Shemy

FLINT, MI – A local rap artist is gaining attention for a recently released song about Flint's water crisis.

Nicholas Shemes, 26, who goes by Shemy in the music industry, released "Home" last month, giving a lyrical view on how he feels about the water crisis.

Shemy, who grew up in Flint, said he was inspired to write the song after witnessing the impact of the water crisis on friends and family.

"I had a coworker that I worked with at my last job and he lives on the East Side, off of Franklin," Shemy said. "He was telling me stories about how the water impacted his children. He told me about rashes, his kids having bloodshot eyes from showering. That's what originally inspired me to write." Shemy said he wrote the song with Damon McKenzie of the band Last Summer.

Since the release, Shemy has been interviewed by Club 93.7 which aired the song, Flint native Michael Moore and Chris Cuomo of CNN have both liked or retweeted the song and Shemy has performed "Home" at the Greater Flint Arts Council Easter weekend.

"Home" talks about political decisions regarding the water crisis and the impact of those decisions on Flint residents. Shemy said he wanted to tie things together from the personal experiences of this friends and family.


"When you tie it all together it better shows what's going on in Flint," he said. "If this was in a more influential area like West Bloomfield or even Grand Blanc, this wouldn't have happened. I wanted to be able to tie everything together. I like being able to be a voice for the voiceless."

Shemy said he is working on a music video for the song this month. To listen to Home, click here. - Flint Journal

FLINT — In the midst of Flint’s water crisis, artists and activists have been working to open a larger conversation about the long-standing issues plaguing the city. One such individual, Nicholas Shemes (“Shemy”), is expressing his message through a hip-hop.

Shemy’s song, “Home,” is about a lot of things — the callousness of the government response to the water crisis, the future of Flint’s children and the racial lines that continue to divide the city. Featuring a hook by Damon Mackenzie (singer of Flint natives Last Summer), the song has been played on local station Hot 97, retweeted by CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and director Michael Moore and covered on local blogs.


The song was produced by Bandplay of G-Unit fame, who grew up with one of Shemes’ friends in Tennessee, and is available for listening on Shemy’s Soundcloud page.

“The overall message of the song is ‘togetherness.’ I wanted to make it clear that we’re in this crisis and these political divisive times together. It’s one of peace — and yes, hope — but mostly, it’s one of love,” said Shemy in an e-mail exchange. “I think, too often, we let things we don’t understand — such as different religions, or cultural norms — divide us. But we’re all human.”

The rapper said a post by Michael Skolnik is what drove him to write “Home.” Skolnik detailed a story told to him by a Flint mother, Nakeyja, in which her daughter began having seizures due to the increased levels of lead in the water.

“Who knows what her future held?” said Shemy.

While the song is overtly political, with lyrics such “I see capitalism is alive and well” and “All we ask for is a fair chance,” Shemy said his music is not necessarily moving into a more political realm.

“In the words of [Flint rapper] Jon Connor, ‘I’m not a conscious rapper, I’m a rapper with a conscious,’” said Shemy. “I just speak on what’s going on around me and what affects me, personally. It just so happened to be the Flint water crisis was tugging at my heart strings. I cried writing this record because — and I’m going to sound cliché here — of how real it was to me.”

Listen to the song at Soundcloud.com/ Shemy. - Davison View

Flint native Shemy is not one to hold anything back in his lyrics, and his latest track ‘Home’ is no different.
The Flint Water Crisis has put Flint in the media spotlight for the past couple months, but just like almost all cases of the media talking about Flint, the Flint Water Crisis isn’t a positive image for the city. Since #FlintWaterCrisis isn’t trending anymore it seems the media attention is starting to slowly go away, but the crisis is still ongoing.
Artists such as Flint’s very own Shemy is here to not only speak on the crisis, but let everyone know that poisoned water is still a danger in our city. Shemy stopped by the Club studio to talk to Artimis about his song ‘Home’, working with Bandplay, what needs to happen to fix the Flint Water Crisis, and more.


