Shawn Chrystopher facts for kids

Shawn Christopher Garrett II (born July 22, 1986) is an American rapper and music producer. He became well-known after releasing his first mixtape, I.W.G.: I Wear Glasses, in 2008. This project was supported by the popular clothing company LRG. Shawn has also worked with many famous artists. These include Timbaland, Yelawolf, Mike Posner, Big Sean, and Owl City.

In 2014, Shawn released three albums. The first one, Summerlove, came out on August 12, 2014. He worked with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Timbaland on this new music. Timbaland also helped produce Shawn's first official album, "The Lovestory LP". That album was released on July 23, 2013, through Shawn's own music label, Honour ROLE Music, LLC.

Early Life and Education

Shawn Chrystopher was born and grew up in Inglewood, California. His mother worked as a hospital secretary and raised him on her own. His father, a barber, worked many different jobs. Shawn's father, Shawn Garrett Sr., passed away in 2009.

Shawn was a very smart student. He skipped from kindergarten to 2nd grade. This meant he finished high school when he was only 16 years old. After graduating, Shawn received a scholarship for four and a half years. He went to the University of Southern California. There, he studied political science, which is about how governments and politics work.

Music Career Beginnings (2008-2011)

When Shawn was in school, he learned to play more than five different instruments. After his second year of high school, his God-brother used his first summer job paycheck to buy Shawn a YAMAHA QY-100. He encouraged Shawn to start making his own music.

After several years of developing his unique sound, Shawn released his "I.W.G." mixtape series. The first one, "IWG: I Wear Glasses," came out in November 2008. Over the next year, he released two more "IWG" mixtapes. These were "IWG 2: I Told You So" and "I.W.G. 3: Third Time's a Charm." Together, these mixtapes were downloaded over 300,000 times.

In the fall of 2009, Shawn released his first full album, "A City With No Seasons." He released it on his website, Honourrolestudent.com. Shawn produced most of the music on this album himself. Music websites like Okayplayer.com and HipHopOfficial.com praised the project. They called it one of the "most artistic projects of the year."

In March 2010, Shawn released his next project, "The Audition EP." Famous DJs Mick Boogie and Terry Urban helped host it. "The Audition" was downloaded over 35,000 times in its first week.

After going on two tours across the country, Shawn released his third album, "You, And Only You," in December 2010. This album was very well-received. His popular song "Catch Me If You Can" was shown on BET's 106 and Park on January 5, 2011. Shawn's music was featured in top music magazines and on TV. VIBE Magazine even covered his album release party in Times Square, New York. In the months that followed, his music videos, songs, and interviews gained over 4.5 million views online around the world.

More and more artists wanted to work with Shawn. One of these was Adam Young from Owl City. Shawn recorded two verses for the song Alligator Sky. This song was the main single on Owl City's album, All Things Bright and Beautiful, released on June 14, 2011.

On October 3, 2011, Shawn Chrystopher released his fourth free album, "Silent Films for the Blind." This album had 15 songs and was sponsored by Xbox.com. It featured other artists like Ashly, El Prez, and Mann.

The 'Lovestory' Series (2012-Present)

Shawn released the mixtape Lovestory. on July 26, 2012. This mixtape was a preview for his first official album, Lovestory LP. He released it independently through his Honour Role Music label. The mixtape included songs with GLC, Dom Kennedy, and Mann. Producer Timbaland helped guide the creation of the mixtape. By December, the mixtape had been downloaded over 100,000 times.

Shawn said that Lovestory. was not just about love between two people. It was also about the love between friends and family. It was about having a passion for a dream. The songs "One of My Homies" and "Situation" (featuring Dom Kennedy) were very popular from the mixtape.

On May 7, 2013, Shawn released his first single, "Minding My Business." It was available on iTunes and other digital music stores. The Lovestory LP album was released on July 23, 2013. It received great reviews from hip-hop blogs like HipHopDX and DJBooth.

Shawn took a break from music and social media for several months in late 2013 and early 2014. In June 2014, he started releasing new music on his SoundCloud page. He first shared songs over classic hip-hop beats, then released new original music. During his break, Shawn recorded enough songs for several albums. He announced that he would release three albums before the end of 2014. The first album, "Summerlove," was free. Timbaland was the executive producer for this album. It was released on LiveMixtapes on August 12, 2014.

Endorsement Deals

LRG Clothing

In 2009, Shawn Chrystopher signed a deal with the clothing company LRG. LRG had already supported Shawn's first two mixtapes. In July 2009, LRG featured Shawn in a full-page advertisement. This ad was part of their 10th-anniversary campaign. The ad promoted LRG's Fall 2009 clothing line. It also promoted Shawn's digital album "A City With No Seasons." The ad appeared in the August issue of XXL magazine. It was also used in online ads on many music and fashion blogs.

Xbox

On May 12, 2011, Xbox introduced Shawn Chrystopher to the gaming world. They let Shawn "take over" their social media accounts for a day. Shawn answered questions from fans about games, his upcoming music, and touring. Both Shawn and Xbox hinted that they would work together more in the future. This included more joint promotions and special Xbox items designed by Shawn.

Music Releases

Studio Albums

• A City With No Seasons (2009)
• The Lovestory LP (2013)

Mixtapes

• I Wear Glasses (2008)
• The Audition (2009)
• I Wear Glasses 2 (2009)
• You And Only You (2010)
• I Wear Glasses 3 (2011)
• Silent Films for the Blind (2011)
• Lovestory. (2012)
• Summerlove. (2014)
• N3WPRINT (2014)
• Chrys.WAV (2015)

Singles

• "Catch Me If You Can"
• "One of My Homies"
• "Minding My Business"

Featured Singles

• "Alligator Sky" (Owl City featuring Shawn Chrystopher)
• "H Town (Remix)" (GLC featuring Shawn Chrystopher)