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1. What’s your earliest memories of Hip-Hop? Do you remember the 1st Hip-Hop song you ever heard?

CHINO XL: My first thing I heard that gave me a Hip-Hop feelings, as you know my Uncle’s Bernie Worrell (of Parliament Funkadelic), and they had a song called “Cosmic Slop”. And my Uncle used to play a bass line that went (Da Da Da, etc.). And I rememberGary Shider going “everybody it’s the cosmic slop”. And that became my favorite part of their shows. That’s my first bare bone bass line, beat,
with a chant over it.

After that , I don’t count Blondie and all of them records, and after that the underground tape I heard of “Double Trouble”. That’s probably the first time I was like “Yo, what’s this shxt?”. At that point the only thing you could get were tapes off the street if you took the train over to New York, cause I’m from New Jersey. Or there was a station called WHBI that became WNWK and you’d have to stay up till like 2 AM. Remember, this is pre Marley Marl and Red Alert.

2. What MC had the biggest influence on you, and got you to start thinking
about not only being a Hip-Hop head, but also doing the music yourself?

LL Cool J. Like, I had all of these rhymes, and I was a little different in the neighborhood, and when I heard LL he was light skinned, a only child, and had the whole arrogance thing, and I was like “I can do this!” And a particular rhyme he said off the original version of “Rock The
Bells”:
“A misdemeanor, cleaner, woman I subpoena
No conjecture in my lecture, name and adversary Gina
Promoter, my tune revolves like rotor
While I decode-a the cranium of Yoda”

When I heard that I as like “I can’t believe he’s rhymin’ that, that’s off the hook!”. But the difference was, my rhymes at the time were like that all the way through.

3. Remember the 1st song you ever recorded?

I had a song called “I’m Greater”. And I tried to make it cool like “I’m Greater”, but then with the greater mathematical symbols. I remember the rhyme too, remember this is 84’:

“As the record spins, I go psycho
Lethal as nitro, retract like Tyco
My blood is type O, yo
Music created, while I’m hated
But rated, I’ve waited and waited
But now I finally made it”

I was only 13 then, and people talk about evolution of their rhymes, to be completely honest, with the love of the language I have and my mothers vocabulary, I started better than half of them out there I had ever heard. It was like, never even fair to even be rhymin’ against anyone, cause I felt like they were in Junior Varsity and I was Pro already. Nobody believed I
wrote my stuff, they were like, “You bit that from something, you must of heard that somewhere”. I used to go to New York back in the day and just serve fools.

4. Where were you when you heard of the murder of Jam Master Jay? How big of a loss is that to the Hip-Hop community?

I think I was working on a film, and my manager called me. I was just shocked. Let me tell you something about Jam Master Jay. I was outside this House Music club, and Jam Master Jay got out the limo in front of me, and handed this homeless man $700, for real! I didn’t know him personally, but that’s my memory of him.

5. What MC or group do you feel has had the biggest influence on Hip-Hop?

Globally, Wu-Tang Clan. To me personally, the Fearless Four. There was this Puerto Rican guy in there named Tito. So we’d have little groups, before I had my own rhymes, I used to wanna be DLB, cause he was the leader of the group. But since I was the only Puerto Rican one, they were like “Chino, you gotta be Tito”. Not only was he Tito, he was a Puerto Rican in the Fearless 4, and on the video. I couldn’t believe that.
I think Wu-Tang globally, because something about them appeals to people internationally that I don’t think anyone else has.
Now for a solo MC, I’d have to say Rakim, because he invented the compound phrase. Now maybe other people did it before that, but something about the way he did it. People used to rhyme like:
“............In the house”
“............I slap you in your mouth”
BUT Rakim would rap like:
“I used to roll up, this is a hold up
Nothin’ funny, stop smilin’, nothin’ new but the money”
He made it a compound phrase. From that point on, it became like a new way people rhymed.

6. What’s your take on the new beef between Benzino and Eminem? Basically Benzino dissed Em’ cause Eminem was a white MC who is the top selling Hip-Hop artist. Benzino claims he’s taking food off every other artists plate, and as, in his words, “a white boy gimmick” every other artist should be “against” him. What’s your take on this situation, and race in Hip-Hop?

I don’t know anything about what their problem is with one another, I’ve only heard about it on the tail end cause I’ve been doing movies for the past year. But the race thing I can get into. Speaking from the first person, I know I’ve had an uphill battle. I mean, the first
“Source” Hip-Hop Quatables I got in 96’ for “No Complex” was new, cause before that I didn’t even see a light skinned rapper get it, better yet a Latin rapper. And being that I don’t put “Latin” out there like “I’m Latin I’m Latin I’m Latin”. I always thought that if I was dark skinned, easily digestible MC who looked like everybody else, everybody would be like “He’s
a genius, he’s the greatest of all time!” So, being that I’m a little bit different, it makes it easy for people to say “He’s different, he’s suppose to be smarter, he didn’t grow up like everybody else”. I know from like listening to Eminem records I’ve heard him say because of his complexion he recognizes he sold more than he usually would. I hate that whole complexion
shxt, cause I had to grow up with that. It affects how you feel about yourself, and I’m sure there’s people who say my video “Kreep” was all over MTV cause I wasn’t dark skinned. The track “What Am I” from my 1st album talks about this exact subject.

7. What do you think of beef in Hip-Hop in general? I know there was some tension between you about 2Pac, is beef good or bad for Hip-Hop?

Well I’ve never had beef. Like with 2Pac it was nothing personal from my end. I didn’t have a problem with him you know. In my neighborhood if you got beef with somebody son, you go to the Super Market and you might get fxcked up. It was never like that. Personally, I wasn't trying to go there with him. It was just some lyric shxt to me, so it was never nothing like that. But as far as beef in general, I don’t think battling is bad for the art form, it’s kinda where it came from. Hip-Hop, as you know, basically was born in the South Bronx and it was from a gang called the “Black Spades”, which became the “Spades”, that then became the “Zulu Nation”. Afrika Bambaataa said “We’re gonna battle rhyming, we’re gonna battle breaking, we’re gonna use our art to compete with one another. So it stopped all the gang shxt that was going on in the South Bronx at the time. It’s a way to get angst out, I mean you rhyming all your frustration against the person. It’s competitive nature, people are competitive. Like Peacocks try to have the best colors against one another.

But when you have people who can’t rhyme, and have to resort to “I’mma kill this person, and I’mma beat the shxt outta you” because they just can’t rhyme, I think that’s bad. So, if people can’t battle rhyme, I don’t think they should even get into it. Cause you don’t need to be sitting somewhere trying to have a good function, and MF’s start fighting and shooting. It’s ridiculous, I mean you got millionaires arguing, what the fxck you arguing about?

8.You ever got to the point, where your so sick of the shady music industry, that you just wish you could go back and be just a regular guy in Jersey?

I can’t say that because of people like you guys. Because when your feeling really bad and your like “the music is real bad these days, I only went Gold instead of Platinum, etc” and somebody walks up to you and says “Yo, when you said....., that was tight”. And that person is 3800 miles away from where you wrote it, and 5 years away from when it came out, people
just retain that like you would in school. That’s really what it is, and I got my mom out of the hood. Plus now it got me this acting opportunity, and I can make money whenever I want. But I do relate to what your saying, I know where that came from.

9.What do you feel about the current state of Hip-Hop? How has it changed
compared to 80’s Hip-Hop that you and I grew up listening to?

