Chino XL, rapper known for his powerful lyrics, dies at the age of 50

The rapper of Puerto Rican descent was born in the Bronx, New York, and has released four studio albums during his prolific career, including Ricanstruction: The Black RosaryHis biggest hits included “No Complex,” “Sickology 101” featuring Tech N9ne, and “The Anthem” featuring Sway and King Tech.

Barbosa began his career in the music industry as a teenager, forming the rap duo Art of Origin with producer Kaoz. He was later signed to Rick Rubin’s American Recordings label at the age of 16, and Barbosa’s debut album Here to save you allwas released in April 1996 and received great praise.

The LP featured the track “Riiiot!”, which mentioned a whole host of celebrities, including OJ Simpson, John Belushi and Magic Johnson, and also included the infamous line “I’m trying not to get fucked in prison like Tupac” in the first verse. The song is said to have sparked a feud with Tupac Shakur, and the following June, the All eyes on me The rapper released the diss track “Hit ‘Em Up,” which was directed against his former friend Notorious BIG and the Bad Boy crew, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Mobb Deep and Barbosa.

After being released from his contract with American Recordings, Barbosa signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1997, but his second album was delayed several times. He was later dropped by the label after the black music division was closed. Although I told youwas finally released in 2001 via Metro Records.

His third album, Poison penwas released in 2006 and was followed by his fourth and final LP, Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary in 2012. The double CD was released on Viper Records by Immortal Technique and was hailed as his best work to date.

Speaking to Hip Hop DX about the album, a deeply personal and vulnerable work, Barbosa spoke about how “a lot of my inner issues and a lot of things from my past affect my present.” He added, “I just felt like the pen kind of went its own way and it was just what I wanted to get out of my system for good.”

Barbosa, who often spoke of the craftsmanship and art behind songwriting, participated in Mike Ford’s hip-hop architecture camp in 2008 to help diversify the field of architecture by having students build Lego models based on rap lyrics.

“I have been on this planet for several decades and have moved in some pretty radical circles, but personally I cannot remember meeting an architect with melanin in my entire life,” said Barbosa Rolling Stone back then. “It’s important that these children know that something like this exists.”

Following the news of his death, numerous artists expressed their appreciation on social media and reflected on Barbosa’s legacy.

“Damn… RIP to the legend Chino XL”, wrote Joe Budden to X. “This hurts to write, RIP Chino XL,” posted Evidence.

“We spoke on the phone the other day and laughed. Our careers have been linked since the Wake Up Show freestyles decades ago,” wrote KXNG Crooked on X. “I’m fucked. Rest in peace, my brother Chino XL.” Crooked and Barbosa had just collaborated with Rakim on “Pendulum Swing,” which was released last week.

Barbosa shared his excitement about being on the track with Rakim in an Instagram post. “I’m blessed to be a part of this @thegodrakim project!! It’s such an honor!!,” the rapper wrote on Instagram in June. “My buddy and curator of this entire project (A&R M80) made this entire bucket list and childhood dream possible, sincere gratitude.”

While Barbosa was often known for his music, he also played in television roles such as Reno emergency call!And CSI: Miamiand films like Brandon Sonnier’s The Beat and 2003 Alex and Emma alongside Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson.

When Barbosa spoke to Truth505 in 2011 before the release of his last album, he acknowledged that while people need to make money from their music to make a living, his focus has always been on the lyrics.

“I never made this music to get rich. When I started, the people who influenced me weren’t rich,” he said. “I kind of enjoy being an artist where you don’t just happen to be my fan or supporter. You can’t find my records in half the stores.”

He continued, “Luckily, I’m in a position in my life where I don’t have to do too many things that I don’t want to do financially, so I’m kind of happy to be able to say what I want and do what I want. It feels good.”