Sitting in his computer chair sliding from one station in his home studio to another, Shanne Bartow (Sho Beaz) resembles the new generation of musician. Producing and recording his own music in his own studio. Bartow has been making music his whole life, and just now at 25 has the tools to perfect his sound.
Bartow Senior Partner and Executive Producer of AmpliVerse Records has been making music for over 10 years, but Bartow’s musical influence came well before he was ever born. “My mom would put headphones on her stomach when I would kick to calm me down,” Bartow said. “And it worked.” From there he moved to dancing in front of his mom’s speakers to music as a toddler, to getting his first drum set for Christmas. “This really grew my love for music, and beats in general.” The love of the beat would stick with him and was amplified the first time he heard “C.R.E.A.M” by the “Wu-Tang Clan” in 1994. “That’s when I knew I wanted to do hip-hop, and make music with my life. I had always loved music to this point, but it was mostly classic rock.” From that point forward he immersed himself in beats and hip-hop. “I would take popular song beats, and just freestyle to them.”
Freestyling to other artist’s beats only entertained his musical drive for so long, until he wrote his first song, “D-Life”. “It was the best way to describe the world through the eyes of a 12 year old.” Now equipped with his own material Bartow decided to fly out to Las Vegas and record his first demo. While in Vegas, Bartow (14) got to see the production side of making music and was changed forever. “The first time I saw the production process it intrigued me.”
By the time Bartow got into high school, programs like Napster and Morpheus had allowed artist to download thousands of songs and beats. “That’s the first time I really dove into it, started downloading beats and writing lyrics.” Going into high school Bartow had already chosen and began his future career. Through the next four years he would learn to produce music using programs like fruity loops and pro-tools, and started kicking out mix-tapes. “That’s really when it took off for me on the production side, why have someone else do it for you; I wanted to keep the creative control. I was the mix-tape king for a while, just wanted to get my name out there.”
By the time high school ended Bartow had learned to produce and record music, and came out with numerous mix-tapes featuring him and other artists he discovered. “It was time for change, a fresh start.” So in 2005 Bartow moved out to Las Vegas , looking to expand his horizons and get a change of scenery. Returning to the place he recorded his first demo and grew a love for studio production. “I needed to immerse myself in another place to advance myself creatively.” While in Vegas Bartow focused on music and gathering contacts. “I made the down south connection while there, walking the strip.” That’s when Bartow met rap artist Mississippi , someone Bartow would work with for the majority of his time in Vegas.
Now a seasoned veteran when it came to producing beats and writing lyrics, Bartow made a decision to return home to Michigan in 2006. “I wanted to pursue an education in music, also had family and friends and wanted to have a good environment for learning.” Over the span of 4 years he reconnected with artists he worked with in the past, as well as made new connections. Bartow began working on his first full length album. In the summer of 2010 upon completion of over 150 written tracks Bartow decided it was time to drop his album. On October 15th 2010, Bartow released his first album entitled, Real Life Real Hip-Hop (12 tracks).
In 2011 Bartow’s life goal came full circle when he started his own record label, AmpliVerse Records. Working out of his new well equipped home studio Bartow is in a position to have a lavish career in the music industry. “I’m searching for a new sound, taking something from everything with a hip-hop influence and creating a new genre. I’m coming to change the game.”
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