AntShears(Ashes)
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38,272 views
Name: Anthony Shears
Birthplace/Residence: Seattle, WA
Age: 23
Resume: Mixtape Millennium Series Vol. 1 & 2, Midas: Gold & Platinum Touch, Back From the Dead Mixtape.
Musical Inspirations/Influences: Andre (Outkast), L.L. Cool J, Tupac, Biggie, Cee-lo (Goodie Mobb), Nas, Jay Z, Talib Kweli, Jimi Hendrix ect...
The 411:
Name: Anthony J. Shears Birthplace/Residence: Seattle, WA Age: 23 Resume: Welcome 2 Seattle Mixtape, Mixtape Millennium Series Vol. 1 & 2, Midas: Gold & Platinum Touch, Back From the Dead, The Growth: My ENDtroduction.
Musical Inspirations/Influences: Andre (Outkast), L.L. Cool J, Tupac, Biggie, Cee-lo (Goodie Mobb), Nas, Jay Z, Talib Kweli, Jimi Hendrix ect...
The 411: If there's one edge Shears Music Group mixtapes have over all other Seattle mixtapes, it's their marquee player, Anthony J. Shears. His incalculable innovation and creativity make for awesome experience... Sheezy the playboy, Anthony J. the workhorse, Mr. Shears the company head... many personalities, One Man. There's no doubt this kid wants the throne.
Anthony J. began rhyming at age 9. During his 8th grade year, Shears penned a rhyme that won free K-swiss gear (over $450,000 worth) for everyone in his school, and recorded his first music video. Since then, he's been slowly building up a reputation of innovation and originality.
'The Growth: My ENDtroduction' is an appetizer for whats to come. It has D.J. Phonetic exclusives like 'Mea Culpa' and 'Tears In Your Eyes', previously slept-on tracks, throw-back and newly-dipped freestyles and remixes interspersed with Anthony J.'s Lebron-like youth and finesse. "Anthony J. Shears is for anyone who's ever been through any kind of stuff in their life. It's for anyone who's ever been on the bottom and hustled to realize their dreams," Phonetic says. One of the album's many highlights is "Mea Culpa", which Shears penned as an open letter to all the loved ones and friends that he's hurt. "Mea culpa literally means an acknowledgment of a personal error or fault. I have many flaws, but that's a part of who I am. This song looks at both sides of individual failings and mistakes both what causes them and their long-term effects," Shears says.
My music is about getting' it however you get it - it's about survival." The bottom line is, if the Pacific Northwest is going to have an impact on a national level, Anthony J. Shears will definitely be at the forefront of the movement.
Discography
Redemption (2008)
The Growth: My ENDtroduction (2006)
Welcome 2 Seattle Mixtape (2003)
Links
http://shearsmusicgroup.com
.Band/artist history
A&E EBBTIDE
Anthony Shears: Hooked on phonetic
Chaim Eliyah
Staff Writer
http://shoreline.edu/ebbtide/archive/v41/03/a&e/a&e2.asp
Local and national hip hop artist Anthony Shears was at Shoreline Community College Thursday for an interview. Shears has been working to promote his latest CD, "Welcome to Seattle," which was completed two years ago. The CD, Shears said, was completed in a fragmented fashion, song by song as if each song were its own project.
Originally from Brooklyn, Shears is personable and down-to-earth with a great sense of humor. He is well dressed and has an amazing passion for life and his work through music. He showed up to the interview looking clean cut yet casual, and he showed me his Star of David after seeing the one that I always wear, indicating a part of his diverse cultural background.
Shears' music is reminiscent of his influences Jay Z, LL Cool J, Tupac, Biggie, Jada Kiss, T.I., Little Wayne, Ray Charles, and Michael Jackson, as well as old Motown influences. They can all be heard on the album. Shears and long-time friend and high-school companion D.J. Phonetic take an eclectic approach to their music, often inserting diverse quotes where you might not expect them and ending flows abruptly as soon as a point has been made. Phonetic makes his own beats. Shears described Phonetic as a multi-talented character who plays guitar, violin, bass, piano, and possibly a couple of other instruments. He's not like your average, run-of-the-mill D.J said Shears. Phonetic will sit for hours to perfect a beat, with an ear to the melody and harmony, and really knows how to cater beats to feeling. "If he's depressed, the beats will sound depressing. When he's happy, the music is uplifting," said Shears. Phonetic also
produces the albums.
