Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Boyce

Hi Shane, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I fell in love with Hip-hop at an early age. In my household, all sorts of music were played, but this is what stuck with me. My mom played Jay-Z, Biggie, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, etc. My dad played Nas, OutKast, Busta Rhymes, and Tupac. My aunt played Cam’Ron, DMX, The Lox, and Eve. As you can see, lots of New York influence mixed in with a few other notable areas. This is where my inspiration came from. Back in 2003-’04, my older cousins started rapping. I, too nervous to say much out loud, wanted to join them but opted not to. Not yet, anyhow. On Valentine’s Day, 2005, my mom bought me The Documentary CD by The Game and let me use her CD player to listen to it. As I sat at the family dinner table, I would pull up a piece of white printer paper and start re-writing what I heard in my own words. In doing this, I started to foster the courage to start rapping with my cousins, only scarcely. I had tucked it away–kept the rhymes to myself, never to be heard, until 2015 when I started journaling as a means to get thoughts out of my head and on paper–I read that was a healthy thing to do. My best friend’s cousin made beats and said that we should rap together. Again, I wasn’t confident enough to share my raps with anyone other than myself because I didn’t feel they were good enough yet. In 2018, I leaned into my fear and found the courage to send a verse over to my best friend’s cousin. He immediately called me over to his studio. We called that The Basement. This is where I got stronger and more confident. My best friend’s cousin, The Artivist, helped to strengthen the MC known to us today as Shane, The Shaman.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Absolutely not! Along with the myriad of things I can list that got in the way, the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was my fear of success. While I had a vision of being really good at something to the point of being seen by many, I held myself back at the thought of being “better than” someone else. That’s not why I involved myself in rap. This is a means to better myself, lean into my fears, and find courage, among other traits that I did not know existed within me. In my later years as I began to discover more of the philosophical aspect of being a rapper, I came up on the thought that goes something like this: “Perception is out of our control. People will put you in a box no matter what you do, no matter what your intentions are. This is how they go about navigating the world–it’s human nature. Fear of perception, which is in your control, locks that box.” I can not hold myself back at the thought of what someone “might” say, or how my movement and success “might” be critiqued. Critique isn’t a bad thing, especially in the business that I involve myself in. Are you able to take that critique and do something positive with it? Are you able to take that critique and not let it stifle your progress? Are you ready to be seen? I’m still working on these, by the way.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

So, I am a rapper. Very taboo to identify as a rapper in today’s day and age, where everyone wants to be an “artist.” To that, I would refer back to my previous answer when I spoke about perception and fear. I take pride in identifying as a rapper because I am aware that doing so does not mean one singular thing. I liken being a rapper to being a samurai. A samurai is not only a warrior. A samurai undergoes rigorous lifestyle shifts and training to be watered down to one act. Samurai are skilled painters, philosophers, and strategists; they are connected with nature and spirit. Rappers are the same way, and this is why rappers are studied at the University level. That is why rappers are referenced in English papers. That is why rappers are driving forces in lifestyle choices: the way we walk, talk, and dress. I believe this view of what it means to be a rapper is what sets me apart from many others in my profession. Additionally, I care deeply about rap and its influence. That is what I aspire to be great at, pushing the culture forward. I’m known for selecting soulful beats and delivering energetic, introspective, witty, forward-thinking, feel-good rap music to the listener. Something that I was told about my music is: “Man, I wish I heard this back in my day. I needed to hear this. You rap like a caring older brother.”

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

Growing up, all I wanted to do was eat pop-tarts, play video games with my older heads and my cousins, and just generally hang out. Heavily into cartoons, my favorite two were Looney Tunes and Dexter’s Laboratory. Anime is cemented in my memory, thanks to Akira Toriyama (Dragonball) and Kazuki Takahashi (Yu-Gi-Oh!), may they both rest peacefully.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shanetheshaman.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shanetheshaman
• Twitter: https://x.com/shanetheshaman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shanetheshamanofficial3428
• Other: https://shanetheshaman4.bandcamp.com

Image Credits

Miguel Melo
Ayana Boyce
Brandon Grant