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After a six-year release hiatus, Bronx-bred rap vet Chino XL is finally set to make a return with a new album in late September, entitled RICANstruction: The Black Rosary.
According to a press release, the upcoming album is a "mix of deeply personal songs, astounding lyrical exercises and remarkable narratives". It will be a two-disc set, boasting 35 tracks, and features the likes of Travis Barker, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Immortal Technique and B-Real.
On it, Chino XL tackles difficult subjects such as the abuse he suffered as a child, his resulting fractured personal relationships, his own daughter's battle with cancer, and a past suicide attempt, amongst other things. While recording, the rapper realized that letting out these demons actually helped him.
"It's a complete unbottling of a lot of stuff, things that I probably had suppressed," Chino explains. "The human psyche has the ability and the power to do that in order to keep it functioning. I felt that it was time to let most of it out so I could move on and get past some of those issues. Whilst on tour last year, I realized how many people I connected to when I expressed a lot of those more painful, emotional songs. It seemed like a lot of folks really needed to hear them. I can learn from that to help them relate so they can also get past what they had going on. I realized that’s part of my journey."
Signed to Rick Rubin in his teens, Chino XL introduced a new style of lyricism that featured rhymes that created a new edginess in rap. It became his signature with the launch of his solo career. His debut album, Here To Say You All, became a landmark release, thanks to the jaw-dropping lyrics featured on "No Complex" and "Freestyle Rhymes," as well as his relationship meditation "Kreep," whose video became a staple on MTV. His subsequent single "Wordsmith," culled from his acclaimed Poison Pen album, is included in "The Yale Anthology of Rap."
Since then, Chino has released four studio albums, and toured with Immortal Technique, Ghostface and Dead Prez.
"I'm trying to push lyricism as far as you can," he says. "I believe that it’s my contribution to the art form, to art in general and to music. I feel like if you're not going to try to raise the bar, then what are you doing it for? I try to do it because I feel like that's part of my blessing and to share my blessing, I have to propel the art form and push the boundaries of language."
RICANstruction: The Black Rosary drops September 25, via Viper Records.
Source: ballerstatus.com
According to a press release, the upcoming album is a "mix of deeply personal songs, astounding lyrical exercises and remarkable narratives". It will be a two-disc set, boasting 35 tracks, and features the likes of Travis Barker, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Immortal Technique and B-Real.
On it, Chino XL tackles difficult subjects such as the abuse he suffered as a child, his resulting fractured personal relationships, his own daughter's battle with cancer, and a past suicide attempt, amongst other things. While recording, the rapper realized that letting out these demons actually helped him.
"It's a complete unbottling of a lot of stuff, things that I probably had suppressed," Chino explains. "The human psyche has the ability and the power to do that in order to keep it functioning. I felt that it was time to let most of it out so I could move on and get past some of those issues. Whilst on tour last year, I realized how many people I connected to when I expressed a lot of those more painful, emotional songs. It seemed like a lot of folks really needed to hear them. I can learn from that to help them relate so they can also get past what they had going on. I realized that’s part of my journey."
Signed to Rick Rubin in his teens, Chino XL introduced a new style of lyricism that featured rhymes that created a new edginess in rap. It became his signature with the launch of his solo career. His debut album, Here To Say You All, became a landmark release, thanks to the jaw-dropping lyrics featured on "No Complex" and "Freestyle Rhymes," as well as his relationship meditation "Kreep," whose video became a staple on MTV. His subsequent single "Wordsmith," culled from his acclaimed Poison Pen album, is included in "The Yale Anthology of Rap."
Since then, Chino has released four studio albums, and toured with Immortal Technique, Ghostface and Dead Prez.
"I'm trying to push lyricism as far as you can," he says. "I believe that it’s my contribution to the art form, to art in general and to music. I feel like if you're not going to try to raise the bar, then what are you doing it for? I try to do it because I feel like that's part of my blessing and to share my blessing, I have to propel the art form and push the boundaries of language."
RICANstruction: The Black Rosary drops September 25, via Viper Records.
Source: ballerstatus.com