It’s different, God, in so many ways. I could go on and on, but mechanically it’s not verse orientated anymore. It’s all hooks, music, hooks. Like I don’t think we sat around back in the day and said “Kool G Rap had a bad hook on Poison”, we were like “you hear what he said?” So, it was about what the artist brought, and it’s still what the artist brings, but it used to not be about what the artist brought marketing wise. So it’s completely different, it’s completely Corporate, and people don’t use the word biting anymore. It’s not even part of our slang anymore, because it’s “OK” to copy someone else now. When I was commin’ up, or the music you grew up on, you couldn’t use the same word. Like if G Rap said “I attack MC’s like a Gladiator”, you wouldn’t even use the word “Gladiator” in your rhymes because he used the word. Now it’s just open season.

10.What’s the proudest moment in your musical career? What song that you’ve recorded to you feel is your best work?

I got more than one, I’ll start when I was proud of someone else. I was so proud and happy for King Tech and Sway when they put together that “Wake Up Show” video and album. You have no idea what that meant to him. My own proudest moment, was when I was coming out of my Record Company and my manager at the time was with me. And KRS-One was commin’ out the building, and he looked at my manager and said “Do you know who the fxck this man is? This man right here is the only warrior we’ve ever had”. But to hear that I think was my most proud moment, or when LL Cool J came up to my table and said “That verse on “Jesus”, phenomenal”.
11.What are your 5 favorite albums of all time?
-LL Cool J “Radio”
-Ice-T “Original Gangsta”
-Kool G Rap “Men At Work”
-Jay-Z “Reasonable Doubt”
-No Doubt “Return To Saturn”
RUNNER UP’s
-Notorious BIG “Ready To Die”
-Wu-Tang Clan “Forever” (2nd disc)
-Public Enemy “Yo, Bum Rush The Show”
-Ice Cube “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted”
-Common “Resurrection”
-Price “1999”

12.Do you think when old school artists like KRS-One, Rakim, Public Enemy and Ice-T, who continue to put out albums after 15 years in the game, have a chance to appeal to the youth nowadays? Or are there main consumers an older age group, who listened to them when they were in their prime?

They could, but they’d have to do it smart. Ice-T could rally so much support from all the artists that love him, and he could make the next “Chronic” if he wanted to. But, I don’t think he ever will.

13.If you could work with any artist who you haven’t already got a chance to work with, who would it be?

Scarface

14.Who do you feel is the most underrated rapper in the game?

Myself, then after me Canibus.

15.I know that Sway & Tech from the “Wake Up Show” had a impact in helping your career, how important are Sway & Tech for opening their doors to artists and their show?

I can’t speak for everyone else, but I know I had a record deal, and if it wasn't for them......, I mean they used to play “No Complex” A Cappella twice in a row. You know what it’s like to hear a rappers song A Cappella for 6 minutes straight?

16.Having kids affects everybody’s daily life, did it change how you handled your musical career?

I already had kids before I came out with “Here To Save You All”.
It’s amazing to meet a person who’s smarter than me.

TIM EINENKEL: One of my first interviews was with “How to Rap” author Paul Edwards, which you write the foreword to; when I asked Paul why did he ask you to write the foreword his response was because you were out of all the rappers he interviewed for the book, they sited you as their inspiration to rap ---that said, do you hear your influence in rappers today? If so, which ones? How do you feel about these people saying you’re the reason why they started rapping?

KOOL G RAP: I mean, from the dudes that mention my name; the caliber of rappers that bring up G Rap’s name as one of their main influences, I mean it’s like a big honor to me, you know what I’m saying? It’s overwhelming, you know what I mean? You know I just take a lot of honor in that, you know what I mean. Especially with names, you know with the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, Raekwon, Prodigy; you know, dudes that I really enjoy their craft and I really appreciate their craft. And I prop them just as much as they prop me. So to be looked at like that by these names is really incredible man.

TIM EINENKEL: The source of rap’s creativeness came from social, economic and racial inequalities. Rap is considered the “voice for the voiceless.” During the period you started rapping, it is easy to say where you got your inspiration came from (economic troubles caused by Reaganomics, etc) but now rap has become so successful it is hard to tell what’s fantasy and what’s reality, has rap benefited from it’s own success?

KOOL G RAP: I think it lost its hunger. You know what I’m sayin’? So, I mean by rap losing his hunger, it kind of lost its soul to me, you know what I’m sayin? But I think it is not so much in rap, it’s like music in general – just seem like it lost its soul. And that’s because we’re not in the same struggle like we were back then, you know what I’m sayin’? I mean, I grew up in the era where like my mother and other kids’ mothers that I knew, like they use to clean up white people houses. You know what I’m sayin-- (laughs) and things of that nature. It was a totally different struggle, you know what I’m sayin’? As oppose to now, kids like their parents have fairly decent jobs and make good money and stuff like that and live a lot more decent then how we grew up. I mean, we were still struggling, you know what I’m sayin’? We were a welfare generation. It was like totally different and it shows in the music now.

TIM EINENKEL: And how do you think this generation can get back that hunger? How can they learn to get that creativity again?

KOOL G RAP: I mean, I think they just have to stop repeating what they see somebody else doing. There are too many artists in the game that are doing it because they see somebody else doing it but it’s not really coming from the heart. It is just like they only see one side of it. They see the jewelry, the money, the women – and they just see that side of it. You know what I’m sayin’, like they forget all about struggle and pretty much rapping about topics that the majority of people could relate to. Because everybody can’t relate to driving around in a phantom; everybody can’t relate to a hundred, a hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of jewelry. It’s like where’s the struggle at! You know what I mean?

TIM EINENKEL: When you started out did you ever picture, or did you ever hope for rap to become this popular? Or did you worry that if it became this popular this would happen, which is occurring today in rap?

KOOL G RAP: You know what I really couldn’t put my finger on that back then when I was coming up. You know what I’m sayin’, but when I did start? Yeah, I did have plans to want to become popular, you know what I’m sayin’. But it wasn’t strictly to become popular, you know, to have money, to be rich or whatever. I mean, of course that’s part of the reason. But my main reason was, I wanted to share my talent with the world. You know what I’m sayin’, I wanted to give the world something what G. Rap could do. You know what I mean? And I think I accomplish that on so many different levels where it exceeded my generation that I came up in and it went passed that and it trickled on down to even maybe cats in the recent generation, you know what I’m sayin’? I mean, it really wouldn’t be a lot in this generation because they’re so detached from what the golden era would have been considered to be as far as Hip Hop is concerned. But I do get calls for features, so, I mean that obviously got to tell somebody something, you know what I mean?

TIM EINENKEL: Right. When somebody calls you up, how do you decide if you’re going to work with this artist or not? Is it anyone? Or do you look at their body of work and see what you can contribute? Do you like to take on those artists that you feel are lacking something and then kind of rap on their track to show them what they’re missing? How do you go about working with an artist?

KOOL G RAP: I mean, being that this is my bread and butter too, you know what I’m sayin’, I mean this is how I earn a living, I can’t be as particular as that. I would love to. I would love to sit there and really, you know chose and refuse on every single feature like that but this is how I make a living, so I pretty much just do what I gotta do to keep the lights on, keep a roof over my head and things of that nature . But if I had to –if I was in a situation where I could just sit back, pick, choose and refuse who I was going to work with, of course I would look at an artists…ah, number one I would have to feel an artist on a personal level, you know what I’m sayin'. I would have to feel like this artist is bringing something to the game that G Rap wouldn’t mind combining forces with them for a collaboration. You know, things like that but there’s another side to it, even if somebody lacks the ability to be as resilient or to be as standoutish as Kool G Rap is, I’m still honored that people from this generation are still hitting me to do anything with them and paying their hard earned money, you know what I’m sayin’ because a lot of it now really is people’s hard earned money; labels are not giving out half a million dollar deals like they were doing so much back in the day—like maybe the late 90s and maybe early 2000s. It’s not like that no more. Most of the people that come to G Rap to do features, it’s really their hard earned money. They’re building what they’re building, whether it’s a project or a label or a mixtape, they’re doing it on their own. Out of their own finances and all that. So, it’s really an honor for people to still be reaching out. I came out ’86. We’re in 2011 right now so for cats to still be reaching out like that, I mean take it like a…(laughs)…like a purple heart on the chest. You know what I’m sayin’? (laughs)

TIM EINENKEL: I actually want to get back to one of your old body’s of work, “Streets of New York.” You wrote the classic "Streets of New York" in 1988 during the Ed Koch years, many people say New York has changed for the better since. What would the streets of New York look like today?

