MC Spice The Legend is an RIAA Gold and Platinum songwriter and music producer, credited for his writing and production on the multi-platinum debut and sophomore albums by Mark ‘Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch’ Wahlberg.
Born September in South Carolina, Amir ‘MC Spice The Legend’ Shakir also has extensive knowledge of the broadcasting industry and began his career in radio as an intern at Boston’s now-defunct WILD-AM 1090. Mentored on voiceovers and broadcast production by Ray Thomas, Amir founded SpiceRadio Incorporated in 1986 and created Hiphop-inspired radio advertisements and imaging. Elroy Smith, former Morning Show Host and Program Director of WILD, nurtured Amir’s talent and cultivated his radio skills during the internship. Amir credits his success in music and radio to Elroy, calling him “my mentor and big brother.”
During his time at WILD, Amir contemplated attending Massachusetts College of Arts for Graphic Arts, Cartooning and Animation studies. Instead, he signed a recording deal with Atlantic Records in 1986, making him the first rapper in the nation to do so. and the first rapper in Boston to sign a major label deal. His producers Lawrence ‘Larry Woo’ Wedgeworth and Gordon ‘Megabucks’ Worthy had gotten several artists signed to Atlantic, and took Amir – their only rapper – under their wings. During his internship at WILD, Amir influenced Elroy Smith to include Hiphop music on the station and the radio show ‘The Thunderstorm’ was born. Amir went on to create Rap jingles for the New England Patriots’ 1985 season, Governor Dukakis’ ‘Say No To Drugs’ radio campaign and the historic convenience store, A Nubian Notion.
In 1987, Amir founded the TV show ‘Strickly Hiphop’ with his brother and partner Al McFarland(Sweety’s Entertainment). The TV show still airs today and is the first and longest-running uncensored Hiphop video program to air on Boston’s BNN-TV Channel 23 (Saturdays, 11pm). In the face of adversity from City Councilor Jerry P. McDermott and the Boston Police, Amir and McFarland fought to maintain their right to free speech and free expression. Fifteen years later, Amir added Rocsi Diaz to Strickly Hiphop and groomed the former radio host for television. By 2007, Rocsi was hired by B.E.T.’s Stephen Hill to host 106 & Park and she has since done work with Entertainment Tonight.
Amir furthered his dual career juggling Hiphop music with Radio Imaging and Broadcast Production. As Creative Consultant to Clear Channel’s Hiphop and R&B stations, Spice’s voiceovers were heard on radio stations all over the country, including WUSL/Power 99FM in Philadelphia, WOWI/103 Jamz in Virginia, and Hot 106 in Providence. He also voiced images and bumpers for WBOT in Boston, WPGC-AM in D.C., and radio stations in the South and Southwest regions.
Under the tutelage and guidance of Steve Crumbley, Spice continued to promote the awareness of Hiphop Culture when he created and hosted WOWI-FM/Norfolk’s first Hiphop radio show Ya Mammaz Rapp Sho with co-host and deejay, the late Lawrence ‘Kool DJ Law’ Brown. The show was also aired in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. Soon after, Spice became the first Creative Director for WOWI-FM and guided the station through a twelve-year, number one streak.
With Delta SkyMiles racking up, Spice flew back and forth from Virginia to Boston to work on the Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch albums for Interscope Records. Spice served as Creative Director and Producer for the album, writing the number one platinum hit ‘Good Vibrations'. Spice
also wrote and produced Mark’s platinum follow-up single ‘Wildside’, and four other songs on the double-platinum album, as well as four songs on Mark’s sophomore album. The music propelled Wahlberg to superstardom as a Hollywood actor (Departed, Transformers, Patriot’s Day, The Shooter).
Spice performed the song ‘Peace’ with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch for the 1991 HBO Pay-Per-View special. Later, WPGC-AM tapped Spice to host the morning show on the world’s first Hiphop and Go-Go radio station, Flava 1580. Spice and his partner Damon Williams (Vice President/Music Choice) boosted Hiphop sales in the D.C. market and merged the two genres and cultures via on-air and live events with the short-lived radio station.
In 1998, Amir’s radio imaging skills got the attention of WUSL/Philadelphia Operations Manager, Dave Allan, who took on Amir to consult the Creative aspects of Power 99FM. “Amir’s work single-handedly brought Power 99 from number 6 to number 1 in the market”, proclaimed Allan.
In a 2004 interview with Billboard Magazine’s Dana Hall, WUSL’s Program Director Helen Little called Amir “the best radio producer. PERIOD.”
Amir is very selective of musical artists he works with, and he works closely with vocal coach Darcie Wicknick and producer Tracey Spence (Teddy Riley) on upcoming Hiphop and R&B music projects.
Through traditional and non-traditional marketing strategies, Amir helped to promote and market the music of artists such as LL Cool J, Kelly Price, Method Man, Jeru Da Damaga, Ice Cube, Ice T, Brownstone, Boss, NWA, Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-One and labels such as Def Jam, Warner Brothers, Gee Street, Menes Music, Priority Records, Capitol Records, Ruthless Records, Interscope Records, and Death Row Records.
