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This week we caught up with Shawn Sosa, a returning hip-hop mogul from Oakland, California. Shawn now resides in Los Angeles, CA, where he made a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s more notable sound producers and engineers. What better time to step back into the spotlight than now? Sosa opened the door for many talented musicians and artists throughout his career as a producer and audio engineer. Throughout the years, Shawn Sosa has been out of the spotlight, building a career behind the scenes. We thought it would be a great idea to be the first to interview Shawn as he makes his return to the music industry as an artist and to listen to the talent behind many of this generation’s greatest artists, giving Shawn his first shot back into the spotlight and catching up with him on his past and any upcoming projects.
(This interview is written for the purpose of VM and our readers, but it was an over-the-phone interview.)
VM: So Shawn, hearing your music for the first time and reading about your story has really inspired me to get to know you more. I’m sure my readers will agree. What was the reason you got into the music industry?
SS: What’s up, Harris? It’s a pleasure to speak with you! I got my start in 10th grade in high school at Laguna Creek. I somehow used to make beats on the tables at lunch with a pen, a pencil, and a nickel! Haha. I mean, you can really get down with those tools. I don’t really know why I did it or exactly how that started, but I really enjoyed it, and people would crowd around and start rapping to it. It was the coolest thing ever! Fast forward a little, and rap battles popped up at lunchtime every day. Kids would gather around and battle rap, and someone would have a speaker or beatbox. I was intrigued by the whole process, but I never thought of myself as a rapper. One day, one of my close friends, Deeder, to be exact, told me to jump in and battle against someone. I was so scared and nervous, I was like, “No way foo! I’ll get roasted and embarrassed, lol. Deeder laughed and was like, “Come on! It’ll be fun! I was like, Nope! Never. Him edging me on seemed to happen daily for weeks until one day I got irritated and was like, “You know what? I’ll do it one time if you leave me alone. He was like, “Bet!” That’s how much he bugged me, lol, so I was like, “What’s the worst that could happen?” I went into the ring, scared and nervous about what was about to go down. Next thing you know, I had my challenger, and they dropped the beat. Next thing you know, I was rapping, and I was so scared, I just started saying stuff, and I won the crowd over. And somehow I won! I actually won! It was crazy. I’m not going to lie, it felt great, and I felt accomplished. As I tried to leave, the crowd wouldn’t let me and brought on another contestant. I was super nervous. Miraculously, I won again! My mind was blown. To make a long story short, they kept bringing challengers, or, dare I say, victims, and the rest is history. That’s how it all started. I was only 15. I went on to beat the entire school and never lost. Even kids from other schools eventually came to my school to challenge me, and, you guessed it, they lost as well. I’m still undefeated to this very day. Haha.
VM: No way! Awesome, so now that I’m getting to know you a little bit better, who would you say were some of your favorite musicians of any genre growing up?
SS: Great question, hmm… I’d say, off the top, in no particular order, 2pac, Mac Dre, E-40, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nas, NWA, Too Short, Aaliyah, DMX, Missy Elliot, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and many many more. I listen to a lot of artists and a lot of genres these days. Good music is good music!
VM: What a great list! Well I have read that you opened up for Tech N9ne in your earlier days of your career. How was that experience for you, and how is Tech N9ne as a person?
SS: Man, I’ll never forget opening up for Tech N9ne. I had done many shows prior to opening for Tech, and a good friend of mine asked me on a phone call one day if I wanted to open for Tech N9ne. I almost didn’t believe it. I was like, “Fuck Yeah! opening up for Tech N9ne. I had done many shows prior to opening for Tech, and a good friend of mine asked me on a phone call one day if I wanted to open for Tech N9ne. I almost didn’t believe it. I was like, “Fuck yeah!” and super excited, as I was a fan of his and my friends were also. He had a big impact in the Bay whenever he performed there. This particular show was in Orangevale, CA, and it wa a dope venue that always sold out. His crowd is unlike most, and they don’t play! If they don’t like you, you will get booed off stage. People warned me about that prior to my performance, and I was honestly nervous and wondering if I’d fit in with his crowd. Performing were me, my close friend “Heat,” and DJ Revolver. We ended up killing the show, and the crowd loved us! I even started a mosh pit, haha! It was fuckin epic! We got so much love that night! Afterwards, Tech N9ne’s crew told us that we were dope, did a great job, and that they watched us! That was a proud moment for me, and I knew we had something and that we were on track to being successful in this industry. Tech N9ne is a great person, and I’d love to work with him again one day.