KOOL G RAP: Wow, it would be a lot different. (laughs). It would be a lot different. Like you said, it did get better, you know what I mean. You don’t see as many crack addicts walking around in the street; things of that nature. I’m not saying it’s nonexistent but it’s still there to a certain degree but it’s not how it was in the 80's…not at all. The 80's was a real hot era. You know what I’m sayin’ as far as drugs in the streets and the violence was at an all time high. It didn’t just stay secluded to New York. It was all the urban neighborhoods across the map. From New York to D.C. to Philly to V.A. to Chicago to L.A. I mean it was just rampant, rampant with crime. It would be totally different right now because you can’t talk about things that are not happening. You know what I mean, so, some of the violence still there but if you look at now in comparison to back then there’s no more real kingpins like that. I mean the closest we might have had to something like that is might have been like BMF. (laughs)

TIM EINENKEL: You recently came out with Riches, Royalty and Respect. Being in the game for so long, what influences you? Where do you get your lyrics and inspiration from?

KOOL G RAP: Like I was just saying, the streets are not the same really and I’m not the same person I was more than a decade ago. So I’m not in the streets on a consistent like that. Everyday I’m running around in the streets or nothing like that or subjected to the same things I was subjected to, you know, years ago. So, in Riches, Royalty and Respect, I really had to dig back in the past. I really couldn’t go so much on the present times, I had to dig back in the past. And that’s why you feel such a 70s vibe on Riches, Royalty and Respect because I had to go back.

TIM EINENKEL: It seems like on your albums, and you’ve had many, your albums always have a story to them, so my question is, do you think the album itself a dying form? Seems today, rappers are only going for that one hit wonder single.

KOOL G RAP: Right, I mean when I was making Riches, Royalty and Respect, I knew I wasn’t catering to exactly what the Hip Hop audience of the present times is, you know asking for, you know what I’m sayin’ but I wasn’t trying to do that. You know what I’m sayin’? Number one, I don’t think I would have been able to do another album unless it came from deep within my soul, you know what I’m sayin? I didn’t want to just sit there and rap about anything. I didn’t have the energy in me to do that. It had to come from somewhere in the depths of my soul for me to even produce another album, period. At that point, you know what I’m sayin, I wasn’t trying to bend no particular way to please the sound of today, for the Hip Hop audience for what they want to hear today because to me that’s not G Rap anyway. This album (Riches, Royalty and Respect) was strictly for G Rap fans, underground Hip Hop fans, anybody that appreciates the true essence of Hip Hop and the grassroots of it, which is storytelling, lyrics, actually being creative, concepts, things of that nature; anybody that appreciates the grassroots of Hip Hop, this album was for them.

TIM EINENKEL: There’s something about your style, I want to kind of compare it to Raekwon. Raekwon does something to the rest of the Wu members that I think a lot of artists can’t do and that is he makes them step up their game. And it seems like the people that joined you on Riches, Royalty and Respect had to also step up their game when it came to rapping alongside you. So, do you still do you still do what you used to do with Big Daddy Kane back in the day, where you guys use to spit your verses on the phone together and try to top one another? Do you that with other rappers that joined you on the album?

KOOL G RAP: Well, I think anytime I do a feature with anybody and the artist knows they are going to have G Rap on the track. You know what I’m sayin’, whether it’s the artist himself that calls for me to be on the track with him or it’s the, maybe the producer and he lets the artist know “yo, I’m going to have G Rap on this track too,” I think that right there, people knowing in general that G Rap is going to be on the same track that they’re on, people kind of know, you know what I’m sayin’, “yo, I got to bring my A game to the table” because G Rap's…(laughs)…he’s going to come for decapitation. See what I mean (laughs). I’m going to take somebody’s head off. But that’s good because that kind of like positive competition right there. Like how you were mentioning when me and Kane use to spit back in the day. It was things that me and Kane really did where we weren’t being competitive with each other. We just basically—it just turned out to be that way because we were like the two spitters of the camp. You know what I’m sayin’, we were those two lyricists that just spit crazy like that, so every time me and him landed on something together, it sounded like it was a competition; like we might have been going at it but…

Actually even the track we did over his “Raw” beat, where we kind of freestyled over his “Raw” beat? That wasn’t like me and him going at each other, it was just like two of the best cats in the Juice Crew at that time just displaying their lyricism capability at their best and it sounded like the War of the Gods. To put anybody else on that track at that time that was really a spitter like that; like you could have put KRS-One and a Rakim or something like that, it would have sounded like we all were going for each other’s heads. You know, because that is how all these cats brought it. They just brought a real ferocious approach, you know what I’m sayin? Everything they were coming with was like “Yo,, you’re trying to murder somebody.” (laughs)

TIM EINENKEL: Speaking of two collaborations you did, I think that many of us were blown away by. One of them was with R.A. The Rugged Man and the other was with Chino XL. I’m wondering if there’s an album we can expect from you with any of those two artists in the future?

KOOL G RAP: I mean, Chino XL is a very good friend of mine. I got mad love for Chino and the same thing goes for R.A. The Rugged Man. I got mad love for R.A. so it’s always a possibility with these dudes…whether it be a Chino XL & G Rap collaboration in the future and the same thing about R.A.. Right now I’m doing a collaboration with the rapper Necro.

TIM EINENKEL: Yeah, can you talk about that actually?

KOOL G. RAP: We’re working on a project right now, it’s called The Godfathers. Necro’s an artist that, you know is very much a lyricist, you know what I mean? His skills as far as lyricism and word juggling—he’s a wordsmith. You know what I’m sayin’? He’s definitely a wordsmith and he’s got a crazy flow. So I got a lot of respect for Necro. As a matter of fact, he’s another one of the artist that G Rap had a lot of influence on and that’s probably why I hear Necro and like Necro’s material so much too because it’s like a reflection of me but in his own way. You know what I mean? Like when I hear Big Pun, I was like proud to hear Big Pun come out and hear that G Rap had influenced him. But hearing him bringing it to his own domain. You know what I’m sayin’ but bringing it with his own approach, so to speak. Same thing with Nas, you know what I’m sayin’? I was, like, proud to hear Nas come out and hear the influence. I heard the influence of Rakim in Nas as well. So to me Nas is like a combination of a G Rap and Rakim but in his own way, you know what I’m sayin’? But Nas is Nas. You don’t hear Nas and are like “he ain’t nothing but Kool G Rap” or “he ain’t nothing but Rakim.” He did it, just like when G Rap came out, people wasn’t going to say “Yo, he just sounds like another Melle Mel, “ or “he just sounds like a Kool Moe Dee.” No, you hear those influences in G Rap but G Rap sounds like G Rap.

TIM EINENKEL: Okay, this is my last question. I promise...

KOOL G RAP: (laughs)

TIM EINENKEL: If you stopped rapping today, which album or which song would you want to people to know you for?

KOOL G. RAP: Aw man, I can’t even narrow it down to one album…

TIM EINENKEL: (laughing) You’ve only had a 20 something year career, don’t worry about it.

