Sho Baraka

Last updated

Sho Baraka
Shobaraka-img-dcm115212.jpg
Background information
Birth nameAmisho Baraka Lewis
Born (1979-01-10) January 10, 1979 (age 44)
Genres Christian hip hop, conscious hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, songwriter, director
Years active2004–present
Labels Reach, High Society, Humble Beast
Website Sho Baraka on Myspace

Amisho Baraka Lewis (born January 10, 1979), better known by his stage name Sho Baraka, is an American Christian hip-hop artist and writer who has recorded both independently and as a founding member of the 116 Clique. He was originally signed to Reach Records until leaving in March 2011. He then co-founded a record label and group known as "High Society" with fellow Christian rappers JR, Swoope, and Suzy Rock. His debut album Turn My Life Up was released in November 2007. His second album Lions and Liars, was released March 2010. His third album Talented Xth was released in January 2013. His fourth album, The Narrative, was released in October 2016.

Contents

Biography

Sho Baraka was born Amisho Baraka Lewis in Alberta, Canada[ citation needed ] on January 10, [1] [2] 1979. [3] Sho was introduced to hip hop at a young age. He was raised in Southern California during the height of gangsta rap which inspired Sho and some friends from his neighborhood in high school, formed a rap group that began touring with major recording artists. The rap group soon ended and many of Sho's close friends were killed or incarcerated. He decided to follow his father's advice and attend college, getting accepted into Tuskegee University. There he came into contact with Lecrae and Tedashii and eventually the 116 Clique and Reach Records were formed.

While attending Tuskegee, Sho converted to Christianity. [4]

Leaving Reach Records and new website

On April 13, 2011, Rapzilla posted a blog from Sho stating that he planned to leave Reach Records after four years and two albums with the label. Although he is leaving the Reach label, Sho said he would continue to be an artist with Reach booking and continue to do concert dates and events with the label through 2011. He would also be featured on Reach projects released through the year. [5] Sho is now a part of the music & art group High Society with Swoope, J.R., & Suzy Rock. Lewis announced that he would release a new album, Talented Xth, on January 1, 2013. [6]

On June 14, 2016, he signed with Christian hip-hop label, Humble Beast. [7]

Cameos

Sho can be spotted as Trip Lee's fictional boss in the video for Lee's song The Invasion (hero) off the album Between Two Worlds.[ citation needed ] Sho was in the music video for Lecrae's lead single, "Don't Waste Your Life" from his 2008 album, Rebel , as a former gang member of Lecrae's who escaped arrest years before. Lecrae portrayed a converted Christian, writing to Sho's character about how God had changed his life.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US US Christ US Rap US Gospel
2007 Turn My Life Up
  • First studio album
  • Release date: November 20, 2007
  • Label: Reach
43
2010 Lions and Liars
  • Second studio album
  • Release date: March 30, 2010
  • Label: Infinity / Reach
14910153
2013 Talented 10th
  • Third studio album
  • Release date: January 15, 2013
  • Label: Infinity / Lions & Liars
1085121
2016The Narrative
  • Fourth studio album
  • Release date: October 21, 2016
  • Label: Humble Beast
2017The Narrative, Volume 2: Pianos & Politics
  • Fifth studio album (EP)
  • Release date: July 21, 2017
  • Label: Humble Beast
2018So Many Feelings (with Vanessa Hill)
  • Sixth studio album
  • Release date: March 2, 2018
  • Label: Humble Beast
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Guest appearances

With the 116 Clique

With High Society

With JAMM as Hello Revolution

Mixtapes

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011 October Baby Drama coachCredited as "Amisho Lewis" [8]
2012Grace CardReformed Ex con

Videography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecrae</span> American rapper, record producer, and actor from Texas

Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.

So Hot Productions is a music production company located in St. Louis, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">116 (hip hop group)</span> American rap group

The 116, formerly 116 Clique, is an American Southern Christian hip hop collective originally from Dallas, Texas signed to the Atlanta-based Reach Records. The group performs a wide variety of contemporary hip hop styles, from chopped and screwed to trap to Latin hip hop. The 116 Clique is named after the Bible verse Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." For them it means acknowledging the power of the Gospel and the divine calling to proclaim it in every area of their life. "We can lay our lives down to serve and glorify God in everything we do."

William Lee Barefield III, better known by his stage name Trip Lee, is an American Christian rapper and singer. Signed to Reach Records, he has recorded both as a solo artist and as a founding member of the 116 Clique. Originally from Dallas, Texas, he serves as a young adult pastor at Concord Church. His third album, Between Two Worlds (2010), was nominated for two Dove Awards and won the Stellar Award for Best Hip Hop Album in 2011.

