying I felt like I was a target because I didn’t understand why people would try to hurt me in some way and it was mostly coming from within my extended family. I wasn’t the only one that got made fun of but people deal with and take things in differently. I took a lot of things to heart and it started to really kill my spirit. I didn’t feel like I could be myself and people took advantage because I had such a child-like innocence like believing in fairy tales and having a dream of being an entertainer. They would mock me, laugh at me and call me names. It was the worst. It started to make me become something different than what I was. I lost my spark for life and I would only come to life around my close friends. I became more and more shy publically. I started to live a double life. I tried not to stand out too much because I noticed I would get targeted for that. Around my family and people I wasn’t comfortable around, I was one way and around my friends I was still that person but I could be so much more like myself. Its time now to come out of that shell and be who I am totally. I’m a private girl because of a lot of things that negatively affected me but being an artist kind of blows that all up. It’s a part of my growth and not being silent and less of myself anymore. ” SHAI-GIRL made a huge accomplishment by graduating from college and even earned a Master’s degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. “As far as education, its very important. I never expected to go to college but once I graduated high school I needed something to do with myself. I always knew I would be successful. It was all about ensuring that. I definitely picked fields that would help me get closer to my dreams. Why not learn the business you’ve decided to dedicate your life to? Its smart to know all you need to know about how to survive in this tough industry. I’m definitely all about my business. I’m very ambitious and passionate so going to college is something I’m proud of. It showed everybody how serious I was about having a career in music.” Now that SHAI-GIRL has taken care of her education she feels it is the perfect time to pursue something that was once a dream and that is of standing behind a microphone and manifesting her vision for herself as a successful brand. Silent prayers were answered when she was introduced to her promotional manger, Long-time Coming Management CEO, Colors Ramadan, known in South Carolina as “The Networking Man”. He opened up a new world for the inspiring femcee and immediately booked SHAI-GIRL for several engagements including community outreach projects such as KKE Concert For Change and A Concert for Hunger, two separate events that took place on the same day to help clothe and feed underprivileged neighbor hoods. SHAI-GIRL began to bless the stages at many Open MIC events in the Charleston and surrounding area such as: JC’s B&G hosted by DJ Eljay, which ensued for a month. Apollo Night @ Showtime B&G sponsored by GeecheeOne. 106 B&G hosted by DJ Ninja & Dolo Entertainment. Star2Be’s Appreciation Party and Showcase. Pulse B&G- Stupid Ass Sundays hosted by Renegade. Out2GetIt Entertainment’s All Female Blowout Concert at Club Bernards. Hot Topics Biker-Girls event hosted by DJ DNICE at 7Cafe. Several open MIC performances at Plan B hosted by Kourtney the Poet. Performed at the Birthday Bashes of K’Amore and Lady Slim, two artists from Charleston respectively. What makes SHAI-GIRL “The Queen of the South”? “First of all one of my influences is T.I. and what I learned from him is being sure and knowing and also claiming what kind of impact that I intend to make. Of course him self proclaiming himself to being the King of the South caused some to feel a certain way and I’m sure there will be some who may feel a certain way about me claiming queen but what I have to say about that is, It’s a tall order that I plan to grow into. I’m from the south, born and raised and I just feel there hasn’t been any female to step up and really be the voice for woman of the south. I’m not afraid of criticism about it, I mean I’ll deal with that as and if it comes I guess but I plan to do a lot of good. I know my worth and I’m a queen. Its time we as women see ourselves as queens no matter where we are from.” SHAI-GIRL has made appearances at the Sandra Wilson Talk Show where she also performed. GeecheeOne’s Blog Talk Radio, interview conducted by Felicia Rivers & Dub Slim gave Charleston insight into the new comer and her mission as an artist. She performed at Meeting of the Minds as well as Low Country Exposures Meet & Greet events. Her music videos and interview have been featured in Jigalow Records’ Nobody Grinds Like Us DVD, which is a DVD Magazine that is released monthly and she was featured on the cover for Volume 8. Trilla Boy TV shot and released a freestyle called Female King on Youtube. SHAI-GIRL has also been featured in Temple Magazine and Show Yo Skillz for UrbanzBridgez.com, which is an online site. Artists that she has collaborated with includes Lil Jack, Karolina King, J Vive, G Steel, Music producer Jro, Broadway Blake, Mal V Moo, Post Man, PD, Kween Katt, Tamara Johnson, Colors, Trillion Kutta, Shaun Treezy, Shalon Raquel and more. You could find more on this artist and music videos by this artist on YouTube entitled Misunderstood, Still Single, I Don’t Want You and find her on social media sites such as Reverbnation, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, HipHopSisters and “Still Single” is available now on digital providers such as iTunes, Amazon, Spoofy etc. “Still Single” is currently being played on Z93Jamz in Charleston, SC. Forth coming is her first solo musical effort, Self Diagnosis. It is a collection of original songs written by the rap-singer who has a 90’s music feel. She describes this album as being a first look into what she intends to bring to music. She intends on being an artist who is not afraid to be accountable for what she puts out into the universe. She wants the world to know that she is not perfect but she desires to represent a person who does her best to become the best and evolve. She hopes that people can take from her personal experiences and learn from them so that they won’t have to repeat the same mistakes or be able to take something from it and apply it to their lives for the better. Her mission is to touch the lives of people as her favorite artists have and make an impression on her fans as favorites have. “I just want to be that person that my fans can turn to for help. Whatever they need in an entertainer I want to be for them. I want to make the music that will make them smile, dance, cry, and that they can enjoy. Every emotion there is I want to hit on. If I could touch someone and help them along their path of life like Tupac and Brandy have with me, then I will be fulfilled as an artist.” SHAI-GIRL says this about the state of Hip Hop right now, " I love the state that Hip Hop is in right now. There was a time when I wasn't too sure of my belief in the artists who have been out but the game is looking up. With artists like B.O.B, J. Cole, Drake, and of course Kanye, T.I. & Eminem, it’s looking pretty solid. Lil Wayne is a monster in the game and I love the whole movement of Young Money. Jay Z puts out consistently and Nas gives me everything I need. He influences me a lot. They are all out in the game right now so its very strong. As far as the females, I'm waiting on the return of fellow Scorpion Eve. I really like her. Missy always comes with that energy that makes you feel good and hats off to Nicki Minaj. She's really showing what branding is all about. She definitely has created a strong fan base of fans that adore her, so that's great to see. I hope to have that kind of interest. LiL Kim, I’m anxious to see return and succeed. The Lil Kim that I’ve come up knowing is tough her delivery everything. She was smart in the way she made you look and pay attention to her; she made you listen to her. The female emcee has a very promising future. I'm looking to add to that with my music."