KOOL G. RAP: (laughs) I mean, I’ll tell you the first albums that come to the top of my head and the ones I had the most fun doing and I feel like it’s some of my best work. Um…wow. Wow. Wanted Dead or Alive, I mean, Road to Riches too, but Wanted Dead or Alive, Live and Let Die, Roots of Evil, and this album right here, Riches, Royalty and Respect. I think I had the most fun doing these albums ‘cause I think the finished product turned out to be exactly what I expected them to be. As far as direction, vibes and since I’m known for storytelling and being cinematic, you know what I’m sayin’? I really love my cinematic albums. You know what I’m sayin’? The ones that stand out to me the most are the visual albums, you know what I’m sayin’? Those are like my pride and joy right there because, I mean I’m a writer, You know what I’m sayin’? I just don’t limit myself to just being a rapper or a lyricist, I’m overall a writer period. You know what I’m sayin’? Like right now I’m writing two movie scripts…so the albums that displayed that writing talent, those are the ones that stand closest to me, You know what I’m sayin’ because I really loved, I really loved the writing and creating visuals.

TIM EINENKEL: And definitely, listening to you when I was younger and until now, you definitely create those visuals I think all of us as rap fans, even as lyrics fans appreciate so much. I want to thank you for being on the show today.

KOOL G RAP: Absolutely man, it was a pleasure, thanks for having me.

Chino XL is a 6’2”, 230lb lyrical beast, and one of the most widely recognized names in the rap game. His nickname; “The Puerto Rican Superhero.” But the road to recognition was not easy; it was a struggle from birth. Chino’s father left before he was born, leaving his mother to raise her only child. Living in the projects, Chino had to hustle to survive. His only escape was music. As a youth, he traveled alongside some of Hip Hop’s most celebrated artists, including Afrika Bambaataa and Ice-T.

At 12, Chino began performing at local talent shows in New Jersey and quickly emerged as one of the best lyricists in his neighborhood. His demos eventually caught the ear of Def Jam founder Rick Rubin, who immediately signed Chino to Def American Records.His first album on Def American, “Here To Save You All” had an instant impact on the Hip Hop charts. Chino had found his audience. His premiere single, “Kreep” peaked at the ..2 slot on MTV. Tracks from the album regularly featured on the internationally syndicated Wake Up Show, and his lyrics were placed in the “Source Quotables.”






















"…with equal amounts of style and substance, Chino incorporates elements of both coasts' sounds...." The Source

"…Chino is riveting precisely because he doesn't pull punches…." NME Magazine

It wasn't long before Chino was recognized and beckoned into the studio by some of the most respected artists in the Hip Hop community. From Paul Wall to Ras Kass, from Bun B to Common, from Canibus to the RZA, Chino XL has collaborated with some of the greatest names in the game.After this transforming experience, Chino withdrew from the rap game. Chino explained, “I just felt that it was time to move on…I wanted to expand my skills, just get out and do something new.” Chino began acting. His natural talent for acting quickly put him on the map. He starred in films alongside Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson, and Rob Reiner. In addition to this, he had a recent solo project debut at Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival. Nevertheless, even with a successful acting career, Chino never lost his love for music.

He began writing new lyrics, with a renewed sense of passion and inspiration. Chino described why he came back: “I wanted to add something new to music. It felt as if the same ideas and topics were being used over and over. So I got to work.” He added, “It seems like the stars lined up for me because, I’ve gotten better, Latin’s are getting more love in Hip Hop, and the music game needs a new voice with a different flavor.”






















Sway from MTV discusses Chino’s new music: "Chino turned hardship and tragedy into triumph, and expresses it with his new music. It immediately connected with me in a major way. He's a seasoned artist now, and one of the best lyricists of all time, period. It's unbelievable how the man keeps getting better and better..."

Chino XL is currently working on a new project, Machete/Universal.

Ryan Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), better known by his stage name Royce Da 5'9", is a Detroit rapper. He is known for his early association with Eminem and subsequent solo career, recording primarily with DJ Premier, Nottz and Carlos "6 July" Broady, as well as ghostwriting for the likes of P. Diddy and Dr. Dre. Royce was one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with Eminem and currently a member of hip hop group Slaughterhouse.

Early acclaim

Ryan Montgomery, born and raised on the West Side of Detroit, Michigan in the W. McNichols & Wyoming Ave. area, moved to Oak Park, Michigan when he was 10 years old, later acquiring the nickname "Royce" during highschool after wearing a Turkish link chain with an R pendant resembling the Rolls Royce symbol. He began rapping at 18, influenced mainly by Ras Kass and Redman. He signed his first deal in 1998 with Tommy Boy Records, after Tommy Boy Records shut down, he signed a deal with Columbia Records where he started recording an album called Rock City, referring to Detroit's former status as home to Motown Records. When the project was heavily bootlegged, Royce left the label for Koch Records to re-record some of the album, eventually releasing it in 2002 as Rock City (Version 2.0). While the album didn't sell very well, the DJ Premier-produced single "Boom" gained 5'9" some underground recognition and eventually resulted in the two working together more closely.

Through his manager, Royce was introduced to Eminem at a show in 1997, and the two formed a working relationship; they formed up as a duo, Bad Meets Evil, and released several tracks together. Royce appeared on Eminem's debut studio album The Slim Shady LP, in which he was featured on a song called "Bad Meets Evil". Royce and Eminem also released a track called "Renegades", from which Royce's vocals would later be replaced with Jay-Z's on the latter's The Blueprint. Through Eminem, Royce would also be introduced to both Dr. Dre and execs at Game Recordings. After his manager revealed that Royce was involved in writing the tracks "The Message" and an original version of "Xxplosive" for Dre's 2001 (entitled "Way I Be Pimping"), Dre requested that Royce cut ties with his manager. Royce refused to fire his manager and his relationship with Dre ended.

Feud with D12

Royce had a falling-out with Eminem's Hip-Hop group D12, including mutual friend and group member Proof. This resulted in a drawn-out, public rivalry between the rapper and five of the six members, with Royce releasing three diss tracks aimed at the group. The first diss track, "Shit On You", was recorded over D12's "Shit On You" beat, and mainly attacked group member Bizarre. "Malcolm X" was the second diss track, which featured Tre Little. D12 responded with "Smack Down" which was recorded over 50 Cent's "Back Down" instrumental. Proof also recorded a diss track entitled "Many Men." This was recorded over 50 Cent's "Many Men (Wish Death)" instrumental. Proof later released another diss with The Purple Gang. The track is referred to as "Beef Is Ova", and is much more hard-hitting than the first diss. Royce responded with his third diss track, which was recorded over 50 Cent's "In da Club" instrumental. The feud ended later and Royce was featured in a mixtape of D12 released in 2008 called "Return Of the Dozen". They also went on tour in Europe and Canada together.





















Solo work

2003 saw Royce link up more fully with Game Recordings. Earlier, he had recorded several tracks for the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001. The in-game radio station, Game Radio FM, prominently featured Royce's "I'm The King", an Alchemist-produced solo track that (along with the publicized beef) helped elevate Royce's name beyond his association with Eminem. In 2004, he released his second and most critically successful album to date, Death is Certain, charting with another Premier-produced single, "Hip-Hop". Though many perceived it to be a dark and depressing album due to his alleged alcoholism and severed friendships, Royce has maintained it was simply his anger and passion showing through.

After the relative success of his sophomore effort, the MC put out a third solo project, Independent's Day, in 2005. This was met with less acclaim than either of his previous releases. During this time, the rivalry between Royce and former friend Proof reached a boiling point in the streets of Detroit, on an occasion where the two rappers drew guns; they were subsequently arrested, and left to work out their differences while spending the night in neighboring cells in jail. Though the MC had planned other projects involving Nottz and his former crew, D-Elite, these were cut short after a sentencing to one year in prison for a DUI.