Read More: Flint's Shemy Opens Up About Flint Water Crisis With 'Home' [Video] | http://club937.com/flints-shemy-opens-up-about-flint-water-crisis-with-home-video/?trackback=tsmclip - Club 93.7

Local music artists & now activist, Nicholas J Shemes (on facebook) who goes by the stage name “Shemy” has teamed up with Damon Mckenzie (also on facebook) and released a track that hits a spot that other local artists from Flint, besides Jon Connor, has not hit. An ability for broad airplay and an opportunity to attract audiences outside of rap in efforts to bring and maintain awareness of the crisis. While there are many songs about the Flint Water Crisis, this post is about “Home” produced by Bandplay. Although I do encourage you to listen to as many songs from Flint locals as possible, because, each one speaks for some one.

Take a listen to “Home” below, and be sure to share it with others!

We live in world where too often the economically disadvantaged are forgotten. In Flint, Michigan, more than 40% of the people live below the poverty line. More than half of the schools have closed in the last 10 years. Violence plagues the city. In a place where hope had already been lost, the government has failed them once again. The Flint water crisis is more than a headline in the newspaper or a trendy topic at the presidential debates.

‘Home’ is a song dedicated to the city I love and is meant to remind all members of the human race that we are in this together. – Shemy - Standard Fresh

Flint, MI — Ten years after his debut record was shelved by eOne Music in 2009, Nicholas “Shemy” Shemes emerged ready to take on the world with his new album, Before I Turn 30 in October of 2019. The album that brought him out of retirement showcases his range by mixing hip hop, trap, R&B, and pop flavors. Now he’s keeping up the momentum with his new single, “Cobra Kai” with more tracks on the way.

“There were a lot of hands on deck, I spent a lot of time making it, and being so young, I had a lot of expectations that were probably unrealistic,” says Shemes of his first record, Look At What I Came From. “When everything transpired with eOne I was really unmotivated and thinking, ‘What am I gonna do next?’ I stopped doing shows. People who were interested in the record—I didn’t return any of their calls.”

Feeling burned by the industry and needing a serious change, Shemes put his music career on hold, moved to Kalamazoo and decided to play it safe by focusing on school, finding a new career, and starting a family. When he moved back to the Flint area living in his late great grandfather’s house, he started to feel inspired again. In 2015 he released a track, “Home” on the Flint Water Crisis compilation, Not Safe To Drink and it made him realize he can take music seriously while still keeping his corporate job.

“It was my first track where I put any, like, significant action into getting it out there to the masses—-like, really make it count,” says Shemes. “I had Bernard Terry help out and a lot of post-production on it. I used to handle a lot of it myself, but I wanted to stay as relevant as possible.”

As his creative fire was reignited, Shemes decided it was time to stop feeling guilty for lacking consistency and start being confident again. That’s where his latest track, “Cobra Kai” comes into place.

“You know, everyone in rap is doing what they’re supposed to do, geeking themselves up. God’s gift to man, best rapper, whatever,” says Shemes. “You see a lot of local rappers do it and I love it, because that’s what they’re supposed to be doing. It makes me hungry and makes me want to try out that style. It was me showcasing that I’m a super talented lyricist, but I can also make records that have a dope vibe.”

On April 9th, Shemy will release his next single, “Could Be Worse” which couldn’t be hitting at a more relevant time.

“I was just sitting in the studio with my wife, drinking coffee on a Sunday morning,” says Shemes. “I was talking about how the weekend is so short and there’s never enough time to get anything done. Then my wife said, ‘You’re always talking about how bad things are gonna be in the future, you need to be in the moment. Everything is okay right now.’ I’m a really anxious person and she keeps me level-headed at times. It’s all about positivity for sure.”

Stay updated with Shemy’s music and follow him on all social media platforms by visiting his site www.shemymusic.com and check out the Not Safe To Drink compilation by clicking here. - Flint Beat