Shears wanted a distinct sound for his music that would rival the genius of other Seattle artists in the past such as Quincy Jones, Kenny G, the distinctive grunge-movement artists, and others. With that idea in mind, Shears recorded "Welcome to Seattle" and then went to the east coast to demonstrate the CD. The response from Atlanta was, "like, wow, hot," said Shears, and he had a chance to play with Jada Kiss and Fabolous at Homecoming. Shears also quickly procured radio-play status in New Hampshire, Boston, and New York and performed live at a variety of venues.
"It's real music," said Shears, indicating the quality of his music in comparison to what he believes is a very emotionally lacking hip-hop scene. "The songs are a glimpse into my diary. People that aren't feeling [the music] can hurt [me] for that reason, but that's the yin and the yang of producing great music," he said. "When you're writing a song you're trying to capture an emotion. I make music I feel and it markets itself. There's no question of credibility. That's what makes a two-year-old project still relevant today everybody's dealt with being hungry and alone, and [they've also felt] the sun shining. I don't just want all the little thugs at the shows. I want to see everybody there, I think there's something for everyone."
Shears' lyrics are indeed diverse and hard-hitting. Not only does he have a mind for what music fans might identify with, such as infectious clauses and pop-musical references, but he has an eye for what is going on socially within major urban areas. "Even Harlem is gentrified now," he said of New York, showing a sociological prowess many youth don't possess. "I grew up when Jane's addiction wasn't no rock band," says Shears lyrically in a song, "but who's to blame Jane
for putting that needle in her vein, when she herself came out the womb addicted to cocaine?"
Look for posters of Anthony Shears' upcoming show on campus in mid-November. He will also be playing locally Dec. 3 at the Recreational Center in Shoreline.
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January 20, 2006
Seattle--born MC returns to the UW
Jacob Casey / Contributing writer
Click to link to the article
With more bombast than Blue Scholars, and a considerable amount more savoir-faire than Sir Mix-a-Lot, Anthony Shears, a recent transfer to the UW and a Seattle native, is an MC whose talent compares with Seattle's best. His music has been played on KUBE 93.3, and he has played shows across the country and in Europe. In person, Shears is an unassuming UW senior whose reserved smile and easy confidence belies the experience of an explosive and seasoned MC.
Shears' life has been full of hardship -- sincerity and pain are evident in Shears' earnest rhymes in his latest mixtape The Growth. He said the title is meant to reflect his growth as a result of the
experiences and difficulties he's faced since his last release, including the death of his father. The as yet unreleased mixtape includes a catchy sample from Maroon 5, as well more traditional rap
tracks.
Shears transferred to the UW winter quarter from Dartmouth College for family reasons. He is now an economics major in his senior year. Shears, who has lived in Yesler Terrace public housing, is an outstanding student, said Darlene Shears, his mother.
At times he can channel a young Jay-Z, both in sound and vocal ability. Though his outward calm mirrors that of a Shaolin monk of the Wu-Tang clan, his attack on the mic can be equally fierce. Producer Zach Gannis (DJ Phonetic) backs up Shears' rhymes with original beats, samplings of Motown classics and beats borrowed from East Coast rap outfits such as Dipset. Shears said Gannis is looking at transferring from Western Washington University to the UW in the spring in order to help Shears' musical efforts.
"My main concerns," DJ Phonetic says, "are the aesthetics and feel of the music. Shears will come and put the meaning behind the music."
Shears describes his working relationship with DJ Phonetic.
"DJ Phonetic is really into it, and I think it's a good balance. He's yin, I'm the yang. He's totally from rock, but he loves hip-hop," Shears said.
The new mixtape's centerpiece is Shears' "Mea Culpa," featuring a mournful Marvin Gaye sample. Shears plans to release the album Feb. 17 -- his brother's birthday.
Shears said he is proud to be reunited with his brother, Norris Frederick, a track scholarship athlete at the UW.
"I'm his biggest fan, he's my biggest fan. We've always been best friends," said Shears. "That's been the hardest part about being away; not being able to go to all his games."
Frederick holds his brother in the same high esteem.
"His music is very inspirational," Frederick said of his brother, "It has a lot of meaning and feeling behind it."
Shears is considering recording a song about UW athletics in honor of his brother and the school.