Release from prison

After his release in 2007, Royce went on to link up heavily with DJ Premier and Statik Selektah, putting out the mixtape The Bar Exam, an internet release which was critically acclaimed. He also announced an album with Premier; in an interview with Elemental Magazine, Royce stated that, contrary to rumors, Preem would not be producing the entirety of his upcoming album, but will be overseeing the project as Executive Producer, handpicking all of the beats. Following The Bar Exam, Royce wrote the single for Diddy's album Press Play, "Tell Me". Following this, the producer expressed interest in signing the lyricist to Bad Boy; Nas has also stated that he would like to sign Royce to his Def Jam imprint, The Jones Experience. Neither of these deals, however, materialized.

In early '08 Montgomery confirmed that he has officially resolved misunderstandings between himself and Eminem. Em told Royce that he has "some of the best shit recorded right now that he's ever done in his life." He explained that a recording session between the two has yet to take place, despite rumors about a reunion track produced by DJ Premier. 5'9" digitally released The Bar Exam 2 with DJ Green Lantern later in the year, as well as a retail version of the mixtape, called The Album; the projects featured production from Green Lantern, 9th Wonder, Premier and 6 July, among others. Later worked on his Premier-assisted retail release, Street Hop, the lead single of which was "Shake This", also produced by DJ Premier. The video to the song circulated the internet, and the project was released 20 October 2009. The album was well received by critics.






















Slaughterhouse

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album, which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009.[11] The album features production from The Alchemist (producer), DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K. Young, and The New Royales. Royce is currently in talks to sign with Shady Records, along with the other members of Slaughterhouse; recently he has stated several times that the deal will be wrapping up within the next few weeks. The members of Slaughterhouse were seen in the music video for the song "Forever". In addition, he, Eminem and Shady/Aftermath producer Mr. Porter made an appearance on radio host Tim Westwood's show for a freestyle session.

Discography

Solo albums

* Rock City (2002)
* Death Is Certain (2004)
* Independent's Day (2005)
* Street Hop (2009)

Collaboration albums

* Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse) (2009)

Extended plays

* The Revival EP (2009)

Mixtapes & compilation albums

* Bad Meets Evil (1999)
* Build & Destroy (2003)
* M.I.C.: Make It Count (2004)
* The Bar Exam (2007)
* The Bar Exam 2 (2008)
* The Bar Exam 2: The Album (2008)
* The Bar Exam 3: The Most Interesting Man (2010)

First and foremost I was born and raised in Staten Island New York but don't get it confused for even a second...world wide! There isn't a corner I havent stood on or a place on this planet I havent been promoting Hip Hop music in its purest form. Through my career I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel...work as well as play with all of my favorite artist and producers such as Busta Buss..LL Cool J..Method Man..Mobb Deep..Eminem..Snoop..50..I mean everybody knows the kid on a personal level. Honestly I've been rhyming since I was 10 and Its been my thing since then. I grew up in Great Kills where at the time Hip Hop as well as anybody who listened to it or made it werent appreciated very much. Times were racially banana's in S.I! In Fact I was kicked out of New Dorp High School for constantly fighting with kids from the "other side". I would battle heads from the Pj's and have them ready to fight! Me personally always kept it genuine. I had a crew from West Brighton..I battled the hottest Mc out there at the time because we had the same name..I aired this dude out in his own hood so bad that I almost didn't leave that day. If it wasnt for the neighborhood crime boss over watching I might not be hear today. He saw something in me from a distance and came to my side. From that day forth my name was Buzzing hard in the Hoods of Static Island. In 93 I crossed paths with somebody who introduced me to this game. Shyheim the rugged child. Stapleton became my second home. I watched the whole Wu formulate and blow right before my eyes. Saw it all first hand. I was told that I had it..just needed to be where it was at...I was rocky with the dead arm since day one but just like in part 3..once the hood taught me to move with grace, speed, and power it was a wrap! Been dancing on 'em ever since! I remember knocking on RNS's door (the producer who taught Rza) everyday in those projects trying so desperately to show my capabilities and get on. Even though the streets embraced me, something didn't feel right, I felt as long as I would be in those hoods making music..dudes could always say..why should we hand success to some kid who aint even from here trying to do exactly what we are??? I had to find my own identity. As a kid my parents often left me with my Nanny Pellegrino....She always called me "my JOJO". One day it hit me and I asked her how she felt about it...JOJO PELLEGRINO was born. I emmediatly switched it up and began to tell tales from my side repping a different section. I grew up on the south shore of Staten Island so I came with that "SOUTH SHORE STUFF"! Now I had Dudes who weren't even fucking with Hip Hop nodding their heads. Me and my friend at the time Calogero formed a group of Italian rappers called "Chapter Regime". Man Calogero was and still is just as nice with them tracks as I am with these raps. We had a 12 inch out called "Crime Family" spinning on the radio (hot 97) in 1996! I couldn't be contained though! Everybody who heard the music would say lose the group and lets get JOJO where he needs to be. I stayed in the studio working on my solo material and got a major record deal a few years later. I signed to Violator records.






















After Loud records who was Chris Lighty's distribution at the time folded, The buzz I had worked so hard to build started to decrease and noone at Violator seemed to mind. At that point in time I was all over the radio tv and streets. My first song leaked called "FOGEDABOUDID" was in damn near regular rotation and won Dj Clues "Battle of the streets" contest voted 1st place by the listeners putting it in the HOT 97's "Battle of the streets hall of fame". My street record called "Where Im from" was the one that put me over the top as far as street credibility in the business. In that record I flipped Jigga's joint into a graphic description of my neighborhood and everything that came with it! The song was on mixtapes all over the world and had all of my favorite rappers Going out of their way to give me love and support. Ill never forget when I was in the Hit Factory one night and Chris Lighty comes up stairs and tells me I have a visitor. When I walked to the lounge area...Nasty Nas himself! Telling me "Joe you got it..You the truth..lets do something!" I love Chris Lighty with all my heart for doing all those things for me and making me a somebody in the game, I just wish he would of told me what was going on with Loud records. I had to hear it from Steve and his Brother. The last effort I made at Violator was this...I told them about 50 cent and How I felt he was the next Biggie. 5o and I would talk about making music. I told them look if you sign him then work the two of us..you will literally take over hip hop. They told me I was crazy..50 got issues! My man Eric Nicks who had signed me to Violator originally, kept 5o around the company. Oddly enough after I bounced from Violator they signed 50 cent and aligned him with Slim Shady. Wow! Thats when the struggle began. I went back to the drawing board formed a team with my man London who was literally the most stand up, respected, and one of the most intellectual and feared brothers on the streets period! He had me in all the magazines for our street album "HITMAN FOR HIRE". I received all flawless reviews down the line and became a force to recognize. Double XXL editors waited and held my review purposely to make sure it was in the issue with Em 50 and Dre on the cover with the ill "HITMAN FOR HIRE" review right next to Nas's "GODSON" lp. Before we were able to acquire a new record contract, things got bad. London was shot in front of me and left to die in my arms with a hole the size of a silver dollar in the middle of his chest. I was able to drag him to a truck and get him to the hospital where he survived.






















Months later London was arrested and charged with the murder of who the swine had believed to be the person who had shot him originally. He is now serving a 25 to life sentence for his second homicide..The first was in 1989 where he was sentenced to 12 years. Theres a lot more to the story but folks this is what drove ya boy JOJO into a deep depression. All I had through the struggle was my music. During this time I got in trouble with the law myself, lost practically anybody I considered a friend, my girlfriend, my sanity, my family life went to shambles and my buttons were being pushed by pussies who knew I would wipe them out but ran their mouths anyway just to kick me while I was down! I sacrificed everything including my life for this music and couldn't understand why record companies wouldn't sign me. Some people even say I was blackballed by the haters who new I could do it better then them! Listening to half of the bullshit the airwaves and street Djays were supplying didn't make this time of my life, any more pleasurable either! You wouldn't believe me if I told you some of the details of this struggle! I have been through and seen so much in these past few years, from standing in the lobby of one of the Towers as the other crumbled on 911 to violence in my neighborhood to Federal charges being brought on Uncle Franky leaving his family in turmoil to shocking unexpected deaths of friends and family to the conviction of My brother slash manager to people in this industry keeping me on a string giving me false hope to the closest people to me driving daggers through my back when it was turned! I know what life is about and what it entails, but to me its about all of this reflected through good music and moving the people. I look at each of my fans across the globe as friends because all of my fans know me personally...even if they never met me... my music brings me that close to them and them that much closer to me! Now Im stronger then ever! I got a new fully loaded library of official JOJO PELLERINO MUSIC AVAILABLE AT ALL YOUR FAVORITE ONLINE STORES INCLUDING I-TUNES. You could easily purchace any of the albums in it's entirety or seperatly download the songs. The "HITMAN FOR HIRE" is available as well as PELLAFREESTYLES VOL. 1... Ringtones are also available. Coming soon to the online PellaStore will be.."Shore Stuff" and at least two other projects offering you enough Pella to have you convinced I'm the best that never did it! Look this is what I do and I will never let up! Not even for a second. This is my calling and It's been a journey most could never endure. Now here comes the pressure! Industry dudes used to jump out windows and hide under desks when I moved on them. Ask around..Now thier best bet is to not come to the office at all and just set thier stuff up to work from home. I deserve this..I want this.. I need this..I live this and I am taking whats mine. I got alot of good people who have all the faith in the world in me and will always step up for me or do whatever they could to get us all out of this fucking hell we in out here in "Ratten Island". Even my brother London is still using all his ties and still dedicating his energy over the phone and any way he can to bringing me Closer to my dreams from a correctional facility hours from New York! As you can tell I dont even socialize with quitters. I would much rather Try to fail then fail to try! I promise there is only one JOJO PELLEGRINO in this world! I know it...my parents know it...my family friends and girl know it...my enemies know it...these labels rappers and industry people know it...my fans know it...But it just isn't enough. I want to be everybody's favorite rapper and I will be by hook or by crook! JJP!

taken from http://www.myspace.com/jojopellegrinojjp

 

Dominick Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Crooked I, is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. Crooked I is currently CEO of his own record labels, Dynasty Entertainment and C.O.B. Digital as well as Senior Vice President of Treacherous Records. Before starting his own label, he was also signed to Virgin Records and Death Row Records.

Career

19th Street Era

Around the age of seventeen, Crooked I started an independent record company called Muscle Records with professional football players also from Long Beach, Chucky Miller and Leonard Russell. It's not known how many songs were recorded, and the music recorded during this period still remains unreleased to this day. This is when he caught the attention of Noo Trybe/Virgin Records, and landed his first record deal in 1995.

Crooked I originally got his start appearing on compilations released by Big C-Style's record label, 19th Street Records, such as 19th Street LBC Compilation and Straight Outta Cali. He also appeared on the soundtracks to movies such as Ride and Caught Up, where he collaborated with Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tha Eastsidaz, and The Luniz. At the time, Crooked I was still signed under Noo Trybe/Virgin Records, who handled distribution for 19th Street Records. Business was going good, but for unknown reasons, Virgin Records decided to get rid of their urban division, otherwise known as Noo Trybe, and Crooked I was out of a record deal.

Wickliffe was later contacted by Big C-Style and Daz Dillinger to form DPG Records, which was originally going to be a sub-label under Death Row Records at the time. Crooked was going to be 20% owner of the label, and the first act released as well.Daz left Death Row Records to run DPG Records independently, but rather than go with Daz, Crooked was trying to figure out his options.

Crooked I also had talks of signing to Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint, but Dre wanted to release Chronic 2001 and Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP before releasing Crooked. He also had talks with other major record labels who wanted to sign him, but they too were waiting for Dr. Dre's Chronic 2001 album to be released before they would consider signing another West Coast MC. It was around this time that Crooked I re-negotiated the original deal he had with DPG Records/Death Row Records as a solo artist deal with just Death Row Records.
























Death Row's Second Dynasty

While on Death Row, Crooked I appeared on a number of compilations, such as Too Gangsta For Radio and Dysfunktional Family, and appeared on various releases, such as Tha Dogg Pound's 2002, Ja Rule's The Last Temptation, and 2Pac's Nu-Mixx Klazzics. He also recorded two albums, Untouchable and Say Hi To The Bad Guy, both of which were unreleased due to various label issues and industry politics. He did manage to release a mixtape along with Death Row's then in-house producer, Darren Vegas, called Westcoasanostra Vol. 1 in the Spring of 2003.

The Start of a New Dynasty

By 2004, Crooked I's album had not been released, Suge Knight was constantly in and out of jail, and Crooked I's contract had expired by November 2003[7][8]. He left Death Row in early 2004 to start his own label, Dynasty Entertainment.It wasn't long after that when Crooked I signed a distribution deal with Treacherous Records/Universal[8], but more legal trouble from Death Row surfaced, and Crooked I had to stop production for his then titled album, Mama's Boy, which was actually going to be the name of Crooked's second release under Death Row Records. Later on the title of the album changed to Mama's Boy Got a Loaded Gun. In the meantime, Crooked I released the online mixtape, Young Boss Vol. 1 through his official website. The mixtape received critical acclaim throughout the underground Hip-Hop circuit, garnering an impressive "XL" rating by the Hip-Hop publication, XXL Magazine.

After the legal matters settled, Crooked began recording again, and prepping the release of his documentary Life After Death Row. He appeared on compilations such as Yukmouth's United Ghettos of America Vol. 2, Sway & King Tech's Back 2 Basics, and on fellow Treacherous Records label mate K. Young's debut album, Learn How To Love. In 2005, the name of Crooked's debut album changed to Boss Music, and he created a buzz with the song, "Boom Boom Clap" in the summer of 2005. He also recorded two songs with producer Scott Storch, "Cali Boyz" and "You're So Bad". In 2006, he released his heavily anticipated mixtape, Young Boss Vol. 2 hosted by DJ Skee, and his DVD, Life After Death Row, followed later that Fall.

Hip-Hop Weekly era

Crooked I started the Hip-Hop Weekly series via the internet. Every seven days he released a new track over various hip-hop beats of old and new instrumentals. His ability to personally connect with his fans through his Hip-Hop Weekly series is evident since he would fulfill beat selection requests as well as give shout-outs over any given track to fans who requested it via his MySpace page. The Hip-Hop Weekly series began on April 4, 2007 and ended on April 3, 2008. Wickliffe generated so much of a buzz with the Hip-Hop Weekly series that he was featured on the cover of the December/2007 issue of XXL (magazine) for a second time, this time as part of XXL's Freshmen 10.

Crooked I, along with DJ Felli Fel and DJ Nik Bean, released St. Valentine's Day Bossacre on February 14, 2008. Although it's called a mixtape, it consists of all new tracks by Crooked I, much like Young Boss Vol. 2, and boasts guest appearances by Royce Da 5'9", and Roscoe Umali, with production from DJ Felli Fel, Rick Rock, Komplex, and MG. The February 2008 issue of Ozone West reviewed St. Valentine's Day Bossacre and rated it 4 slaps out of 5.

Two more mixtapes were released in 2008 by Crooked I, The Block Obama: Hood Politics and Block Obama II. The Block Obama was originally going to be hosted by DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Strong, but ended up being released un-tagged without a DJ, and for free download on the internet. Block Obama II was released on the day of the 2008 Presidential election, this time for sale on CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, and other online retailers. Block Obama II also boasts guest appearances from Dynasty Entertainment artists Horse Shoe G.A.N.G. and Sauce The Boss, in addition to Knoc-turn'al and production by Jim Gettum, Komplex, and Rick Rock.






















The Slaughterhouse era

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after this song. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album, which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009. The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, and guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K. Young, and The New Royales.

On February 27, 2009 in Long Beach, California, Crooked I was allegedly shot at during a conversation with a fan. The conflicting early media reports on the incident in the following hours initially left people worried and uncertain on his condition, but he has since confirmed to MTV News and other media that he's alive and, while mentally distracted, physically well. Crooked I has declined to further elaborate on the incident, citing where he's from its against the code of the streets.

On November 10, 2009, Crooked I released a digital-only solo EP, Mr. Pig Face Weapon Waist. “It’s a spin off of my Slaughterhouse alter ego,” he said of the odd title, “cause I come out on stage with a pig mask and a Dickie suit on.”The EP also boasts guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, K. Young, M.O.P., The Horseshoe G.A.N.G., and of course fellow Slaughterhouse members, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5'9". In addition to production from Komplex, Scram Jones, Streetrunner, Frequency, and P. Silva.

After briefly considering plans to release a full length Mr. Pig Face Weapon Waist LP in January of 2010, Crooked I revised his priorities and announced Million Dollar Story, to be released in 2010. Production for the album is to include contributions from DJ Khalil, The Alchemist, and newcomer Quest. In addition, Crooked I stated his intentions to get DJ Premier beats for the album.[21] As of August of 2010, Crooked I stated Million Dollar Story should be released in early 2011.

The new owners of Death Row Records, WIDEawake Entertainment, released a Crooked I album called Hood Star on June 15, 2010. It has 15 songs Wickliffe recorded while signed to the label, with guest appearances from Juvenile, Too Short, Kurupt, Danny Boy, Ray J, Sisqo, and others.

On August 17, 2010, Crooked I released yet another EP, titled Planet C.O.B. Vol. 1, which features production from Rick Rock, Komplex, and more.
Artists under Dynasty Entertainment

* Crooked I
* The Horseshoe G.A.N.G. (Members: Demitrius Capone, Julius Luciano, Kenny Siegel, and Andrew "Dice" Dinero)
* On One Squad (Members: Sauce Tha Boss & Adolf)

Producers

* Jim Gittum
* Komplex

Discography

Solo albums

* 2000: Untouchable (Unreleased)
* 2002: Say Hi To The Bad Guy (Unreleased)
* 2010: Hood Star

Collaboration albums

* 2009: Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse)

EP's

* 2008: Block Obama II
* 2009: Mr. Pigface Weapon Waist
* 2010: Planet C.O.B. Vol. 1

Official Mixtapes

* 2003: Westcoasanostra Vol. 1
* 2004: Young Boss Vol. 1
* 2006: Young Boss Vol. 2
* 2008: St. Valentine's Day Bossacre
* 2008: The Block Obama: Hood Politics

Germaine Williams, better known by his stage name Canibus, is an Jamaican rapper. He is a part of supergroup The HRSMN. Canibus rose to fame in the mid nineties. Canibus is well known for his extensive vocabulary and vivid imagery, he's also well known for creating intricate rhyme schemes, complex phrases and concepts that he uses in order to provide an artistic depth to his music.

Germaine Williams was born on December 9, 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is of African and Jamaican descent. His father, Basil Williams, is a former Jamaican cricketer. The family moved frequently, living in The Bronx, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Buffalo, and London due to his mother's career requiring constant relocation.Canibus stated that he was an introverted child growing up. After completing high school in 1992, he spent a year working for AT&T and another year as a data analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice.His interest in computers and the Internet led him to study computer science at DeKalb College in Atlanta.

Early career (1995–1996)

He began rhyming in the mid-'90s and by 1995 formed a duo called T.H.E.M. (The Heralds of Extreme Metaphors) with Atlanta rapper Webb (now called C.I., also known as Central Intelligence). While he was with Webb, he took part in a legendary cypher with the Wu Tang Clan family in Buffalo, New York, which earned him respect from the rap veterans. In 1996, T.H.E.M. split and Canibus teamed with businessman Charles Suitt.

Debut album, Wyclef Jean feud and second album (1997–2000)

Canibus' debut album Can-I-Bus came out in September 1998. While "Second Round K.O.", produced by Wyclef Jean, was a success, with the song and video featuring Wyclef and a cameo appearance by boxer Mike Tyson. Despite eventually being certified Gold, critics panned the album, criticizing both Canibus' subject matter and Wyclef's beats, most of which were considered inferior to both "Second Round K.O." and the artists' previous collaborations.

The original album contained a lot of socially concerned material. Some songs talked about the corruption within the U.S. government, AIDS, and the modern-American homicide issues.




























Because Wyclef produced the majority of the tracks, Williams blamed him for the general dissatisfaction with Can-I-Bus and cut ties with him, going as far as to diss Wyclef, most notably on the title track of his second album ("You mad at the last album? I apologize for it / Yo, I can't call it, motherfucking Wyclef spoiled it!"). Said album, 2000 B.C., was also released to mixed feelings and reviews – the latter once more focusing on the lack of topical variety and uninspired production – also suffering from very little promotion by Universal Records. ll 2000 B.C. featured the first collaboration between Canibus and Kurupt, Ras Kass and Killah Priest, a rap supergroup collectively known as The HRSMN (referring to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), on the track "Horsementality". Though following 2000 B.C.'s release it had been announced that the group would be releasing an album, these plans never materialized, with only an EP of outtakes from 2001 entitled The Horsemen Project released by Killah Priest's management in 2003. Since 2000, however, the members of the group have worked together on various songs and rumors of a full-length HRSMN album are rampant to this day and include speculation about collaborations with Pharoahe Monch, Common and Rakim, among others.

Though much bitterness between Canibus and Wyclef Jean remained for a period of time, the two artists finally settled their differences at the end of 2004; they have since worked together on two remixes of the Machel Montano song "Carnival Survivors". In an interview with HipHopsite.com conducted in November 2005, Williams revealed that he had recorded five songs with Wyclef and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis at Platinum Studios in New York for the upcoming Fugees reunion album. Whether or not those recordings will appear on the album hasn't been determined yet.

C True Hollywood Stories (2001)

In 2001, Canibus released his third album, C True Hollywood Stories, the title and some of the content deriving from the television show E! True Hollywood Story. It was released on Archives Music, an independent label owned by Williams' future business partner, Louis Lombard III. It was a controversial release due to the album's overall concept, which to this day remains quite unclear to some. Many listeners interpreted it as Canibus' botched attempt at becoming a commercial and mainstream artist and wrote him off as a one-hit wonder, while others have called it a concept album in which the rapper satirized the mainstream hip-hop scene. Most explanations since the album's release seem to lean towards the latter; when Canibus' new official website, MicClub.net, appeared online towards the end of 2002, the summary of C True Hollywood Stories in the "Merchandise" section called it "an introspective look into the ultimate fan "Stan's" take on the current state of hip hop".

In an interview conducted in 2005, Williams' former promoter, Pak-Man, who worked on over half of the album with the rapper, spoke on the record, with his explanation leaning toward the album being intended as satire: "At that time Canibus was in the studio recording a lot of songs and [I] mean a lot, but he didn't want to make the fans wait no more so he did C True Hollywood Stories and he wanted to have fun wit, so thats what we did we had fun wit". In an interview on AllHipHop.com posted on April 8, 2005, Williams was asked what direction he was trying to take with that album; in his response, he stated "That album depicts the state of affairs in my life at the time - nothing more, nothing less".

Mic Club: The Curriculum and Rip the Jacker (2002–2003)

After the critical failure of C True Hollywood Stories, Canibus was subject to criticism and ridicule from the rap industry until the release of Mic Club: The Curriculum, his fourth full-length album, towards the end of 2002. Although the production was handled almost entirely by little-known producers, some of them from Europe, the record proved to be a greater critical success than the previous year's release. Mic Club also saw Canibus return to a more scientific and complex rapping style, with a number of concept tracks and few songs with a chorus. The album was released on Mic Club Music, Canibus' own label, but failed to chart, selling relatively few copies.

Following the release of Mic Club: The Curriculum, it was announced that Williams decided to join the United States Army. Before commencing his work with the military, however, he recorded a number of tracks which he intended to be released on his next album, entitled Rip the Jacker. Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind was given the task of producing the entire record, equipped solely with Canibus' pre-recorded vocals. Due to his military obligations, Canibus himself only managed to review the album after having acquired a copy.

Upon release, Rip the Jacker received rave reviews from the majority of critics, who noted that Williams' largely scientific lyrics and distinctive, rough delivery was finally matched by equally fine production, as Canibus had a history of working with badly selected producers. Unlike Mic Club, Rip the Jacker charted on both Billboard's R&B/hip-hop charts and the Billboard 200, peaking at #34 and #197, respectively, although commercially, it retained the tendency to sell few copies.

Critics highlighted various aspects of Rip the Jacker's originality, both in terms of beats and lyrics; Stoupe had employed a large number of samples from often obscure compositions, while Canibus himself undertook a variety of topics from various perspectives. Of note was the inclusion of "Poet Laureate II", a song exceeding seven minutes in length and lacking a chorus, with several changes of beat throughout; the track was frequently singled out as one of the strongest in Canibus' career and the album as a whole convinced listeners and the industry alike that the rapper hadn't lost his potential.

Mind Control, Cloak n Dagga and Hip-Hop for Sale (2005–2006)

Following Rip the Jacker and Canibus' subsequent discharge from the army, an album entitled Mind Control (2005) was released to negative reviews. Canibus had never planned for it to be compiled as a separate record, but agreed to release it through the independent Gladiator Music label as part of a contractual agreement; most of the vocals for Mind Control had been recorded prior to the release of C True Hollywood Stories. A collection of previously recorded material (with only three of the songs being unreleased) produced entirely by Mark Sparks, the album failed to chart and is rarely considered an official Canibus release by the rapper's fans.

Also in 2005, a collaboration between Williams and underground rapper Phoenix Orion, who had also been known for scientific lyrics, yielded the album Def Con Zero, released on the independent Head Trauma Records label, owned by K-1 boxer Dewey Cooper. The record featured guest appearances from Kool G Rap, K-Solo, and former 106 & Park host Free, among others. As Cloak N Dagga, the duo briefly toured the United States promoting the release.

The following month, after numerous delays, Canibus' seventh solo album, Hip-Hop for Sale, was released, but was panned by critics, who dismissed it as yet another failed attempt to gain mainstream recognition. Additionally, due to the earlier release of Mind Control and the leaking of most of the material in the form of a mixtape entitled The Vitruvian Man, the release date had been pushed back to November, the original date having been May. The production on Hip-Hop for Sale was handled in part by Virginia-based producer Nottz, with several relatively unknown producers handling the remaining tracks after Nottz had cut ties with Canibus due to the appearance of The Vitruvian Man.The day of Hip-Hop for Sale's release, Mic Club Master Volume One, a separate mixtape, appeared in stores, many of the songs receiving more praise than those present on the full-length album.

For Whom the Beat Tolls (2007)

In January 2007, it was announced that Canibus would release new material in 2007 exclusively on his own imprint, Mic Club Music, in a joint venture with Legion Entertainment and distributed via his former major label, Universal Music Group. A pair of mixtapes, titled Nothing to Prove and Nothing to Lose, were slated for release in March 2007, but were eventually scrapped; instead, Canibus decided to use the best material from each mixtape to create a new full-length album entitled For Whom the Beat Tolls.

When the record was originally announced in March, there was only one confirmed track – the third installment in Canibus' "Poet Laureate" series, "Poet Laureate Infinity". The track has 1,000 bars, in the form of five 200 bar verses, and is layered in such a way that "when you mix it and spread it throughout five channels, [you have the ability] to mix the track differently every time". On April 8, 2007, the track was uploaded, by Canibus himself, to a website where the listener could mix the track differently on a digital mixing board. The website is now down, but the fansite Canibus-Central.com provided a backup.

"For Whom the Beat Tolls" was originally set for release in May 2007, but was pushed back one month, and a released on June 12, 2007 (though it wasn't distributed by Universal as previously reported). The album has 16 tracks and includes contributions from Killah Priest and Vinnie Paz, among others, and featured two personally made mixes of the "Poet Laureate Infinity" track ("Poet Laureate Infinity v003" and "Poet Laureate Infinity v004").

Following the release of "For Whom the Beat Tolls", Canibus went on a sporadic tour in the U.S. to promote the record. In August 2007, Canibus made an announcement on his Myspace page that he had cut ties with his business partner Louis Lombard: "To my friends, family and fans, Just wanted everybody to know I no longer do business with Louis Lombard, III & Mic Club Music.
Melatonin Magik (2010)

In December 2009, it was announced that Canibus was in the process of releasing his 9th studio album Melatonin Magik. Melatonin Magik was released on February 09, 2010, to relatively positive reviews, being regarded as one of his most focused efforts yet. The album included several guest appearances, a marked contrast to many of his previous albums in which he kept features at a minimum.
C of Tranquility (2010)



































His long awaited album C of Tranquility was released on Oct. 5, 2010. Producers include DJ Premier, Jake One, Scram Jones, The Bizness and J-Zone. This album was originally released as an EP in 2008 that was leaked on his myspace page, including un-mastered, lower quality versions of several tracks to be on the official release.
Military career

In 2002, Canibus signed up for the United States Army. In a 2005 interview, Canibus stated "I enlisted because I wanted to get away from the music.... I wanted to do something that gave me a separate definition from what I had done all through my teens and twenties. I was 28 when I enlisted".


* 1998: Can-I-Bus
* 2000: 2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus)
* 2001: C True Hollywood Stories
* 2002: Mic Club: The Curriculum
* 2003: Rip the Jacker
* 2005: Mind Control
* 2005: Hip-Hop for Sale
* 2007: For Whom the Beat Tolls
* 2010: Melatonin Magik
* 2010: C of Tranquility

Extended Plays

* 2003: The Brainstream EP
* 2009: The Paranoid Chillin EP
* 2010: Children of The Indigo EP

Collaboration Albums

* 2003: The Horsemen Project with Killah Priest, Kurupt & Ras Kass as The HRSMN
* 2005: Def Con Zero with Pheonix Orion as Cloak-n-Dagga
* 2009: Canibus and Keith Murray Are the Undergods with Keith Murray as The Undergods

Official Mixtapes

* 2003: My Name Is Nobody
* 2005: Mic Club Master Volume One
* 2005: The Vitruvian Man

Filmography

* 2000: Bamboozled
* 2004: Beef II
* 2004: The MC: Why We Do It