Date Signed: November 2021
Label: NoName Recordings/Interscope
Type of Music: Rapping/Singing
Management: N/A
Booking: N/A
Legal: N/A
Publicity: [email protected]
Web: N/A
A&R: Cyrus Taghipour
California-based artist Shady Blu was simply having fun when she started rapping in high school. Although the singer laid down her first recording in 2016, it wasn’t until 2020 that she decided to get serious. If she was going to give good game, she needed an engineer. By way of solving this problem, she searched Instagram.
One possibility that popped up was Derek Ali. Professionally known as MixedByAli, Blu had no reason to believe the multi-Grammy winner known for collaborations with performers like Schoolboy Q, Nipsey Hussle, and Kendrick Lamar would be open to working with her. Still, following a link within Ali’s bio led her to a website, engineears.com, which included a submission form. There was no reason for not shooting her shot, so she passed along her song, “Dream$.”
Surprisingly, Ali reached out. “He told me to come up to the studio,” says the newcomer. The pro immediately began helping develop her sound. “We’ve been locked in ever since.”
Four or five months passed before the engineer offered to sign her to his label, NoName Recordings, which was just taking shape. Making this more fortuitous is that Ali was busy securing a partnership with Interscope. Although this association sweetened the proposition, Blu insists she would have inked with her mentor regardless, especially considering the creative freedom she’s being afforded. “I feel like it’s the perfect fit,” the singer enthuses.
Her track “Jealousy,” the label’s first drop in conjunction with Interscope, was also accompanied by a slickly produced video.
When it comes to following in her footsteps, Blu advises others to remain cautious. “Don’t jump into the first contract you get,” she warns. “Always take your time. And make sure you have lawyers and people you trust. Let your music grow, so you can see what label fits. Once you get to that point, you should be fine.”
You can anticipate Blu’s debut EP bumping from speakers sometime soon.
