Perry “P Swagger” Shedd believes in “gettin’ to it.”
As an artist and owner of both a record label and clothing company, Shedd resonates with the lyrics of his favorite rapper, Jay-Z, when he said, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business man.”
“It’s a saying called ‘gettin’ to it’ and what that means is whatever you’re doing you’re getting to it, if you’re motivated to do it you’re going to do it,” said Shedd. “If you’re working hard, you’re getting to it.”
Shedd began his music career in 2004, shortly after high school. He recalls first performing on Library Mall with a group he formed with friends.
“I just felt like already knew how to perform, it came naturally to me, but just having a crowd and people knowing your music it was a different experience,” Shedd said. “It’s a difference when you actually feel like you touched somebody with your music and somebody can relate to you with your lyrics, it’s a good feeling to see somebody recite your lyrics with you.”
After the group disbanded in 2007 he went on to invest seriously in his career and pursue his artistry full time.
As an artist he has performed with alongside DMX, Shawna from the Disturbing the Peace, and Day26. He’s also done concerts in New York City and Los Angeles.
His music focuses on his experiences being a Black man in America as it relates to anything from police brutality and civil rights to family values.
“I make everything for the human experience. I don’t just do party music or gangster music,” Shedd said. “I hit all points.”
Beyond his artistry Shedd is a business major at Madison College and he runs his own record label, 747 Music, LLC. He is his own artist.
“I can control my own destiny and everything that I work for,” he said. “I can get the full worth of myself. No one will believe in you more than yourself. You also get your own creative control over your artistry.”
Shedd also owns men’s and women’s clothing lines called Shawty Gettin’ 2 It and Homie Gettin’ 2 It. The clothing lines sell urban athletic wear and were inspired by his upcoming single “Shawty Gettin’ 2 It.”
As someone who has been involved in the local Hip Hop scene for over a decade Shedd has seen a change over time.
“When I started rapping there wasn’t a lot of resources and structures, people didn’t even know how to get a performance or where to perform,” he said. “Now everyone is doing it and contributing to the energy and there are bigger platforms for people to display their talent.”
He notes the progress of the community at present but also recognizes the room for improvement.
“We have a lot of segregation and we need to bridge these gaps between artists and understand there is power in numbers,” Shedd said. If we work together our chances of having a voice in the city are greater.”
The need for unification and a more amplified collective voice is what draws Shedd to the work UCAN and lead to his involvement in tonight’s 808s in the 608 Hip Hop festival.
“I appreciate UCAN for fighting for Hip Hop in Madison and being that voice and teaching us how to be that voice for ourselves,” he said, noting its need amidst some discrimination against the genre from local venues and bars.
“We have a variety of artist and content that’s going to on the stage this Saturday and this will show that Hip Hop is not something that terrorizes the town but something that brings people together.”
Shedd hopes to continue to see growth that will eventually take local Hip Hop and its artists to new heights.
“I hope to see more artist get nationwide exposure and I hope we can give an artist enough support from our city to get them the exposure they deserve,” he said.
