Shadowyze

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Alvin Shawn Enfinger (born San Antonio, Texas), generally known as Shadowyze (pronounced shadow-wise) is a Native American rapper, hip-hop artist and political activist of Muskogee-Creek and Irish-Swedish heritage. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of West Florida and he is a recipient of the Native American Music Award in the hip-hop category. He was nominated for a Grammy award in 2001[1], after which time he was a member of of the Grammy council on Native American music for two years. Shadowyze has spoken on Native American issues on reservations, at the National Autry Center, at several Universities, on Radio stations in the United States and Europe and in 2005 he was featured in the Encyclopedia of Native Music [2].

Contents

[edit] Life and Career

Shadowyze relocated with his family to Pensacola, Florida at the age of eight. In 1989, he launched his hip-hop career when his group, Posse In Effect, released the official theme song Knock ‘em out the Ring Roy recorded for then Olympic boxing Silver Medalist Roy Jones Jr. which received strong support on regional radio as well as NBC Sportsworld. The big turning point in his career came after Shadowyze spent ten weeks in Central and South America and Mexico in 1998 where he witnessed the cruelty of the 'low intensity war', military oppression and poverty imposed upon the Mayan Indian population in Chiapas, Mexico which inspired his 1999 multi-single Murder in Our Backyard which was endorsed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams of Northern Ireland.

By the end of 1999 Shadowyze was signed by Tom Bee, CEO of the Grammy winning Native American record label Sound of America Records (SOAR).

Shadowyze has appeared on over a dozen compilations and released three full length albums; Spirit Warrior (2001), World of Illusions (2003), and his current 2005 release; the self-titled Shadowyze featuring Chicano rapper Baby Bash and production by Nashville’s Dj Dev of Devastating Music; production engineer of the triple platinum selling album 400 degrees by Juvenile and Happy Perez.

In 2004 Shadowyze appeared on the movie-score sound track of Sweet Potato Pie by Lions Gate Films, and produced by Carl Washington. And in 2005 his single, Stand up to the Gun was used as the theme song of the film La Migra (aka Murder on the Border) by Breakaway Films [3].

Shadowyze has supported the Mayan Indian Relief Fund and in 2005 attracted national attention by helping to organize and coordinate a Hurricane Katrina relief effort delivering several thousands of dollars worth of supplies to the Choctaw Indian Reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

In 2005 Shadowyze won both the Native American Music Award and the Pensacola, Florida Music Award for best hip-hop and has been the focus of several stories appearing in Rolling Stone, Vibe, XXL, Billboard, New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. Shadowyze was featured on the covers of Downlow Magazine, Native Network and Get’em Magazine.

Through Backbone, Records; Shadowyze and Big Lo released Guerillas in the Mixx, a compilation with Public Enemy, The Coup, Michael Franti, Spearhead, Afrika and Litefoot.

In 2006 he performed with Lojah and Eternal at local charity events for underground music and the Pensacola Books for Prisoners Benefit and the Southeastern Archaeological Conference on Pensacola Beach. Shadowyze teamed up with Dj Dev and Lojah to produce the EP Powda and Flow which charted with Dixie Dance Kings on the underground dance charts in the Southeast and the Caribbean.

Shadowyze has spoken on Native American issues and performed his music on many Indian reservations, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the National Autry Center in Los Angeles and opening for Chingy at Pensacola Spring Fest.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo Albums

  • Murder In Our Backyard (1999)
  • Spirit Warrior (2001)
  • World of Illusions (2002)
  • Shadowyze (2005) Produced by: Dj Dev, Happy Perez, Dirty Work, and Mr. Pimp Lotion

[edit] Shadowyze and Lojah

  • Powda and Flow EP (2006) Produced by Dj Dev, Shadowyze, and Lojah

[edit] Compilations

  • Guerillas in the Mixx (2005), Shadowyze and Big Lo, various artists

[edit] See also

Native American hip hop

[edit] References

  1. ^ 44th Annual Grammy Award Entry List, NARAS 2001, Field 6-Rap, Category 32-Best Rap Album, pg 32-1, #049
  2. ^ Wright-McLeod, Brian, Encyclopedia of Native Music, University of Arizona Press, pg 180
  3. ^ New era for local hip-hop scene, Independent News, Pensacola, FL.
  • XXL Magazine, April 2001, pg 038
  • Ritmo Beat Magazine, Aug 2001, pg 81
  • Native Peoples Magazine, Nov/Dec 2005, pg 13
  • Vibe magazine, July/Aug, 2005, pg 14
  • Pensacola News Journal, Tuesday, April 26, 2005
  • Pensacola News Journal, Tuesday, September 13, 2005
  • Pensacola News Journal, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006

[edit] External links

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