Page 83 - Flaunt 175 - Diana

SHECK WES
for sheck wes, the youngest in the room, life’s purpose is about
authenticity and being a man of your word. “I’m from New
York,” he says, “and everybody from New York is all tied into music, sports, fashion, because we get fly, we play ball.” Wes, who currently plays professional basketball for Paris Basketball, of
the LNB Pro B league, recounts iconic moments in the industry where musicians formed basketball leagues that truly solidified the relationship between the two worlds. “What’s normal to me is
like, extraordinary,” he remarks on the culture he lives and breaths. “Some- times it’s pretty unordinary for people outside of New York, but in the city, so many kids just like me.”
That may be true, but how many of those kids will ever walk fashion shows, enter the NBA draft, and create music that engulfs an entire space. Sheck’s multi-disciplinary lifestyle is one fueled by community and commu- nication. It’s about energy, giving his full self, and shifting the atmosphere. The atmosphere got a serious taste
in 2017 with track “Mo Bamba”, and Scheck would later release his debut record, Mudboy, in October of 2018. “Part of being an artist is being vulner- able,” he tells me. As he details the in- terconnected aspects of this discipline, he continues on to say, “For me to be able to do all these things, you know, I’ve been blessed. It’s big for me and where I’m from, and I never let it go over my head. It’s not just like a one by one thing, right? It’s like, all in all, not one thing is defined to me. Everything is amazing.”
Sheck’s charming personality is on full display as he cracks jokes and encourages the others throughout
the afternoon. Like a true athlete, he shows good sportsmanship and knows his role. “I’ve just been prepared in all the correct ways,” he says about the ex- perience we’re witnessing on set. This shoot is a big deal for each participant, but much like what Bloody said earlier: it’s just life. A life full of promise not only to himself but to his people. Born to Senegalese parents, Sheck’s ties to other landscapes stretches far beyond his NYC stomping grounds, and he fully intends on extending his reach, “All around the world too. In all my hoods, in Senegal, my hoods in New York, anywhere.”
The 22-year-old rapper contin- ues to talk about consistency within his new world and how he’s grown.
He compares his time in the industry thus far to what would have been four college years since he was discovered at 18. “I’m just at a whole different point now—just growth, learning, having ups, having downs, and just learning that every down is an up, you know. Every up is an up. Everything
is just up.” He continues with a very Californian metaphor: “I look at myself like a Red Wood tree. I compare myself to a tree, you know? Whose roots are forever lasting. Whose trunk is super strong and branches are well amassed. I look at myself as a very strong tree with many fruits.” These fruits recent-
ly meant a tease of Hell 2 Paradise, Scheck’s forthcoming follow up to Mudboy. As an artist, his entire being is his work, and he’s continuously sharpening his tools. “My art isn’t like a character,” he concludes resolutely. “I’m actually Sheck, I didn’t choose to be something different. Growing up, that was what people really called me, so I just always knew to stay and be myself, and that is my art.”
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