Born on July 29, 1989, in Laplace, Louisiana, Shelby Prout (also known as Fiji) knew he had a calling at a young age. He was born as the middle child of five children and grew up being influenced by his father and brother who were both dj’s which led to music playing a big role in his life.
Being the first person in his family to go to college, Prout started out as a regular student who wanted to run track at Texas College. While attending Texas College he hosted a couple of parties here and there but nothing major. Prout later joined the brotherhood of Kappa Alpha Psi in Spring 2011 and later transferred to GSU.
Courtesy photos
Shelby Prout hosting an event in the above photo and performing on stage in the bottom picture
Prout transferred to GSU to run track, unfortunately his aspirations of becoming a track star were cut short after he tore his ACL, MCL and also chipped his knee cap.
When he came to Grambling, he did not have a really big following and no idea that he would become such a popular figure at GSU since his main focus was always graduating and running track.
Actually, he had no clue what he wanted to do career wise and was undecided for quite some time. He had no intentions on becoming a host, entertainer, or rapper. In fact, it was not until Fall 2014 when he hosted his first fashion show at GSU that he realized his true potential in each of these careers.
Because of his comical demeanor, outgoing personality and just always being himself, he instantly became a hit. Prout soon realized that he could take advantage of his popularity, and that is exactly what he did. A
fter saving up his earnings, he started throwing his own parties and later on in Fall 2014, he hosted his first called “Eclipse.” The Eclipse is still a very successful party that Prout hosts every year and recently had it after this year’s Tiger Fest concert.
Coming from a musical background and experience as a MC, it is not a surprise that he would become a successful rapper. “Honestly, I really just wanted a cool Instagram name like everybody else and the name Fiji was really random. I had no intentions of keeping the name until people started to refer to me as such. Fiji was my favorite brand of water to drink at the time and I thought it sounded nice so I stuck with it,” Prout stated.
It was then that he transitioned into “MC Fiji.” With help from local producer and rapper, Deezy, who has worked with big names like Lil Boosie and Lil Snupe, everything basically happened overnight. Deezy reached out to the upcoming MC and asked him to produce his song.
Like most people, Prout questions himself from time to time until he remembers how popular his song became, reaching radio stations all over Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and of course Louisiana.
Since his hit, “Fiji Made Me Do It” is such a hit and a fan favorite at GSU, he held his video shoot last week in the Tiger Express on campus. Rappers like Louis Bad Az* and MC B were in attendance as they were featured on the song. The video shoot is projected to air on World Star Hip Hop sometime soon.
“What keeps me motivated is my family, they really keep me going. To be the first to go to college, I owe everything to them. It’s extremely hard to find balance with school, hosting, and handling the hype of my song but God keeps me grounded and going,” concluded Prout.
The mass communication major looks forward to graduation and his focusing on his music more.