By J.A. Jones, Contributor
Shadcore is a local legend in Tampa Bay music scene.
Rasheed “Shadcore” Harrell, aka Shadcore, is a Tampa hip hop scene staple who recently released his new book, I Left a Mess in There.
Born in Lakewood, New Jersey, and raised in St. Petersburg, Harrell is a family man, “married to my lovely wife of 27 years, Tonya Harrell,” he shared in a recent online interview. The proud father of three adult children, Jaire, Tasanee, and Kailey, along with a “wonderful daughter-in-love,” Alyana Harrell, and granddaughter, Athens Amor Harrell, at “50 years young,” Harrell is still well on “go.”
Shadcore performing
Currently finishing up his final semester, en route to becoming an ESE Teacher for Pinellas County Schools, in I Left a Mess in There, the hip hop artist-turned-author said that readers will get a “comprehensive look into how a classic hip-hop album was made. They’ll understand the inspiration behind song titles, subject choices, and so much more.”
“The inspiration to write this book came from people losing a connection to the music. This allowed me to reconnect listeners with the music and to rediscover why they fell in love with it in the first place,” he noted.
Harrell relayed that he desires for readers to “search within themselves to see how they can leave impactful ‘messes’” in their own lives and the lives of others. In this case, “leaving a mess isn’t about destruction. It’s about shaking things up and leaving your footprint behind.”
Harrell said his artistic output – emcee to author – is inextricably connected. “My career as an emcee is totally tied to the book. You don’t get the book or the insight without the passion and experience in creating the music. They go hand in hand. I’m not sure I would have discovered an interest in being an author if I didn’t first fall in love with writing songs,” he added.
Readers and listeners can get a subscription for a small monthly fee and gain access to the private, online book club, “Inside The Mess,” starting in March. They will take a deeper dive into the book, where Harrell will be covering each song and chapter monthly, and receive early and exclusive access to new material, archived and unreleased songs, and discounts on select merchandise. For a higher price, subscribers will receive everything in the first tier, as well as an entry into a bi-annual raffle “to get a customized song made personally by me,” shared Harrell.
The Tampa rap legend shared that the BET Plus show, “Lil Kev,” received an NAACP Image Award nomination, and his songwriting group, Soul Supply, had three songs placed in the show. “Two of the songs in the 8th episode are actually featured and sung by the animated band known as The Scintillations,” he noted. “So, we can now confidently say that our music was featured in an NAACP Image Award-nominated series – I think that’s pretty dope,” he acknowledged.
Shadcore at Nubian Bookstore
Harrell was recently invited to Atlanta to be a guest on Khujo Goodie’s (of the legendary Goodie Mob) and DJ Papi’s (Goodie Mob’s touring dj) podcast, “Showtime Atlanta.” “I was able to talk about the album and the book, as well as kick a freestyle on air. Also, while I was there, I visited a Black-owned bookstore named Nubian Bookstore. The owner purchased some copies so, print copies are now available in Atlanta,” he added.
Get more info and access at his websites: shadcore.com/mess-makers and harrellbooks.com, and follow him at IG: @shadcoreofficial FB: facebook.com/shadcore1 and YT: @maltrease. You can email him at shadcore92@gmail.com.
Tory Howard aka Jay Grey aka Legal Alien
Tory Jelani Howard, better known as Jay, or by his emcee name, Jay Grey aka Legal Alien, was born in Wilson, NC, and relocated to St. Pete in 2017. The 47-year-old emcee-turned-author recently shared about his book, Behind the Wheel, 6000 Rides Later: Confessions of an Uber Driver, in an online interview.
Howard related that the book is based on his experience and is also inspired by the 90s HBO series, “Taxi Cab Confessions.”
“After reading my book, readers learn that driving Uber is a lot like other service industry jobs – where you wear multiple hats like confidant, therapist, friend, and even security,” noted Howard.
He observed that “people sometimes confuse you with an extension of the app, rather than a person giving them a ride, until you show them your human side.”
Realizing that people often climbed into his Uber with the comment, “I know you meet some interesting people,” Howard decided to share his stories. “The number one question they would ask was ‘Has anyone ever got in your car drunk, and threw up all over the place?” 
The artist said he wanted to let people know that not only was he someone with a multitude of varying experiences and dimensions, but that he could also “tell stories about driving people around and make it interesting.” He also believed people could relate to his stories, “whether rider, driver, or curious reader.”
Howard has “been in love with hip hop since I first heard it,” and while he’s been recording off and on since the early 2000s, he just recently began showcasing his skills publicly.
He acknowledged that his emcee career directly relates to his new book. “Rhyming and MCing is basically taking words and making them interesting to the listener. I also do this with the book by relating dialogue between rider and driver while making that interesting but in a slightly different way.”
Jay Grey aka Legal Alien performing at FloridaRAMA
Still actively making music and performing as Jay Grey aka Legal Alien, he has “much more music on the way,” including an “ absolute hit that I’m going to drop soon, so stay tuned.” If you want to catch him performing, he’ll be live at the Urban Drinkery on the 28th of February.
Howard’s book is available on most book apps, including Apple Books, Smashwords, and Barnes&Noble.
Visit his website, www.jaygrey.com for updates on the release of the print copy, and follow him on Instagram at @jaygreyakalegalalien on Instagram and TikTok.
