Music – New Orleans

Shannon Briggs (ShayBriggs) was born in Wilkinsburg, PA, a small suburb right outside of Pittsburgh. Growing up her parents tried to shun her from hip hop and rap music because of its explicit lyrics and derogatory messages. This is what inspired Shay to start writing her own music because she was always fascinated by the world play and rhymes in hip hop. Shay started playing around with rhymes when she was in middle school and would spend all her free time sneaking into the art building to make beats and record songs. In high school her hobby grew into a passion and now Shay is making her music a career. Influenced by her faith in God and some of her favorite artists, Shay strives to make her content modern and meaningful. She says, “Don’t get me wrong. I love a good party song to dance and work out to; however, hip hop is much more then hype party songs. I wasn’t designed to be an advertisement for money, chains, cars, etc. It was created as an outlet for emotion and a tool used to empower the oppressed. It’s time that we bring more of that meaning back into hip hop, particularly through Female MC’s.” Shay is also currently working on receiving her degree in Music Industry Studies from Loyola University of New Orleans. With each day that passes Shay makes a step forward in achieving her dreams.