Rapper Chino XL Dies at 50

Rapper-actor Chino XL died Sunday at his residence, in line with an announcement from his household. No reason behind dying had been introduced on the time of this text’s publication; he was 50.

The Bronx-born rapper, whose actual title was Derek Keith Barbosa, is survived by his youngsters, Chynna, Bella, Lyric and Kiyana; stepson Shawn; 5 grandchildren; his mom and his longtime companion Stephanie.

In a joint assertion, his daughters wrote: “Our father had many titles — King of Punchlines, Puerto Rican Superhero — however crucial one was Lady Dad. And what he gave us most in that position was his energy, straightforwardness, and talent to be tremendous lifelike. The primary factor we’re feeling now’s that our Dad is at peace, and so we’re at peace.” 

All through his profession, the rapper generally known as the “Lyrical Messiah” constructed his cachet as a revered emcee, releasing 4 solo albums and several other collaborative initiatives. Together with standout freestyles on Sway and King Tech’s Wake Up Present and a brief stint on Rick Rubin’s American Recordings, he forayed into performing with roles in Rob Reiner’s “Alex & Emma” and on “Reno 911!”

Born in 1974, Barbosa grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, the place he turned a rapper at school and took on “Chino” based mostly on his childhood nickname. Within the late Eighties, he joined forces with producer Kerri Chandler to kind the duo the Artwork of Origin. They signed with Rick Rubin’s Def American Recordings through Warner Bros. in 1991 and after releasing singles, Chino XL launched into a solo profession.

He launched his debut album, “Right here to Save You All,” in 1996, and adopted with “I Instructed You So,” which featured collaborations with Cypress Hill’s B-Actual, Kool G Rap, and J Dilla, amongst others; he later gained the rights to the album and re-released it independently. A sequence of albums adopted over the subsequent 20 years: “Poison Pen” (2006), “One thing Sacred,” a collaboration with Playalitical (2008), “Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary” (2012), “Chino vs. Balt” with Balthazar Getty (2020), and “God’s Carpenter,” a collaboration with Stu Bangas (2023).

Chino most lately made an look on Rakim’s newest challenge “G.O.D.’s Community (Reb7rth),” which launched on July 26. He’s featured on the observe “Pendulum Swing” that includes Kxng Crooked, Canibus and LA the Darkman.

Notably, Chino turned embroiled with Tupac Shakur previous to his passing resulting from a line he included on his 1996 music “Riiiot!” Shakur namedropped Chino on his basic diss music “Hit ‘Em Up,” prompting Chino to launch his personal response diss. It was unclear if the 2 settled their variations earlier than Shakur’s dying.

He signed with Hollywood supervisor Stacey Castro and began working as an actor within the early 2000s, showing in Reiner’s “Alex & Emma” as a flamenco dancer reverse Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson. He additionally acted in Brandon Sonnier’s 2003 hip-hop movie “The Beat,” which premiered at Sundance and counted Coolio and Brian McKnight in its forged. On the small display, he appeared on “Reno 911!,” “CSI: Miami” and “The Younger and the Stressed.”

Extra lately, he branched out as an creator of graphic novels, together with “Black Mass,” “Lucy” and “Pores and skin and Bones: The Descent of the Holy.”