Shawn Chrystopher (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Shawn Chrystopher Garrett, II (born July 22, 1986) better known by his stage name Shawn Chrystopher, is an American rapper and music producer. He first gained major attention with the release of his debut mixtape "I.W.G.: I Wear Glasses" in 2008, which was sponsored by urban-clothing powerhouse LRG. Chrystopher also worked with artist MANN
, XV
, Mike Posner, Big Sean
, N.O.R.E.
, Owl City
, and many other artists spanning a handful of different genres.
. His mother, a hospital secretary, raised Shawn as a single mother while his father, a barber, worked odd jobs to try to provide for his only son. In 2009, Shawn's father, Shawn Garrett Sr., passed away, leaving Shawn Chrystopher to be the only bearer of his family surname
.
In grade school, Chrystopher skipped from Kindergarten to 2nd grade, resulting in him graduating high school at the age of 16. Upon graduation, Shawn was awarded a 4 1/2 year scholarship to the University of Southern California
where he would major in Political Science
.
In March 2010, Shawn released his follow-up project "The Audition EP", hosted by world-renowned DJs Mick Boogie and Terry Urban. Continuing where his previous project left off, "The Audition" garnered over 35,000 downloads within its first week of release.
After two nationwide tours, in December 2010 Shawn released his third full length album, "You, And Only You" to critical acclaim. Lead by his hit single "Catch Me If You Can", which premiered on BET's 106 and Park as the New Joint of the Day on Jan 5th 2011, it received features in all of the music industry's top magazines and television networks (including VIBE Magazine who covered Shawn's album release event in Times Square New York. In the months following, viral interest grew world-wide, garnering over 4.5 million viral internet views/plays of his music videos, songs, and interviews.
Interest in Shawn continued to grow with several top selling artists expressing interest in collaborating with him on various projects, most recently the artist Owl City
who tapped him to record two verses on their lead off (and number one charting) single Alligator Sky
on its latest album All Things Bright and Beautiful
which was released on June 14, 2011.
On October 3, 2011, Shawn Chrystopher released his 4th free album [Silent Films For The Blind]. This 15 track project was sponsored by Xbox.com and has features from Ashly, El Prez, Mann, and more.
. After sponsoring and showcasing Chrystopher's first two mixtapes, LRG featured Shawn Chrystopher in a full page ad in July 2009 during their 10th Anniversary campaign. The ad not only promoted LRG's Fall 2009 line, but Shawn's debut digital album "A City With No Seasons." The ad was printed in August issue of XXL magazine and used online advertisting on many well known music and fashion blogs throughout the internet.
introduced Shawn Chrystopher to the gaming world by letting Chrystopher 'takeover' their social networking accounts. Shawn answered questions from fans spanning from games, upcoming music releases, touring, etc. Both sides hinted at a much deeper relationship in the following months including more cross-promotion and Shawn Chrystopher personalized Xbox items.
Mann (rapper)
Dijon Thames Shariff , better known by his stage name Mann, is an American hip-hop/rap artist from West LA, California, signed to J.R. Rotem's Beluga Heights Records.- Biography:...
, XV
XV (rapper)
Donavan Johnson better known by his stage name XV is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Wichita, Kansas. He first gained major attention after the release of his twelfth mixtape Everybody's Nobody. In which he received two awards from DJBooth.net.His name, XV, refers to the age at...
, Mike Posner, Big Sean
Big Sean
Sean Michael Anderson , better known by his stage name Big Sean, is an American rapper. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's G.O.O.D...
, N.O.R.E.
N.O.R.E.
Victor Santiago, Jr., best known by his stage name N.O.R.E. or Noreaga , is an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
, Owl City
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
, and many other artists spanning a handful of different genres.
Early life
Shawn Chrystopher was born and raised in Inglewood, CaliforniaInglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
. His mother, a hospital secretary, raised Shawn as a single mother while his father, a barber, worked odd jobs to try to provide for his only son. In 2009, Shawn's father, Shawn Garrett Sr., passed away, leaving Shawn Chrystopher to be the only bearer of his family surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
.
In grade school, Chrystopher skipped from Kindergarten to 2nd grade, resulting in him graduating high school at the age of 16. Upon graduation, Shawn was awarded a 4 1/2 year scholarship to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
where he would major in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Music career
Whilst in grade school, Shawn perfected his ability to play over 5 different instruments, resulting in him learning how to produce his own music. In the fall of 2009, Shawn released his debut LP "A City With No Seasons" via his website, Honourrolestudent.com. With the majority of the production done by Chrystopher, Okayplayer.com and HipHopOfficial.com both co-signed the project, calling it one of the "most artistic projects of the year".In March 2010, Shawn released his follow-up project "The Audition EP", hosted by world-renowned DJs Mick Boogie and Terry Urban. Continuing where his previous project left off, "The Audition" garnered over 35,000 downloads within its first week of release.
After two nationwide tours, in December 2010 Shawn released his third full length album, "You, And Only You" to critical acclaim. Lead by his hit single "Catch Me If You Can", which premiered on BET's 106 and Park as the New Joint of the Day on Jan 5th 2011, it received features in all of the music industry's top magazines and television networks (including VIBE Magazine who covered Shawn's album release event in Times Square New York. In the months following, viral interest grew world-wide, garnering over 4.5 million viral internet views/plays of his music videos, songs, and interviews.
Interest in Shawn continued to grow with several top selling artists expressing interest in collaborating with him on various projects, most recently the artist Owl City
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
who tapped him to record two verses on their lead off (and number one charting) single Alligator Sky
Alligator Sky
"Alligator Sky" is a song by American synthpop artist Owl City from his third studio album All Things Bright and Beautiful. It was released as the lead single from the album on April 12, 2011...
on its latest album All Things Bright and Beautiful
All Things Bright and Beautiful (album)
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the third studio album by American electronic act Owl City. It was released on June 14, 2011.-Writing and development:...
which was released on June 14, 2011.
On October 3, 2011, Shawn Chrystopher released his 4th free album [Silent Films For The Blind]. This 15 track project was sponsored by Xbox.com and has features from Ashly, El Prez, Mann, and more.
LRG Clothing
In 2009 Shawn Chrystopher inked an endorsement deal with clothing company LRGLRG clothing
Lifted Research Group, most commonly known as LRG, is an Orange County, California based clothing brand headed by Jonas Bevacqua and Robert Wright. LRG produces clothing and accessories, and also has been known to develop a broad range of products including electronic accessories, extreme vehicles,...
. After sponsoring and showcasing Chrystopher's first two mixtapes, LRG featured Shawn Chrystopher in a full page ad in July 2009 during their 10th Anniversary campaign. The ad not only promoted LRG's Fall 2009 line, but Shawn's debut digital album "A City With No Seasons." The ad was printed in August issue of XXL magazine and used online advertisting on many well known music and fashion blogs throughout the internet.
Xbox
On May 12, 2011, XboxXbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
introduced Shawn Chrystopher to the gaming world by letting Chrystopher 'takeover' their social networking accounts. Shawn answered questions from fans spanning from games, upcoming music releases, touring, etc. Both sides hinted at a much deeper relationship in the following months including more cross-promotion and Shawn Chrystopher personalized Xbox items.
Discography
- A City With No Seasons Released for Download: August 2009
- The Audition Released for download: March 2010
- You And Only You Released for sale: December 2010
- Silent Films For The Blind
External links
- http://www.honourrolestudent.com
- http://twitter.com/shawnchrys
- http://Myspace.com/ShawnChrystopher
- http://facebook.com/mrchrystopher
- http://facebook.com/shawnchrystopher