Even without the issue of his much-anticipated mixtape The Growth, Shears has a well-established repertoire. His first mixtape, Welcome2Seattle, was released two years ago and has gone on to sell impressively, according to Shears.
Much of the message in Shears' music is about Shears' own personal life path, which has been a long a circuitous road that now finds the Seattle native at the UW -- a decision he doesn't regret.
"I originally started off about to go to the University of Washington, but I felt like I needed to get out," explained Shears. "I've traveled the world twice now, so I feel like coming back home, I'm ready now."
He attended Nathan Hale High School in Seattle. Despite being expelled once during his sophomore year, he was featured on the cover of The Sunday Seattle Times at his graduation for his academic accomplishments, the first person of color to achieve that honor.
Shears moved on to Morehouse College, an all black all-male college. He left the school during his sophomore year after applying and being accepted to Dartmouth on a full-ride scholarship.
"The world is not all black males, and I wanted to expose myself to the wealth and old boy networks I had heard about."
Shears said he found time while he was at Dartmouth to tour the college circuit on the East Coast to promote his music. He says he gained a lot of performance experience and learned to play up rivalries between universities.
"At a Bryn Mawr show I started off with something about Smith, and at a Smith show I started off with something about Bryn Mawr. Both crowds were automatically psyched."
Despite spending so much time away, Shears has remained true to form as a Seattle-born MC.
"I've definitely held Seattle down everywhere I go from New York to Poland," said Shears. In his time at Dartmouth, Shears went on a trip to Europe to restore Jewish cemeteries. He took the opportunity to perform in Belarus and Poland.
"There's not a whole lot of hip-hop in Eastern Europe, there's not a whole lot of black people period, so it's kind of like being an alien just walking around Belarus, but people were really receptive to it."
He rocked a crowd of Polish teenagers that didn't speak English.
"I think even though most of them couldn't understand what I was saying just the emotions of what I was saying carried the show," Shears said.
The magnetism of the young MC is well illustrated by the list of friends he has on MySpace. His comments are primarily from other hip-hop performers and fans he's met on tour, many of whom are women.
The well-traveled senior is now looking to make his mark on Seattle hip-hop and beyond.
"I've had about 10 performances since I've been back, and they've all gone really well," Shears said.
He has recently played on KUBE 93.3 and Eastern Washington college radio. Shears, who has not yet heard his songs on the radio, said of his airtime, "Man, when I can hear it on the radio, it will be a great feeling."
But Shears won't be stopped there. He said he has many more plans for the future.
"I feel like I'm a 'hood sociologist. It sounds crazy, but I think it makes sense. I've been tHave you performed in front of an audience?Check our MYSPACE page at www.myspace.com/anthonyshears or The official Shears Music Group website at www.Shearsmusicgroup.com.
Your musical influences
I listen to everything. Especially since hooking up with Phonetic. He's a weird dude when it comes to music. One day, it'll be Talib Kweli, the next day
. I listen to a lot of old music - a lot of soul music. I'm a lot more open-minded now. I think I've got T.I. in the stereo right now though.What equipment do you use?
Ask Phonetic (laughing).Anything else?
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I love your music anthony shears.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRDQ76nJUas
http://flickr.com/photos/kexp/sets/72157603087748462/
http://flickr.com/photos/kexp/sets/72157603087748462/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kexp/1970523738/
http://shearsmusicgroup.com/anthonybio.html
http://www.thoughts.com/blog/browse/keywordSearch/Anthony%20Shears
http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000013118
http://www.traqaddicc.com/
http://depts.washington.edu/kexp/blog/?p=3972
http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/blogs/reverb/2006/12/hiphop_aint_the_new_grunge.php
http://anthonyjshears.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html
Anthony Shears, Anthony Shears, Anthony ShearsNew Blogs:
http://anthonyjshears.wordpress.com/
http://anthonyjshears.blogspot.com/
http://www.thoughts.com/anthonyjshears/blogThank you to everyone who has supported us through this project... We are about to make this happen, so stay tuned and help us spread the word if you feel like our music is worth it!Hi, I`m a Rapper & make a mixtape. I like your Style, your Beatz are very TIGHT! Please contact me at (mcadriano@okay.ms)
I pay also for Beatz, Peace!All comments (11)
9,021 plays
38,272 views
38,272 views
I just came across your song Tears In Your Eyes and fell in love it instantly.. for obvious reasons.. thank you for such inspiring music