Shawn Lov - The G.O.D.

The “G.O.D. LP” and ‘That’s What’s Up’ Vinyl released under Cha Ching Records (Tony’s Label) in 1998 were decidedly less successful projects than Tony’s earlier work- Still, the internet popularity of songs such as “The Lov Doctor,” “Wack Emcees Get Murdered Day,” “I’m Pathetic,” and many other songs featured on “The G.O.D.” was the exposure that led me to sign a deal with Australian label Nuffsaid Records in 2003. Since then I have experienced modest success with the releases “The Blackout of 1977 (2004)” and “Waiting For A Ghost (2007)” on which Tony contributed beats and verses. If it were not for Tony D’s 2-year push- I may never have made the connections necessary or created the buzz I needed to maintain my humble, if not consistent presence as a working artist in Underground Hip-Hop. Tony played a much bigger role in my career than I in his.

In 1997 I went from being a lifetime fan of Tony D (WPRB, YZ, PRT, All the Trenton classics) to a collaborator. Although I heard of Tony from the local rappers and R&B artists who worked with him as well as my father Ed Livernoche who also owned a studio in the Trenton area, I never met him in person until 1996. I met Tony when I was a waiter at Applebees and he came in with his girlfriend- and from rapping for him during the lunch rush (almost losing my job) I managed to convince him to help me out shopping a demo- which later turned into the album “The G.O.D.” From there we became friends and worked on a lot more material over the years—but by the time Tony and I hooked up, (97’) both the local and global climate for Hip-Hop had made a lot of changes neither of us were really too happy about... We went in our own direction. I am very proud of all the work we have done together and so was Tony D. His production on everything from The G.O.D. album, as well as the more recent WB LP can be listed among some of his best work as a beatsmith- and his verses scorched the mic at Skylab, Studio 4, and later in his home studio. There are some funny/interesting stories that go along with the recording of this LP... I will tell some when I have more time.