VM: Not to name drop lol, but we’d like to know who were some of the more notable people in the industry that you’ve worked with, and who would you say your favorite person to work with has been famous and not so famous?
SS: I’ve been blessed to meet many famous artists in the studios I’ve worked in. One person in particular I worked with was K. Michelle from Destiny’s Child. I almost landed a theme song for her new TV show when I worked at a studio in Hollywood. I was so close; it was a pleasure and a humbling experience that I was grateful I had the opportunity for. She was very nice when I met her. Another person who I credit a lot is George Morales; he’s a very close friend of mine who I’ve known really ever since I moved to LA. We met in a studio setting and have been friends ever since. I’ve always looked up to him as a professional in the industry; he’s an amazing videographer and has taught me so much about the industry. He’s done some major things and has always been someone in the who’s who of things. I’m blessed to know him and to be working with him. We’ve always kept it 100 percent with each other. Also, he’s like a brother to me and has shown me around LA and always looked out for me since moving from NorCal. Gotta love LA, baby! So you know the Bay Area gives love right back!
VM: It seems for many years you decided to put your artistry on hold and step away from the spotlight. My main question to you is, Why did you decide to step out of the limelight? What was the main focus that caused that decision?
SS: That’s a really tough question to answer, but I’m going to give you the best possible response I can. One day I decided to move to Los Angeles. It was the craziest decision ever and such a huge move for me. But something inside me told me to go and pursue my dreams and figure it out along the way, and so I did. I literally packed a bag and caught a flight asap. Talk about taking a chance. Once I got to LA, I moved to Burbank, CA, and immediately started audio engineering school to get certified credentials from the #1 school in the country. After that, I landed a job at Paramount Recording Studios and then Future Sound Studios in Hollywood and freelanced, somehow ending up working with a lot of people and kind of putting my own career aside on accident. Then time flew. LA will do that to you. There’s so much going on at all times! Haha. Good times. I learned so much and met so many great individuals and mentors along the way. Somehow I knew I was on the right path, so I soaked everything in and took my time to make sure I was doing it correctly, and then I was like, “Oh sh*t, my career!” It’s time to put my music out. Lol. That’s the truth! Funny thing is I never stopped working on music and I never stopped getting better. I think the world is gonna be shocked at what’s to come. I’m ready now! Game on!
VM: Time does fly! I’m glad your back and focused on your own art! Well I’ve read about, “The Real Ones,” and I would like to know a bit more about it. Is it a record label? Is it a brand? What is the meaning behind it?
SS: The Real Ones is something I grew up with in the Bay Area, a Real One is someone thas 1 hunnit, you know, solid, I think everyone even knows the emoji now lol. Well that started a long time ago waaaaay before the emoji and for me and people I grew around it’s a lifestyle and a culture. So I wanted to bring that to the table and let it represent me and what I stand for. We authentic, we stay fresh, we trendset, we creative, we real, a Real One is definitely someone you want on your team or in your circle, someone you can forever trust, I mean the name says it all. Yee! Lol. It’s not a record label, it’s more of a movement I’d say and a culture. And you know what? It is a brand, starting now haha! Real Ones are everywhere!
VM: Makes total sense and I will definitely be on the look out, before we wrap things up, are there any new projects you’ve been working on or anything else we should be on the look out for?
SS: I always have many things in the works, I’m working with a few hot upcoming artist right now, one of them is Christa Flores, she’s a great singer/songwriter whose on the rise, I’ve been producing her project and she’s featured a lot on mines. I think we are a dope ass collab and I think the world will soon agree! She’s definitely A Real One! Ha. We both envision bringing music higher and higher and bringing it with all the passion & drive that we possible can, always pushing the bar higher. Who knows what’ll come out of us working together. Also I am working with some dope male & female artist who I cannot talk about juuuust yet, but…stay tuned because we are always evolving at GS Productions and we are about to change the game! Like Fa sho Fa sho! Like Hella Hella! You could bet dat!
VM: Well I am definitely looking forward to hearing about that, and man who knows we can possibly even set up an interview with Christa soon! Well Shawn, it was definitely our pleasure to have you and we wish you the best in your career and ventures. We hope to see more of you very soon. I’ll throw your links down below so people can get familiar, which I’m sure they are. Again, it was a pleasure, and I appreciate your time. I wish the best of luck to you. To check out Shawn’s recent and past work, links are below; also check out our first segment with Shawn Sosa.
https://www.instagram.com/iamshawnsosa/
