Big Shug

Legendary within Boston’s rap underground, hardcore rapper Big Shug achieved wider recognition through his enduring ties to the duo Gang Starr and its producer, DJ Premier. Positioned as chief figure of the Gang Starr Foundation collective, Big Shug’s forceful cadence and taste for menacing rhymes—embodied by his large, imposing frame—reached peak form on Gang Starr recordings “F.A.L.A.” from the 1994 album Hard to Earn and “The Militia” from 1998’s Moment of Truth. Born Cary Guy, he passed much of his youth in Boston’s Mattapan district, known locally as “Murdapan.” After his mother left the household and his father contended with alcoholism, Guy learned to survive independently on the streets. The origins of Gang Starr itself trace to the bond he later formed with the group’s MC Guru, whom Shug guided and inspired to begin rhyming. Yet involvement in Boston’s violent, drug-filled streets led to Shug’s incarceration, while Guru relocated to New York and launched Gang Starr with DJ Premier. Released from prison, Shug found motivation in the duo’s accomplishments; Guru and Premier repaid the respect by placing him on every Gang Starr album, beginning with Hard to Earn in 1994. Throughout the 1990s he issued several DJ Premier-produced 12-inch singles on Payday and Chrysalis, though his first proper album, Who’s Hard, did not surface until 2005, well over a decade into his career, and drew heavily on those decade-old recordings. In 2007 he joined indie rap imprint Babygrande for the follow-up Streetchamp, entrusting most production to Canadian newcomer MoSS while retaining only a few beats from DJ Premier.