The story of Five Eighty is not the glamorous story of a pimp or a crack dealer. This is the story of a man who made it out despite the elements around him.
Amir Abdul-Shakur was born in San Francisco. He was raised in Oakland during the 80's in the aftermath of the crack epidemic. Like too many Black males, he was raised in a broken home. His mother worked hard to raise him and his older sister well as she struggled with a heroine addiction. She was a functional addict who made sure she kept a job and kept them well fed and in school. His name, Five Eighty is taken from a notorious interstate that weaves its way through the City of Dope. His life and his rhymes have always been a reflection of the streets.
After his mother died when he was thirteen, he moved to Long Beach to stay with his father. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School (same school as Snoop Dogg, Warren G and many others). It was there, where he did his first performance at a school rally. He was bitten by the bug to rock the mic, and since then has never looked back. Five Eighty found himself attracted to battle ciphers and used rap as a legitimate path away from gangs. His neighborhood was infested with gangs such as the Insane Crips and Rollin' 20's Crips, "I did not wanna get affiliated with it. Really, Hip-Hop saved me from that. I got respect through rhymin', so people left me alone. I remember a few instances where cats were fixin' to whoop on me, but when they realized I rapped, they left me alone and I was cool". Days after graduating, he moved back to Northern California, eventually settling back in Oakland.
Over the last few years Five Eighty spent his days mentoring youth in the East Bay. By night, he was ripping mics on the mixtape scene and hitting stages from Chicago to NY and LA paying his dues. Eventually, he felt it was time to drop an LP. He decided to name his LP Dream, out of respect for Bay Area graffiti legend King Dream. King Dream was a graffiti pioneer who was murdered in cold blood in 2000. Five Eighty saw some of King Dreams work while catching the train on his way to the airport. He was inspired not only by the artwork itself, but the idea of daring to dream of positivity while surrounded by chaos.
"People get so bombarded with life, that they push their dreams aside. But they have to remember it’s still important to Dream. You can still make them happen" he says.
Influenced by a diverse sea of artists from De La Soul and E-40 to Busta Rhymes and Spice 1, Five Eighty has an eclectic approach to Hip-Hop. His tracks are always raw and soulful without being overly preachy.
On the song "Secrets" he says:
I'm just a product of single homes, pops never there
So I grew without a care cuz life isn't fair
Now I stare at my dreams in the valley of Kings,
Incarcerated, sedated by the powers that be,
I'm a young Huey P., Cuz I say what I feel,
Times is ill, kids hella scared to be real,
Like a young Emmitt Till, I'm just trying to get home,
And if I die right now, all I leave is my poems,
A black boy deep in the zone, freeing his dome,
Not talking bout chrome, big pimpin and bromes.
Not talking bout red bone chicks in my home,
But a life about struggle, hustle, dying alone,
This is it, with only one chance to shine,
The Lord ain't forget us, he just taking his time
Despite the title, listeners can expect a heavy dose of reality inside Five Eighty's debut.
"My moms did drugs" he said. "I've seen its effect on my family. I despise drug dealers. They helped my mom kill herself. I don't look at cats on the block as glamorous or role models. That’s why I chose not to rap about the same "I'm a D boy, blah-blah-blah. Remember that dope fiend you sold drugs to with that baby in her arms? I'm that baby."
Five Eighty is available for immediate bookings.
For further inquiries please contact:
Nancy Abdul-Shakur, Management
Phone: (510) 375-6311
Email: Squarebearmusic@gmail.com
