Chino XL

Chino XL (born Derek Barbosa, April 8, 1971, in The Bronx, New York) is a rapper well respected among hip hop enthusiasts for his 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. He is also well known to many for a brief feud with Tupac Shakur.

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After a spell with the group Art Of Origin, Chino XL released his debut album Here To Save You All in 1996 (see 1996 in music), a diverse work which included more conventional battle rap tracks (featuring Kool Keith and Ras Kass) alongside autobiographical tracks such as What Am I (which dealt with his mixed race - 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 incurred the wrath of Tupac Shakur in Tupac's track Hit 'Em Up. This is believed to be as a result of a simile on his debut album in a track called 'riiiot' which read "by this industry, I'm trying not to get fucked like 2Pac in jail". The ambiguity over where the simile begins possibly caused confusion, but nevertheless Chino soon responded in a radio freestyle. However, Tupac did not respond back and was soon dead due to an unresolved shooting in Las Vegas. Chino XL has since explained that he greatly respected Tupac and used his line simply as a metaphor and meant no disrespect.

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After a long period of inactivity, Chino's second album I Told You So was released in 2001 (see 2001 in music). 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. The album Poison Pen, which was co-executive produced by his then-manager Stacey Castro, is still awaiting release.

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He has recently forged a career in acting, appearing in several films and making a guest appearance in the sitcom Reno 911.

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1971: 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar)....

The Bronx: The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States. It is coterminous with Bronx County of the State of New York. It is the northernmost and only borough of New York City on the North American mainland, located south of Westchester County. It also includes several small isl...

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Chino XL related Images and Photos (experimental)

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