New Jersey rapper Chino XL has had an underground following for years but now he's threatening to break through big time. Earlier this year, there was his "Kreep," an ingenious and haunting hip-hop groove based on "Creep" from English alt-rock band Radiohead. With his debut album for Rick Rubin's American label, Chino has delivered a knockout, a hurricane of ribald, rowdy rhymes and pummeling yet jazzy grooves. Chino XL is a throwback to an earlier generation of rappers who combined braggadocio with brains; their rhymes weren't just littered with profanities but often were genuinely clever. Some of Chino's lines should cause bursts of laughter among the pop-culture literate. In "Partner to Swing," he raps, "I catch more heat than a Hasidic Jew/ You catch two thumbs down like a Matty Rich movie review/ Your individuality's missing like Adam Walsh/ Your image is faker than the hair on Diana Ross." But Chino better watch his back; some of those he tackles aren't likely to be amused. Quincy Jones was so irked by Chino that he refused to allow any of his music to be sampled. Chino takes on everyone and everything: Naomi Campbell, D'Angelo, O.J. Simpson, teen pregnancy, Earth Day and even his own record label. Be warned: Some of the language and imagery are raw. The only question is what Chino XL can possibly do for an encore. As Chino says, he's so def, he needs closed captions. - Knight Rider News / Southern Illinoisan (Nov. 14, 1996).
Rest In Peace, Chino XL.