Torrance Esmond, better known by his stage name Street Symphony, is an American record producer and music executive from Memphis, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecrae discography</span> Christian hip hop recording artist discography

The discography of Lecrae, an American Christian hip hop artist, consists of 11 studio albums, two of which were collaborative; four mixtapes; two extended plays, one of which was collaborative; 114 singles, including 63 as a featured performer; 67 music videos, including 31 as a featured performer; and 86 guest and other appearances. Lecrae debuted with Real Talk in 2004 through Reach Records; the album was re-issued the following year by Cross Movement Records. After the Music Stops followed in 2006 and his third solo album, Rebel, was released in 2008 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel chart, the first Christian hip hop album to do so. Rehab, his fourth solo album, was released in 2010 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel, Christian, and Independent charts, and garnered a nomination at the 53rd Grammy Awards. Rehab: The Overdose, was released on January 11, 2011, and peaked at No. 1 on the Christian and Gospel charts. Lecrae began garnering mainstream attention when he performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher and was featured on the Statik Selektah song "Live and Let Live" from his Population Control album.

<i>Church Clothes</i> 2012 mixtape by Lecrae

Church Clothes is the first mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released for free on May 10, 2012, and hosted by DJ Don Cannon. It featured No Malice of Clipse on the song "Darkest Hour", and included production work by 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, S1 and Street Symphony. Label-mates Tedashii and Andy Mineo, as well as other fellow Christian hip-hop artists such as Dre Murray, Thi'sl, Swoope, Christon Gray, and Braille, also made appearances on the album. The mixtape was downloaded 100,000 times in 48 hours, and met with critical acclaim. It received controversy in Christian media upon its release due to its condemnation of hypocrisy in the Christian Church and Lecrae's collaboration with the mainstream producer Don Cannon. A shorter, remastered EP version was released on iTunes on June 25, 2012. The EP debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts.

Kevin Elijah Burgess, better known by his stage name KB, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music executive from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the leader of the hip-hop group HGA. Burgess signed a solo artist contract to Reach Records in 2010. The label has released the Who Is KB? mixtape in 2011, Weight & Glory, on July 17, 2012, the 100 EP on March 4, 2014, Tomorrow We Live on April 21, 2015, and Today We Rebel on October 20, 2017. He is also a member of the label's collective 116 Clique.

<i>Gravity</i> (Lecrae album) Album by Lecrae

Gravity is the sixth studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on September 4, 2012. The album features appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Mathai, Ashthon Jones, Sho Baraka and Mali Music, along with labelmates Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, Derek Minor, who was formerly known as PRo, and Tedashii. Producers on the album include DJ Khalil, Street Symphony's Heat Academy, and The Watchmen. The first single off the album, "I Know", was released on July 24, 2012, and was followed by "Tell the World" featuring Mali Music on August 15, 2012, and "Mayday" featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones on August 30, 2012. Reach Records released five music videos for the album: "Lord Have Mercy", featuring Tedashii along with No Malice of Clipse, on August 1, 2012, "Tell the World", featuring Mali Music, on October 19, 2012, "Mayday", featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones, on December 13, 2012, "Fakin'", featuring Thi'sl, on February 1, 2013, and "Confe$$ions", featuring David Banner, on April 30, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Mineo</span> American rapper

Andrew Aaron Mineo, is an American Christian hip hop artist, producer, music executive, and video director based in New York City. He is signed to Reach Records and his creative initiative Miner League. In addition to his solo work, he is a member of Reach Records' hip hop collective 116 Clique.

Derek Johnson, Jr., better known by his stage name Derek Minor and former stage name PRo, is an American Christian hip hop artist, singer, record producer, entrepreneur, actor, and screenwriter. He co-founded the hip-hop record label Reflection Music Group (RMG) with Doc Watson, and signed to Reach Records in a joint venture between the two labels in 2011. In 2012, Johnson announced that he had changed his stage name from Pro to Derek Minor. In 2014, he announced that as his two-album contract with Reach was complete, he would no longer be publishing releases through that label.

<i>Talented 10th</i> 2013 studio album by Sho Baraka

Talented 10th is the third studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Sho Baraka, released through his own label, Lions & Liars Music, on January 15, 2013. It is the first solo release by Sho Baraka since he left Reach Records in 2011. The album title and concept was based on the 1903 essay of the same name by W. E. B. Du Bois. Talented 10th is "not just a picture of Christian salvation but also focuses on education, relationships and social change - all filtered through a biblical worldview." However, Talented 10th was controversial with some in the Christian scene due to the appearance of strong language on the song "Chapter 9 - Jim Crow".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reach Records</span> American label of Christian hip hop

Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, 1K Phew, WHATUPRG, Wande, Hulvey, and Limoblaze. The hip-hop collective 116 operates under the label and consists primarily of the label's solo acts. The artists Sho Baraka, Derek Minor, Aha Gazelle, KB and Gawvi were formerly signed to the label, and DJ Official was under the label until his death.

