THE REBEL LIFE
Shionna snacks on Sloppy J.O.E.S. (Jealous Ones Envy Shionna)
Cleveland’s newest songbird overcomes rumors during successful run on Datpiff
By GEZUS ZAIRE
Rebel Life Media/www.ClevelandHipHop.net
As a professional journalist it is entirely a conflict of interest for me to feature an artist whose album was distributed by my company. Fortunately I ain’t got no boss. I mean Chris Bleek does run things at ClevelandHipHop.net, but he trusts me with power, so I can do what I want so long as I don’t destroy the brand.
Shionna hit the music scene in Cleveland in June with the help of Rebel Life Media Distribution and – in our own little way – we turned things upside down. Her debut EP, “Insecure” reached No. 125 on Datpiff.com’s most downloaded albums in its first month. Even more impressively she gained over 1,000 downloads in less than one month.
While we celebrated the amazing feats that we accomplished on an entirely independent project with no celebrity instrumentals or features, we were both blindsided by several negative slurs. The most outrageous one was that she slept with me for online distribution and promotion.
What we learned was that all of Cleveland was not ready for a newcomer R&B singer to excel pass what over 95-percent of the city’s so-called “hottest rappers” couldn’t do. Instead of congratulating, some of them had to stoop to slinging mud.
As a writer and head of my own distribution company I am using this installment of The Rebel Life to salute Shionna and finally give her a moment in the sun.
Zaire: Shionna is out and doing her thing. Let the fans of Cleveland know what “Insecure” the EP is about.
Shionna: Insecure is an album that people can relate to. It’s basically a mixture of past experiences, past heartbreaks and past loves. Just something to give Cleveland a taste of some real R&B, real lyrics and songs with real meaning.
Zaire: There are a lot of rappers putting out product in Cleveland but things seem a bit slow on the R&B side. Why is that?
Shionna: In my opinion a lot of people are into the rap game more than R&B. People tend to not give R&B a chance and go straight for the rap or hip-hop, stereotyping R&B music.
Zaire: Stereotyping it as what?
Shionna: Love songs, sad, too slow, etc. People just don’t give local R&B a chance, in my opinion.
Zaire: You got over 1,000 downloads in your first month on Datpiff.com. How good did that feel?
Shionna: It actually felt great being that no one really knew who [I] was! For it to have just come out of nowhere, it’s actually kind of surreal! I’m super excited about the turnout.
Zaire: OK so me and you have talked about this but for the record, there has been a negative side to your success. How tough has that been?
Shionna: It honestly doesn’t faze me. Haters will be haters and I use them for my motivation. People try to down others because of their success – only because they are mad that someone else is actually doing good. I’m not fazed by it at all. I actually encourage my haters to continue doing what they do best, and I’ll do the same
Zaire: What have people told you about “Insecure” or your success in general, that has surprised you most, positive or negative?
Shionna: A lot of people have actually congratulated me on the album and a lot of people loved it. There are many that truly believe in me and in my music. Many see that music really is my life and they encourage me to continue doing what I do best!
Zaire: What have you learned from your sudden rush of popularity in Cleveland’s music scene?
Shionna: I’ve learned that you have to work, work, work at what you want to accomplish. I learned that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and just believe. I have also learned that you have to watch who you trust because everyone doesn’t have your best interest at heart. Take heed to those who are more advanced and learn from them. Things can only continue to go up from here. I feel it!
(This interview is the official property of Rebel Life Media and www.ClevelandHipHop.net)