Amir’s voice became synonymous with Hiphop Culture, as his company secured clients such as Wendy Williams; Howard Stern; Allen Iverson; Duce Staley; TV One; Radio One; Cumulus Broadcasting; Interactive One; Willie McGinest; The Gallery Nightclub; Calloway Entertainment; Ron Perry Clothing; Shadows Nightclub; Stoke’s Honda; Phat Farm; Rally’s Hamburgers; Black Comedy Explosion, Baby Phat Goddess; and countless radio stations, and clients.
Through his company, Shakir Multimedia Business Consulting, Amir is a Marketing and Business Consultant for various musical artists, event promoters, corporations, recording labels and nonprofit organizations. He is Creative Director and founder of BlackBerry Radio Incorporated, the Internet radio conglomerate with 100 music genres. The company once consisted of only BlackBerry Soul Radio until Amir’s wife and CEO Cashawna ‘Cash the Stylist’ Shakir created the sister stations in 2013, adding over 100 genres of music and radio stations to the lineup. The two also host the radio and TV show ‘Love Never Fails’, where they offer relationship advice and play love songs. The radio show airs Sunday-Thursday and features ‘the happier side of Love Songs’ from all genres of music.
Amir starred as an extra in the 1986 film ‘A Case of Deadly Force’ which starred Richard Crenna and John Shea. The film detailed the homicide of a Black man in Roxbury’s Orchard Park in 1975 at the hands of the Boston Police. Amir was cast in the film by famed casting director Carolyn Pickman of CP Casting. Amir’s acting skills were groomed by then Theater Arts Director Steven Sidel of South Boston High School, where he attended when he snagged the small role.
In 2002, Amir played lead roles in the Ed Bullins plays ‘Clara’s Old Man’ and ‘The Corner’; both directed by acclaimed Boston playwright and director Jaqui Parker. He was also co-lead in the Harper Lee play ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at the Gloucester Stage Theater in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In the short music film ‘Wildside’, Amir acted alongside Mark Wahlberg, playing Willie Bennett, the man wrongfully accused of the 1989 murder of a pregnant Carol DiMaiti Stuart, wife of Charles Stewart. The music video depicted the notoriously racist profiling of the Boston Police, who believed Stewart’s fabricated story until Stewart jumped off Boston’s Tobin Bridge in 1990.
A community activist, Amir Shakir is a social justice advocate and community organizer. Amir is dedicated to promoting the awareness of Mental Health in the Black community; youth violence prevention and Diabetes Awareness.
He taught Social Justice as an elective at the Roxbury Charter High School; successfully campaigned for the unanimous election of Boston’s State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, a seat she has held since 2009. Amir also advocates for father’s rights in Family Court, through BlackBerry Radio’s My Family Advocate program and has helped change the dynamics of the family court system. In fact, Massachusetts Family Court contempt forms now include missed Parenting Time.
Amir served on the board of director as Creative Director for the nonprofit low-power radio station, Touch 106.1FM and hosted ‘The Big Morning Thing’ morning show with comedian Jonathan Gates. When the Federal Communication Commission threatened to remove the station’s antenna and broadcasting equipment, Amir led a protest on the front lawn of the FCC’s Quincy, Massachusetts offices denouncing the organization’s unfair regulations against low power FM radio stations. The FCC backed down and never showed again for nearly five years.
For twenty years, Amir served as Minister Of Information for the Universal Zulu Nation, Hiphop Culture’s first and oldest organization, which spreads truth and knowledge about the four spiritual principles of the Culture: Peace, Unity, Love and Having Fun. Amir feverishly challenges radio stations, television stations, magazines and newspapers that have placed Hiphop Culture in a negative light. Amir’s open letter denouncing Worldstar Hiphop was reprinted in Ebony, Jet, Source Magazine, Rolling Stones, Complex Magazine and read more than 2 million times.
Amir’s community activism is due in part to his upbringing and interesting history, including having been born into the Black Panther Party family and having children born into Minister Louis Farrakhan’s family. Amir grew up in Orchard Park Housing of Roxbury, Massachusetts and continues to preserve Roxbury’s Culture and History via social media marketing, community events, and gathering of Roxbury residents, which include strategic civic engagement.
Amir has written songs for Blueprint, Marie ‘Free’ Wright, Not Your Average Girls, and many more artists. His music has been played on a host of TV shows and films, including: Disjointed (TV Series) (2018); The Disaster Artist (2017); The Do-Over (2016); The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2015); Fun Size (2012); Glee (TV Series) (2010); You Don’t Know Jack (TV Movie) (2010); The Replacements (2000); 30 Rock (TV Series) (2008); Analyze This (1999); Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Good Vibrations (Video short) (1991); The To Do List (2013); E! True Hollywood Story (TV Documentary) (2004).