Warning:
What you are about to
read now, has been documented in hopes to give each
and everyone of you a clearer perception of John
Chee (aka Shogun) himself as an individual, his
goals and aspirations as an artist, and lastly, his
definition of his purpose in life.
John
"Shogun" Chee was humbly born on December 20th,
1980, in New York's very own, Flushing Hospital in
Queens. As part of Korean tradition, the first born
always has more authority than any other siblings.
However, with any type of authority come
responsibilities. At the age of only 3, the young "Gunna"
was given the responsibility of fulfilling both
roles as a father figure and an older brother for
his younger sister Jane. His mother, who has
emigrated from Korea with high hopes of the
"American Dream", was working 3 jobs regularly to
support the Chee household, and therefore was rarely
home. However, her presence at home was still felt,
despite the fact she wasn't there. "She was almost
never home. But she was a strict 'umma'. Ask around
the hood. My mother's name rings bells more than
me", says a grinning Shogunna. With his foundations
set firm and steady on religious morals and Korean
culture, John Chee was growing up into the man his
mother wanted him to be.
However, trials and tribulations caused the timer on
the success clock of Shogun to slow its tick. Due to
an unfortunate accident, John's mother became very
ill and could no longer support for her family as
she once did so aggressively. Soon enough, John
found himself without a home, sleeping in other
people's living rooms just to make it through the
night. Conflict after conflict, they all began to
pile up on John, and inevitably, everything came
crashing down. All the hardships that happened till
then just did not make any sense to John as a young
child. Confused, he hit the streets with questions
but surely, did not find any answers. What he did
find, however, were other fellow Asians struggling
with similar hardships, and soon embraced them as
his family, becoming a vital part of one of New
York's notorious street gang Bearing the name
"SHOGUN", he pledged his loyalty and committed his
life to the syndicate. Out on a mission to gain and
maintain "face", Shogun always used extreme, maybe
even excessive force, which in turn made him quite a
respectable and feared figure in the streets of
Flushing.
Ruthless as the streets and his peers molded him,
Shogun still had the ever strong foundation his
mother instilled in him, and made him think twice of
his choice of life's path. As if a sign from God,
minor legal issues lead him to enlist in the
military, hoping to start fresh and leave behind his
corrupted past. Completing Basic and Advanced
Training at 18, things were beginning to look up for
Mr. John Chee as he returned. However, nothing was
further from the truth. Upon his return to Forbidden
City (Flushing), Shogun was shocked to find out that
his mother and younger sister were on the borderline
of being homeless, forcing the newly promoted Army
National Guard Specialist to go back into his
devious ways. Shogun returned to the streets,
convinced now, more than ever, that this lifestyle
was set in stone for him, ever since day one.
As times got difficult, his younger sister ran away
from home and hasn't returned since. His mother
checked into a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, and
Shogun was left "home", in the streets. Desperate,
now more than ever, Shogun found himself performing
dangerous yet lucrative "jobs" to financially
support him again. Part taking once again in a
string of violent acts, With much less remorse than
before, he became extremely hostile, Armed and
dangerous, Shogun was speeding life in the fast
lane. In the month of August of 1999, Shogun was
arrested again for several charges of robbery and
assault. After 4 months on Rikers Island, his heng
dai's made bail and John was released. However, this
arrest did not stop Shogun's criminal ways. Several
months later, while still out on bail, Shogun was
knocked again, this time for attempted murder and
robbery in the first.
Confined back in Rikers Island, Shogun began his
soul search on who he was and what he has come to
be. He matured significantly and kept his head
straight on a strong mental state, focusing on a
power he never knew he possessed. He began putting
thoughts onto paper in lyrical form inside the cells
of general population to the 13x9 solitary
confinement cells to the ride up north to Greene
Correctional Facility where he was incarcerated for
his charges. Translating on ink how he felt and his
experiences as an Asian American growing up in our
own slums, Shogun began to master his pastime hobby.
Recollecting past events and reminiscing about his
life on the streets, he wrote them down, with hopes
of reaching those in the struggle who have been
misunderstood and misrepresented. Unleashing his raw
street raps in the day rooms of the most feared
buildings in the Island, to the cold, blistering
yards of up north, fellow convicts were basically
his first solid fan base. Through his infamous
street credibility and talented rhyme schemes, he
gained respect and approval from the fellow
criminals of New York.
5 years later, Shogun was released on parole in
2004, and the progression he has made as a man is
dropping jaws from those who knew him before his
time served. Making moves, now, with more wisdom and
understanding in life, has made him think more like
a veteran general, than a solider. Still humble,
Shogun is eager to share his experiences while also
learning from others, understanding that life is too
complicated to be ignorant about.
