I Left a Mess in There: Every Song Has a Story

St. Petersburg, FL, native, Rashad "Shadcore" Harrell, is a lyricist, published author, and songwriter. His music is thought-provoking and contains a considerable amount of density that separates him from many of his counterparts. Witty rhymes, messages of real-life themes and superior storytelling is what makes Shadcore the emcee that he is. His latest album, I Left a Mess in There, was such an important album that he chose to write a book to accompany it. The book, "I Left a Mess in There: Every Song Has a Story," tells the story behind the creative process in the making of the album. Dungeon Family's very own Big Rube, who delivers the foreword for the book, said, " Not too many artists couple entire books to go along with their album; that's definitely a boss move on his part!"Shadcore fell in love with hip-hop music in the early 80s, when an older cousin gave him a cassette tape that included songs from Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J., The Fat Boys, Whodini and U.T.F.O. At just 9 years old, he began writing his own rhymes. As years passed, he continued working on his craft, competing in talent shows and eventually recording music. One decision that he made in his teen years still holds true to this day - Shadcore refrains from the use of profanity in his lyrics, making for music that the entire family can enjoy, from age 8 to 88.In 2014, Shadcore set out to write his first book, "I Wanna Rap Right Now!" The book takes a comprehensive look into the art of emceeing. He felt compelled to write about the topic after noticing a decline in the appreciation for the craft of rhyming that was taking place in the industry at that time. Shadcore has been featured, twice, in VH-1's Freestyle59 competition, won a brand-new car in a jingle-writing contest and had his music featured in Kevin Hart's animated series, Lil Kev, on BET+, along with his songwriting group, Soul Supply.Shadcore is on a mission to release as much music as possible, joining forces with some of his most frequent collaborators, to form multiple side projects. His plan is to inspire his peer group, as well as the generations to come, to continue pursuing their passions, despite obstacles and circumstances. Learn more at shadcore.com

Autumn is an encouraging editor, reluctant writer and avid reader. She founded Middlestory Editing Services to help writers bring their dreams to life. Learn more at yourmiddlestory.com

Marlon McCaulsky is an African American author and screenplay writer of Fiction, Romance and Science Fiction. He is known for his novels about contemporary African American life. Marlon was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in St. Petersburg, FL. He is a graduate of the International Academy of Design and Technology Tampa. His latest novel, "A Tricky Situation," is available now.