MC Shan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MC Shan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:MCShan.jpg |
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Shawn Moltke | |
| Born | September 9, 1965 (age 41) | |
| Origin | Queensbridge, Queens, New York City, New York, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop | |
| Occupation(s) | rapper, producer | |
| Instrument(s) | rapping | |
| Years active | 1983-present | |
| Label(s) | Cold Chillin' | |
| Associated acts |
Marley Marl, Snow, Juice Crew |
|
Shawn Moltke (born September 9, 1965) is an American rapper who uses the stage name MC Shan.
Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects located in Long Island City a section in Queens, New York City on September 9, 1965. Shan is the cousin of old school hip-hop producer Marley Marl. Shan got a record deal with Cold Chillin' Records in 1983 due to his relationship with label head Marl, and joined Marl's "Juice Crew All-Stars". After a few singles were released , MC Shan's debut album Down By Law came out in 1987.
Shan also found himself to be a key player in the noted hip hop rivalry "The Bridge Wars" between the Juice Crew and KRS-One. Shan and Marl released a song called "The Bridge" as a B-side to "Beat Biter", itself an 'answer record' directed at L.L. Cool J, which started the feud. KRS-One came back with "South Bronx", later to be responded by the Juice Crew's "Kill That Noise". KRS-One then released "The Bridge Is Over", widely celebrated among hip-hop fans as a classic diss song. Years later in a remake of the song titled "Da Bridge 2001", MC Shan starts out by dissing KRS-One saying
The Bridge was never over / we left our mark / The jam is dedicated to you and your boys / I brought my Queensbridge thugs to kill that noise
Shan's second album Born To Be Wild followed in 1988 and revealed the b-boy persona of Shan, with the production made by his cousin. 1990's Play It Again, Shan displayed a more mature side, but proved to be his last album. Despite the fact that he focused more on his production career (like Snow's 12 Inches of Snow which featured "Informer" on which Shan appeared) he recorded "Da Bridge 2001" for Nas's 2000 compilation called QB's Finest which also featured Mobb Deep, Cormega and Nature.
Shan also had a brief stint in film, playing a bit role in Steve Martin's L.A. Story film as the Rappin' Waiter.
[edit] Discography
- 1987 Down By Law (Cold Chillin')
- 1988 Born to be Wild (Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros.)
- 1990 Play it Again Shan (Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros.)
