Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
An MC from the south side of Chicago -- and the daughter of blues guitarist Buddy Guy -- Shawnna (Rashawnna Guy) began writing rhymes while in high school. She caught her first break in 1996, when her duo Infamous Syndicate opened for Junior M.A.F.I.A. in Chicago. Infamous Syndicate signed to Relativity a year later and released Changing the Game in 1999. The album didn't live up to its title, despite production help from No ID and Kanye West; the duo was dropped and eventually split. Shawnna then hooked up with Ludacris, who granted her a spot on his break-out single "What's Your Fantasy." Two years after an album with Luda's Disturbing Tha Peace crew, she finally released Worth Tha Weight, her solo debut for Def Jam. West, Timbaland, Just Blaze, Shondrae, Icedrake, and Jermaine Dupri chipped in with production support.
Wikipedia:
Rashawnna Guy (born January 3, 1978), better known by her stage name Shawnna is an American rapper. She was the first female artist signed to Def Jam through Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace Records. She is a former member of the female Chicago rap duo Infamous Syndicate and she is also the daughter of the blues musician Buddy Guy.
She is known for her rapid fire delivery and her sex. She is one of only four female rappers (others being Lauryn Hill, Lil' Kim and Remy Ma) to ever have a #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with 2003's "Stand Up" with Ludacris.
Music career
Early career
An MC from the south side of Chicago and the daughter of blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Shawnna began writing rhymes while in high school. She caught her first break in 1996, when her duo Infamous Syndicate opened for Junior M.A.F.I.A. in Chicago. Infamous Syndicate signed to Relativity a year later and released "Changing the Game" in 1999. The album did not live up to its title, despite production help from No I.D. and Kanye West, the duo was dropped and eventually split. She then went on to team with Ludacris where she was featured on his song "What's Your Fantasy". Before she recorded her first album, Shawnna was featured on the remix to the song "Loverboy" by Mariah Carey for the album and movie Glitter. She was featured in the video along with Ludacris, Da Brat, and Twenty II.
Worth tha Weight (2002-2004)
Shawnna's debut album Worth tha Weight, originally scheduled to be released in October 2002, was delayed until September 26, 2004 and was released with little promotion due to disputes at Def Jam. Her album was well-received by critics, and spawned the singles "Shake Dat Shit" and "Weight a Minute".
Block Music & Departure from DTP (2006-2007)
Shawnna's second album "Block Music" was released on June 27, 2006. Its sales have been initially lower than expected. The album has so far sold over 260,000 copies Worldwide. In preparation of the album, Shawnna teamed up with Clinton Sparks, one of Rolling Stone's Top 10 mixtape producers, to release the official prelude to the album titled "Block Music: The Mixtape". This mixtape features exclusive tracks and freestyles as well as the official "Gettin' Some (All-Star remix)" that featured Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Jim Jones, Pimp C, Ludacris, Twista, Pharrell, Too Short, Lil Wayne, Dre, Pitbull & Sean J. She was also announced as Artist of the week on Hollyscoop.com. As of April 26, 2007, in an interview, Shawnna confirmed that she was no longer with DTP Records, but remains friends with everyone on the label. Although she has left DTP she is still considered to be on their label according to paperwork-said by Remy Ma. She said that she was happy to be an independent artist, and it was something she always wanted to do.
Signing with Nappy Boy (2009-present)
She is managed through Hustle Period and has started her own label M.O.E., which stands for Money Over Everything. In October 2009, Shawnna signed with T-Pain's Nappy Boy Entertainment. Later in 2010, she released a mixtape titled Bitch Like Me hosted by DJ Dirty Money. Her proposed third album will be re-recorded, and is scheduled to be released in 2012. She has a new mixtape titled Tales From The Crypt that was to be released in the winter of 2011. On October 28, 2011, Money Over Everything Entertainment released the new thriller and music video for "Horror Show" by Shawnna.
