Shawn Lov "The Monterey Rap King" [EP]

1. The Monterey Rap King

2. Tough Love

3. Carmel Canyons

4. L Shaped Clouds

5. Pacific Grove

6. Fish Fossils

NJ based Shawn Lov released his 1st LP in '94 and has been hard at work ever since. Since then he has opened for Mobb Deep, Big Pun, & ODB, appeared on the Jenny Jones Show, collaborated with legendary Hip-Hop producer Tony D, topped the charts of mp3 .com, published books, partnered with NuffSaid and brought his music to an international audience, received praise by Rolling Stone magazine & more!

Shawn Lov is a legendary underground MC hailing from Trenton, New Jersey. The Monterey Rap King EP IS Shawn Lov’s 17th official rap album since 1989, and his first dedicated project in many years.

Monterey sits on California’s rocky central coast, surrounded by other historic coastal towns like Pacific Grove, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, and the world famous Pebble Beach. Beyond its inspired natural beauty, it is best known as the home of Cannery Row which was made famous by author John Steinbeck.

Monterey is also a destination tightly associated with a myriad of American icons. Writers John Steinbeck and Jack Kerouac, photographer Ansel Adams, artist Salvador Dali, musicians such as Jimmy Hendrix, and entertainers like Clint Eastwood have called it home. However... an extensive survey of sources has never turned up any history relative to Hip-Hop.

Middle-aged East Coast battle rapper Shawn Lov moved with his family to Monterey several years ago and bought a house with a small studio space 5 mins to the ocean. Inspired by the energetic backdrop of the Monterey area, Shawn Lov teamed up with long-time collaborator and super producer RAIDEN (Shawn’s partner in Metal Gear Beats) to craft Monterey’s first known rap album coming from an established artist.

The Monterey Rap King EP is a raw, impassioned take on what it feels like to start at the bottom, and then level up in life just enough to get a small taste of what beauty, wonder, and adventure the truly wealthy in this country experience. Hip-Hop expression from a seasoned MC who finds himself out of sync with the extreme progressive and activism driven culture of California which is unfamiliar to a hardened East Coaster.

Both local and outsider, aging Hip-Hop head to the core, and unapologetically 80’s and 90’s- Shawn Lov is a veteran performer and writer, businessman, teacher, barber, father, and now- The Monterey Rap King.