My City: Sha Stimuli Goes Hard for Brooklyn

Brooklyn has turned out more than its fair share of dope rappers - ok, a lot more than its fair share - and Sha Stimuli is determined to be the next in a long line of elite emcees. With a complex, uncompromising and often hilarious flow, once you've hears a Stimuli flow, you'll never forget the man's voice. In this edition of My City, Stimuli takes us deep inside his hyperactive brain, reveals his favorite BK writing spots and explains that yes, there is something in the BK water system that makes local rappers so ill.

RefinedHype: It'd be an understatement to say that your hometown of Brooklyn had produced a lot of dope MCs. What is it about Brooklyn that produces such quality rappers? Is there something in the water?

Sha Stimuli: Yes, that's it actually. I have to do some research but there is a type of Brooklyn water system that makes kids a little bit cooler and have more of an edge. It gets in the Kool-Aid and it affects the systems of children mostly. We're a big borough and the only one that has areas like Bedstuy and Brownsville that are just as famous as cities. I don't know how this happened and how you can go from one area to another and witness totally different types of humans and cultures, but I will say that a lot of kids are looking for ways out of the hood and music is one of those things that has saved plenty of us.

RefinedHype: You also spent some time in Iowa and Delaware going to college, two places not exactly known for their hip-hop scenes. Did those experiences and locations have any influence on your music?

Sha Stimuli: Hell yea! In Iowa, all I had was basketball, so I remember hurting my ankle and not being able to play for a few weeks and I was counting days on the calendar like I was in prison. It helped me grow as a person, I was living on my own for the first time, paying bills and I was around people that hadn't seen too many Black folks in their lives, so it was a wake up call for me. Music was calling me, and I was exposed to a world of west coast and midwest dudes that didn't listen to east coast music. They were Pac and E-40 fans and I had to learn about what made the artists that they liked special to them. I also hooked up with Syleena Johnson for a little while too, she went to Drake University in Iowa. In Delaware, I took a lot of media classes and was around people from D.C., Maryland, Philly, Jersey, VA and I was able to see those from different regions and what they liked as well. I loved the school experience, it prepared me for what I do today. I can't express that enough

RefinedHype: Where do you go to get inspired? (This could be anywhere from your kitchen to Times Square.)

Sha Stimuli: Ironically, I write a lot in my kitchen. I eat and cook and I get inspired. If I ever have to take public transportation and I'm chilling somewhere by myself viewing folks around me looking crazy I will pull out my Berry and start creating. It happens all the time in different places. It's hard to explain because I never really remember where I was when I got an idea, but I will tell you that I am religious when it comes to making sure I capture my thoughts. The shower, the dinner table, the couch, in front of the computer working on other things, etc. I write in the clubs and when I go out somewhere if I get bored or I see something that grabs my attention or sparks a thought. It's a marvelous thing if you ask me, I think you did..kind of.

RefinedHype: If I'm rolling through Brooklyn, where can I find you?

Sha Stimuli: Flatbush...or Atlanta. Then I wouldn't really be in Brooklyn, but if I am in Bk I'm in a park in the summertime or a gym in the winter playing ball 2 or 3 times a week. Or I'm eating food somewhere. Most of my life consists of me thinking about my next move and writing some crap that I may out on a beat one day. Or working on my "Is It Me?" book compiling all my blogs. I'm always using my brain for some reason, maybe that's why I get headaches.

RefinedHype:Last words?

MY SOUL TO KEEP Available now!! Chambermusik/e1 records. Please support and by support I mean spread the word, download it, buy it, demand it in stores, talk about it and know that real music is still alive. Check me out on Twitter and on Facebook. Thank you to everyone that believes!!!