Meet Shemmy, the Rapper with a Non-Stop Drive for Success
By Bridney C.
He is making a splash this summer.
The bass is boosting as soon as “I Thought” plays through the speakers. The Drums and synth blend to form a heartbeat—or possibly multiple heartbeats—with melodies woven tightly in between them.
Shemmy comes in on vocals, and everything is an instant earworm. The song starts with, the lyric, “I thought you told me you loved me, back in them days it was sunny,” as Shemmy hauntingly raps about a former lover he vows will not allow live in a life of luxury beside him, or to break his heart ever again.
“I not only try to make sure the hooks of my songs are the catchiest but also relatable as possible, so anybody who feels that way can feel what I’m saying,” says Shemmy.
Mar Finesse, a featured rapper on the song delivers the swift lyric in the first verse, “I thought you told me you loved me, girl now you actin’ real funny.” “I Thought” is the latest release from Shemmy, a rapper from New London, Connecticut who gained a new plethora of fans after the tune gained popularity through local radio waves.
His latest release succeeds the electric, bouncy previous single, “No Love!” and digs deep into the rapper’s personal experience with betrayal, regret, and painful heartbreaks. Grateful for the surpassing level of support he has been receiving, Shemmy is delighted and has infinite “love for my city and the people who support me.”
Despite being released in February 2019, the song has received a fair amount of radio play via independent stations throughout the summer. Thus, allowing doors to open for the 18-year-old rapper to perform at various music festivals, events, and block parties around New London County.
"The recording process is the most difficult for me. I’ll rehearse a song until I know it by heart, but I have a slight speech impediment, so certain words are harder for me to say but once I do get it down the results are amazing,” says Shemmy.
For Shemmy, the song serves as a new chapter in his life for musical experiments. When talking about his triumph, Shemmy says, “what sets me apart from different artists in this city [New London], is that I have originality in my music, and it’s because I incorporate my personality in my music, and I don’t talk too much about sex and drugs.”
Born Shemuel Goode and raised in New London, Shemmy grew up in a musical household of mostly women. He grew up around his two aunts, Shirelle and Shelley Goode, grandmother Shirley Goode, and his mother Shana Goode who are all singers.
He cites his mother and his family as being his number one supporters. “I want to make sure my whole family is straight at the end of the day. This is for me, I’m my inspiration for my music, and it is because of my focus to be successful,” says Shemmy.
A self-described “hyper kid,” Shemmy felt unsure about his musical capabilities. He also had difficulties with “getting the hang” of learning how to play the drums his uncle, Steve would try to teach him to play at church.
Shemmy suppressed his musical talents until his Sophomore year while attending at New London High School. He faced problems with expressing himself and had trouble handling stress from his teachers and schoolwork.
His peers viewed him as expressive and eccentric, who stood out from the rest of the student body. It would take a year for Shemmy to feel comfortable to perform in front of others and be on stage.
His uncle, Steve advised Shemmy to write down how he felt on paper and suggested him to take a chance at rapping. At the time, his uncle created beats off of his iPad using Garage Band, a digital music software.
Shemmy credits his uncle as being one of the first supportive people who encouraged him to rap. “One day, in the car with other family members, he [Uncle Steve] had me freestyle from New London to UCONN, and that’s when I started writing music,” says Shemmy.
He freestyled and wrote down rhymes more often, and looked to some of his mainstream influences such as Trppie Redd, Lil Tjay, Drake, Meek Mill, and Roddy Richh. Admiring their stories about their struggles on the path to fame, Shemmy says he felt inspired to write similar songs and loved the fact they were not ashamed of their background or upbringing.
Benny, a close friend of Shemmy’s considered to be a “brother through love,” was the first person outside of his family to encouraged him to pursue a rap career. After listening, his close friend, Shemmy recorded his first single, titled “No Flex!” at his friend, fellow rapper Menelik's house in New London.
During his senior year of high school, he overcame his shyness and became more comfortable with rapping in front of people. Shemmy first caught the attention of the music community in September 2018, after he released his first single.
Shemmy caught the attention of not only the students but the administration at his high school who allowed him to perform at the 2018 homecoming dance. He then chose his stage name, Shemmy, a nickname of his since boyhood.
After releasing “No Flex!” Shemmy went on to release two more songs, “No Love!” and “Cash Interlude.” “When I hear a beat that catches my ear, I’ll either hum to it or freestyle to it, then when I think I have something I’ll write it down,” says Shemmy.
As of now, Shemmy is working on a few new songs for an untitled project due to be released at the end of 2019. He is also plans to release new music in September.
“I think it’s the best step I’ll take and music-wise, I plan on dropping more music and creating a project for myself that explains my story,” says Shemmy.
In July, the teen rapper performed at Ridge Fest, an annual music showcase festival, which he considers to be his biggest performance with a diverse audience. The rapper looks forward to releasing more music and creating music meant to make others feel joyful.
Once a reserved kid with diffidence, Shemmy has now built himself to be an energetic stage performer. He is appreciative of the love and support the community has shown him the past eleven months.
“As I’m spreading positivity, I hope I will inspire everybody as I possibly can because this is what the world needs, everybody seems so stuck up I just want positive vibes around me,” says Shemmy.
In the meantime, you can listen to Shemmy's music on Soundcloud.
Follow him on Instagram @shemmy.j and Twitter @kingshemmy
We asked Shemmy this Sweet Scoop Fun Fact Question:
Where is your favorite place to eat at and why? What do you typically order?
