Hailing from Prince Georges County, Maryland, fashion designer Sheku Tarawallie (also known as) Sir Shek, delivers a thunderous proclamation with “From Maryland, With Love”. With a brash yet vintage 90’s flow, and scratches of a classic DJ Premier instrumental, the self-proclaimed “Phil Knight of the East” sets out to prove one thing: “No Maryland artist is beneath anyone.”
Shek has been at the helm of Swavor, a cult-classic brand founded in 2011. The brand was started with $191.78 and two tee shirts. The designer has never taken a design class nor has he ever taken a business loan or investment from anyone.
“I really wanted to build this brand from scratch, simply to defy the odds. Whether I win or lose I know that there is someone watching, admiring the courage and audacity of it all. If the mere sight of my logo can uplift spirits and make people believe, then the message has connected. That’s really all I focus on, the rest in a bonus.”
Now an award winning designer with an underground cult following, the brand has collaborated with Adidas, and most recently, Nike in late 2019. The sneaker was dedicated to Shek’s old high school in London, England. He is also a prominent member of a Maryland creative collective called, “The County Kids”.
However, with all of his design accomplishments, this is not the first time the multi-faceted creator has stepped in the ring. In 2019, we got our first taste of Sir Shek’s wit, delivery, charm and effortless flow. On “Enough”, a song with the founder of the County Kids, Bam Alexander, Shek delivers a reflective verse. As Bam paints a vivid picture of the superior option for the woman, Shek’s approach is basically telling you why you lost your girl to Bam. The song was placed on Bam Alexander’s second project, “Go Dumb”
which debuted in 2019. The project is primarily produced by Jaylen Mugz. Alexander’s first project in 2018, “When I Say Sheesh I Mean It”, was also primarily produced by Mugz.
Out of all the times Sir Shek could have debuted his first single to the world, the question remains as to why. “I love my home state man. I think we have the most talented people here. You have Bam Alexander, Jaylen Mugz, Ash, Tim Esquire, Suave’s Image, Kassim, Hasani, Baptizeee, Keys, Fayson, JAPANN DOT, Odd Mojo, Re-up Nelson, Kasey Jones, O-Slice, Piff, AKB, Anna Maze, BemiSoul, Mannywellz, Matt McGhee, Alex Vaughn, Duce MD, Yung Manny, Uno Hype, Butch Dawson, Soduh, Chaz French, PG Child, FoggieRaw, Rico Nasty, Xanman, Innanet James, Jahn Rome, Fabrizio, LATENIGHTJIGGY, Rei Ami, Kelow LaTesha, Jade Omari, Phil Ade, IDK, Lowfi, Jurdan Bryant, Shordie Shordie, Ciscero, YBN Cordae, Brent Faiyaz, April & Vista, ArtShow…I could go on for days. I am sure there are a lot of people I missed. So forgive me but this just shows how vast our talent is here. Not to mention, we have athletes, DJ’s, designers, photographers, painters, sculptures, and chefs… everyone is killing it. There are legends that come from Maryland and move to LA and never come back. We stayed behind and grinded it out. Sometimes you have to do that.”
There is no doubt that “From Maryland, with Love” is a compelling debut. If the goal was to separate himself from the pact as a creative juggernaut, he has done that. There are rumors of movie scripts, new collections, a new EP, and even a book that will be dropping in the near future. As the year unfolds, we could be seeing a lot more from the Swavor Creative Director. This single is a hell of a start. However, what seems to be the most important thing to him is putting Maryland on the map.
“It’s a risk. I am not a rapper. I understand that people will look at this, roll their eyes and dismiss it. But it’s a risk I am willing to take if it will, even for a second, shed light on what I believe is the best kept secret. And that is the County Kids, and the rest of the Maryland art scene. You can ignore us for now…but when we get in the door, we will remember.”
“From Mayland with Love.” Stream below: