I AM Chino XL

 

 

 

Chino XL born in The Bronx, New York and raised in East Orange, New Jersey is a well respected lyrical titan among hip hop enthusiasts for his witty bars, immaculate delivery, and over the top battling abilities. He is notorious for his usage of self-consciously over-the-top punchlines (which usually take the form of puns or similes) and for his exaggerated egotism. 

Chino XL released his debut album Here To Save You All in 1996, a diverse work which included more conventional battle rap tracks (featuring Kool Keith) alongside autobiographical tracks such as What Am I (which dealt with his heritage- half Puerto Rican, half African - background). The album got a very positive critical reception and is still regarded by many as one of the finest hip-hop albums of the nineties.

After building his reputation further by making several famous appearances freestyling on the Wake Up Show radio show. 

Chino's second album I Told You So was released in 2001. It was decidedly more battle rap-oriented than his debut, and featured a slightly more commercial production style. It received reasonably positive reviews but received little promotion and did not sell particularly well. 

 After the positive underground reaction to I Told You the highly anticipated third album, entitled Poison Pen, was released in January, 2006. After Poison Pen, in 2006, his album Warning, hosted by King Tech, was released in the same year.

 Chino has since been a very prominent and at times controversial figure in the hiphop culture. He has released many other projects that have rocked the hiphop community and solidified his veteran status etched in the hiphop history books.

Aside from music, Chino has also recently forged a career in acting, appearing in several films and making a guest appearance in the sitcom Reno 911.