The discography of Trip Lee, an American Christian hip hop artist, consists of eight studio albums, including three as a founding member of the group 116 Clique, one EP with 116 Clique, thirteen singles, including three as a featured performer and two with 116 Clique, ten music videos, including three as a featured performer and two with 116 Clique, a contributed track to a compilation album, and twenty-nine guest appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tedashii discography</span>

The discography of Tedashii, an American Christian hip hop artist, consists of six studio albums, including three as a founding member of the group 116 Clique, a remix album and an EP both by 116 Clique, fourteen singles, including five as a featured performer and two with 116 Clique, thirteen music videos, including seven as a featured performer and two with 116 Clique, a contributed track to a compilation album, and twenty-four guest appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Sims</span> American recording artist and songwriter

Natalie Lauren Sims, also known by her stage name Natalie Lauren and former stage name Suzy Rock, is a musician, songwriter, graphic designer and visual artist, writer, and music executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a solo artist she performs within the Christian hip hop and R&B genres, having released a studio album, eight singles, three extended plays, and a mixtape as well as being featured on numerous songs by other artists. She also is a member of High Society Collective – along with Sho Baraka, Swoope, and J.R. – which released a studio album, Circa MMXI: The Collective, in 2012. She released her first studio album, Handle with Care, in 2020 through Rostrum Records. Five singles were released for the album: "Meditate" in 2019, and "Something Something", "Just Breathe", "Back to Love", and "Bra Off" in 2020.

Mutiat Yewande Isola, professionally known as Wande, is a Nigerian American Christian hip hop artist, actress and former journalist and A&R administrator from Austin, Texas, United States. She signed to the Christian hip hop label Reach Records in 2019, where she had worked as an A&R administrator. Prior to that, as an independent artist, from 2013 through 2018 she released multiple singles and made numerous featured appearances on various songs, as well as worked as a music journalist. She is the first woman signed to Reach. Her debut extended play (EP), Exit, was released on April 24, 2020, followed by a mini-EP The Decision on December 4, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Lauren discography</span>

The discography of Natalie Lauren, formerly known as Suzy Rock, an American Christian hip hop and R&B artist, consists of a studio album; seventeen singles, including seven as a featured performer; three extended plays; a mixtape; four music videos; and twenty-one other guest appearances, including frequent collaborations with Lecrae, KB, Swoope, and Sho Baraka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">116 discography</span>

The discography of 116, formerly known as 116 Clique, a Christian hip hop collective originating from Dallas, Texas, consists of six studio albums, one of which was a remix album, one remixed extended play (EP), twenty singles, seven music videos, and one video album. The collective formed in 2005 under the auspices of Reach Records, and released its first album, The Compilation Album, that year on December 27. The following year, a remixed version of the album by DJ Primo was released on July 6. A third album, 13 Letters, followed on June 19, 2007, which charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and No. 29 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, as well as the remix EP Amped on August 28. Man Up was released on September 27, 2011. A Christmas album, The Gift: A Christmas Compilation, was released on November 23, 2018, and charted at No. 27 on the Christian Albums chart. The Gift: Live Sessions, a live video album recorded at the 1971 studios in Atlanta, was released on November 28, 2019. The sixth album from the collective, Sin Vergüenza, a collaboration between Reach and No Apologies Music and a combination of continental United States hip hop and Latin American urbano, was released on October 23, 2020. All twelve tracks from the recording were released as singles.

Jacob Cardec, artistically known as Cardec Drums, is a Puerto Rican drummer, music producer and songwriter, specializing in Christian urban music who has worked with artists from Reach Records, Reflection Music Group and Funkytown Music. He has received various awards for his work with KB, Lecrae, Redimi2, Almighty and Andy Mineo.

References

  1. Sho Baraka [@AmIshoBaraka] (January 11, 2013). "Thank you for all the birthday love. Shalom" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  2. Sho Baraka [@AmIshoBaraka] (January 11, 2014). "Thank you for all the birthday wishes" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. Family Search (2009). "U.S. Public Records Index". Family Search. 385916656.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. Davis, Bradford. "Southern Baptist retailer removes black hip-hop artist's album that includes the word 'penis'". Washington Post.
  5. "Sho Baraka's New Future – Leaving Reach Records". Rapzilla. April 13, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  6. Horton, Chad (November 19, 2012). "Sho Baraka 'Talented Xth' Album Cover & Tracklisting". Rapzilla . Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  7. "Sho Baraka + Humble Beast". Humble Beast Records. June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  8. "October Baby (2011)". IMDb .