Shyheim – born Shyheim Franklin on November 14, 1977, in Staten Island, New York – is a rapper and actor best known for his association with Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and the Wu-Tang Clan. He began rapping at a young age, releasing his debut album AKA the Rugged Child in 1994 when he was just 16 years old. The album reached Number 52 on the Billboard 200 chart and Number 7 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. His rapping style impressed critics and fellow hip-hop artists like Jay-Z, who praised him in his autobiography, Decoded. Shyheim’s next album, The Lost Generation, was released in 1996 and was also a hit, reaching Number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. He performed and/or recorded with other R&B and hip-hop artists such as Fugees, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Big Daddy Kane, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Jay-Z, Sauce Money, Scoob, and others. Shyheim’s acting career began in 1996 with appearances in the films Original Gangstaz and The Preacher’s Wife. He made appearances in several more films including In Too Deep (1999). His third album Manchild (1999) was released on Wu-Tang Records, but it took another five years before he released his next album, The Greatest Story Never Told (2004). Four years later, Shyheim released Enter the Bottom (2008), quickly followed by Disrespectfully Speaking (2009), but neither album was a commercial success. Things got worse for Shyheim in January 2014 when he was involved with a hit-and-run accident that left one person dead. In August of 2014, he plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. On January 6, 2020, he was released from prison after serving only five years.