A respected figure in Flushing, an active community
member, and a dangerous lyricist, Shogun is like the
rapper's holy trinity, being all three shapes in one
form. He is currently on the grind, bombarding the
streets with his latest mix tape "Last Man
Standing". Founding a promotion street team along
with several of his constituents, Shogun and his
team are determined to take it to the top. Where
failure is not an option and success is by all means
necessary, Gunna Fam is the creation....
INTERVIEW::
conducted
by
JiZO Jewles
JIZO:
Wassap Shogunna? Please tell us about yourself? How
old are you? Where did you grow up? What ethnicity
are you?
Shogunna:
What’s good Jizo Mag!!! The name’s Shogunna; born
and raised in Flushing, Queens New York City. I'm in
my mid 20's and I am of Korean descent.
JIZO:
When and why did you first start rhyming?
Shogunna:
I started rhyming at 13 as a hobby first; and really
took the serious route when I was about my late
teens after some situations that occurred.
JIZO:
Name us some of your influences in the music
community?
Shogunna
It starts with the pioneers for actually creating a
genre that can bridge cultures in a very diverse
way. I've always been a fan of Rakim, Kool G Rap,
Slick Rick, The Notorious BIG, and man the list goes
on…
JIZO:
How did you get the name 'Shogunna'?
Shogunna:
My nickname out here in the streets of NYC was
Shogun. I’ve been called that name since God knows
how long. And ever since I started in the music
field I decided to change it to SHOGUNNA to
differentiate from the other artists.
JIZO:
Were you once a battle emcee?
Shogunna:
I would always spit in ciphers but I can't say I
was a battle emcee. I geared myself more towards
the song writing aspect.
JIZO:
Do you base a lot of your music on your personal
life and experiences?
Shogunna:
It's from the heart as well as the experiences.
From the past to present day, that’s all it is and
can be. And I just share it with people who can
relate.
JIZO:
I was very impressed with your first music video
“If you ready"? It is a very catchy video and you
are keeping it real "street". Who directed the
video? How did you guys go about funding it?
Shogunna:
I appreciate that man; the video has been getting
crazy feedback. I just wanted to shy away from the
stuff that dudes like me ain’t got you know. Having
my people from around the hood and mixing the
different cultures, we tried to keep it raw and
bring that New York flavor into it with an Asian
twist. Shout out to Marcaux for directing the
video. Let’s just say we were able to afford it.
JIZO:
Does your music carry any specific message?
Shogunna:
My main message is this: It doesn’t matter what
kind of background you come from. Good or bad,
school or street. We all have our trials and
tribulations in life. We need to overcome our
obstacles and take it the top no matter what it is
you do.
JIZO:
Would you label your music "gangsta rap"?
Shogunna:
People do label me in that genre; but I see it
beyond that.
JIZO:
What makes you different from other rappers now
looking to make it big?
Shogunna:
The only difference I might say is our styles but
we’re all one in trying to bring this Asian
community into the American mainstream.
JIZO:
What's next? When is your mixtape going to be
released?
Shogunna:
I got my new mixtape album that’s almost done, and
this is the one that sets off the sparks. I'm not
saying it because it's my project but because it's
been a demanded product from the industry. It’s all
original productions and these tracks just sets the
standards way up. Definitely be on the look out for
that y'all. It's coming out real real soon.
JIZO:
Thanks for doing this interview and stay in touch
SHOGUNNA!
Shogunna:
Thank you for having me. Keep doing what you do
and let’s get our grind going. Hit me up anytime on
myspace.com/shogunna
John
"Shogun" Chee was humbly born on December 20th,
1980, in New York's very own, Flushing Hospital in
Queens. As part of Korean tradition, the first born
always has more authority than any other siblings.
However, with any type of authority come
responsibilities. At the age of only 3, the young "Gunna"
was given the responsibility of fulfilling both
roles as a father figure and an older brother for
his younger sister Jane. His mother, who has
emigrated from Korea with high hopes of the
"American Dream", was working 3 jobs regularly to
support the Chee household, and therefore was rarely
home. However, her presence at home was still felt,
despite the fact she wasn't there. "She was almost
never home. But she was a strict 'umma'. Ask around
the hood. My mother's name rings bells more than
me", says a grinning Shogunna. With his foundations
set firm and steady on religious morals and Korean
culture, John Chee was growing up into the man his
mother wanted him to be.
