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Artist Bio

Born Sherard Duvall in Columbia, S.C., at eight years old, “Shekeese” discovered his love for filmmaking, crafting his first script about a stamp’s journey. However, it was Hip-Hop that first captivated him, igniting a lifelong passion for the culture after an early encounter with LL Cool J.

At 15, he launched his hip-hop career, initially DJing basement and backyard parties. By 16, with his first Technics 1200s, “Shekeese Tha Beast” emerged. Exploding onto the scene in 1996 during his senior year, he began DJing on Columbia’s WWDM and Hot 103.9FM at 17, eventually spinning on radio stations along the East Coast from New York to Florida. He released several mixtapes and made appearances on BET with DJ Shakim at SC State’s Homecoming and MTV’s “Spring Break” in Myrtle Beach the same year.

In 1998, as a freshman at the University of South Carolina, he co-founded the “NonStop Hip-Hop” radio show on WUSC 90.5FM with DJ Kingpin. This evolved into “NonStop HipHop Live!”, a weekly event showcasing hip-hop culture. During this period, Shekeese partnered with SC Hip-Hop icon Fat Rat Da Czar, becoming his manager and DJ. Czar, along with LJ Chisholm, later joined NonStop Hip-Hop Live, leading to the establishment of the nonprofit Love Peace and Hip-Hop in 2013. Their “World Famous Hip-Hop Family Day” became one of South Carolina’s largest music festivals, annually drawing over 20,000 attendees to Columbia’s Main Street.

Also in 1998, as an African-American History minor and Media Arts Film major, Shekeese began exploring film as a creative expression. After graduating in 2001, he gained experience as a Production Assistant at Mad Monkey and later as an editor at Genesis Studios in Cayce, South Carolina, starting in 2004. At Genesis, he honed his filmmaking skills, becoming an accomplished editor, director, and producer for commercial and documentary projects for clients including VH1, Discovery Channel, and ESPN. In 2009, Shekeese transitioned to full-time filmmaking, expanding his expertise to include Media Literacy and Film Education. By 2013, he was appointed Director of Media Education at the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbia, SC.

Shekeese has also dedicated himself to community work, serving on boards for organizations like the Columbia Economic Development Corporation and the City of Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals, and advising groups such as SCETV and Historic Columbia. His leadership and contributions have been recognized through numerous fellowships, including the 2022 SC Arts Commission Fellow, 2023 Aspen Global Leadership Fellow, 2021 Liberty Fellow, and 2016 Riley Fellow, among others. In 2012, he established OTR Films, guided by FatRat Da Czar. This led to the 2018 launch of OTR Media Group, a nonfiction entertainment, media literacy, and media strategy house. The B2B media solutions firm based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Today, Sherard “Shekeese” Duvall is a film and messaging professional based in Columbia, S.C and remains a passionate ambassador of South Carolina Hip-Hop culture. He is currently developing “Blaktastik: Celebrating South Carolina’s Creative Black Culture,” a documentary shorts series.

Artist Statement

Storytelling has been an intrinsic part of my life for over four decades, with 22 years dedicated to professional filmmaking in South Carolina. My journey began in third grade at Hyatt Park Elementary, where a simple assignment to personify an inanimate object sparked my realization that I perceived stories as moving pictures. This foundational experience cemented visual storytelling, or filmmaking, as my chosen art form.

At the heart of my work lies the concept of identity. I believe social and cultural identity is inextricably linked to power dynamics, value systems, and ideology. Facets of identity—such as gender, social class, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, and disability—profoundly shape our understanding and experience of the world, influencing both opportunities and challenges. My filmmaking strives to make work that uplifts humanity, is aesthetically beautiful, and tells untold stories of people who reflect my own experiences, resonating universally. Many narratives from the South, particularly concerning South Carolina African American culture, have been confined. My films aim to redefine and expand these narratives, which I see as the core strength of my work.

My work also explores what the “hip, cool, Black progressive community of South Carolina looks like – now and in the future.” My work is also far from “traditional” documentary; it’s an exploration of questions rather than answers, embracing messiness and experimentation. I lean heavily into Afrofuturism, not just conceptually, but through collaborations with artists like Gullah Geechee writer Eden Royce, Charleston native Concept Rxch, an Afrofuturist mixed-media artist, or AI futurist and environment developer Jessica Boyd…all current or recent collaborators of mine.

The landscapes themselves—the modernity of Charleston and Charleston, juxtaposed with the earthiness of Summerton and St. Helena—are characters, filmed to convey their distinct sensibilities. My work strives to capture the brightness and warmth of rural South Carolina, while fast-paced editing and nighttime cityscapes punctuate the cool darkness of city life here.

I believe my work is an opportunity for the outside world to explore how this current generation of Black South Carolinians defines itself for the future, seen through the eyes of a young native Black South Carolina creator. It speaks to a new era of African Americans from this place who are actively shaping their identity, creating cultural vehicles that ensure our heritage thrives, evolves, and demonstrates its diverse applications across communities.