| A CONVERSATION W/ CHALI 2NA |
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| Thursday, 18 June 2009 18:03 |
 Bearing an identifiably deep baritone voice, Chali 2na became the unofficial point man for West Coast underground favorite Jurassic 5. Originally from southside Chicago, Stewart first gained an interest in graffiti writing before getting into music. Both activities were his way of steering clear of drugs and gang life, and also influenced his decision to move to Los Angeles with his grandmother in his mid-teens. The developing MC quickly associated himself with rap collective the Unity Committee, which also included turntablist the Cut Chemist and rhymesayer Marc 7even. The group used to frequent the open mic sessions at the famed Good Life Café venue. There the three met Akil, Zaakir, and DJ Nu-Mark of an opposing crew, and later all six formed Jurassic 5 in 1993. Before Jurassic 5 fully took off, Chali 2na and Cut Chemist also helped found the band Ozomatli, whose music was a fusion of worldbeat, rock, hip-hop, and Latin dance/funk. As part of two critically acclaimed ensembles, Chali 2na sent waves in the music world with each of their debuts; Jurassic 5's major-label debut, Quality Control (2000), has been deemed a benchmark for alternative West Coast hip-hop. Chali emerged as J5's most popular member and was frequently tapped for guest appearances on many other artists' material over the years, like that of Swollen Members, Linkin Park, Blackalicious, Kardinal Offishal, and Roots Manuva. His solo foray began in 2004 with his Fish Market mixtapes. The first mixtape, however, was initially supposed to proceed his Interscope solo debut, but continuous delays, plus the dissolution of J5 in 2007, left his project up in the air. ~ Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide (Source) DISCOGS MYSPACE WIKIPEDIA DOWNLOAD WELCOME TO THE FISH MARKET HERE.  BUY HIS LATEST "FISH OUTA WATER" INTERVIEW/// WHEN DO YOU REMEMBER MUSIC FIRST TOUCHING YOU? 2nd grade. I remember memorizing the lyrics to Rapper's Delight. WHAT SHAPED YOUR EARLY MUSICAL PERSPECTIVE? My mom and dad's taste in music. They would play music on Sunday's while we cleaned the house. (From Soul, funk, latin, rock and reggae and more) WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF MUSIC? After trying just about every element of hip hop and finding out that my niche was music and visual art, I felt compelled to create music and paintings to challenge myself.  WHEN COLABORATING, HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK FOR YOU? Each time is different. Basically I try to absorb my surroundings and sink into the music. In doing so the music tells me what to write. I try to learn a little something from the person I am working with and apply to my skills for later. Regardless, when collaborating, it takes team work. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH THAT YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY? Stevie Wonder, Rakim and the Free Credit Report.com guys to start  HAS COLLABORATING WITH OTHER ARTISTS COME FROM CONSTANT WORK WITH LARGE GROUPS? Musical opportunities pop up for me, and I usually try to take them if they are artistically challenging. I like to work and that's why you see more collaborations not just because of my work with large groups. HOW HAS IT BEEN MAKING THE SWITCH OVER TO BEING A SOLO ARTIST? Tedious to say the least. Things that I took for granted as a group member, I now have to pay attention to more as a solo artist. WHY DID JURASSIC 5 STOP MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER? Internal problems which lead to external problems are what lead to group's demise. TAKE US THROUGH THE CREATION OF A SONG. There is no method to my madness, which is the method to my madness. Each time is different. Sometimes the beat is first, sometimes the words, sometimes both. WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR “REMEMBER HIS NAME” COME FROM? One of the members of J5 was watching the news and saw a report about a friend of his that got murdered. So, he thought it would be cool about death as if we all knew him but forgot his name. HOW MUCH OF YOUR STYLE HAS COME FROM THE TYPE OF VOICE YOU HAVE? I don't focus on my voice, more than I focus on everything that I have to make good music. So I am not sure how much of my style comes from my voice. HOW DID THE DINO 5 COME ABOUT? I got the call from Prince Paul asking me to be part of a children's album he was making that would be appealing to adults as well. Who can turn down Prince Paul? I NOTICE THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE A LOT OF PRODUCTION ON YOUR VOICE? IS THAT BECAUSE ITS ALREADY SO GOOD IT DOESN’T NEED IT? I like to record my voice dry just incase we decide to add effects to enhance the song. As a general rule, I usually don't.  HAVE YOU COME TO ANY UNIVERSAL TRUTHS ABOUT MUSIC? Yes. It's a universal language that connects the people of the world. I'm all for experimentation, but I don't think artists should rely more on the gadgets than their own talent. But this is my own opinion though. WHERE ARE YOU MOST CREATIVE? I think I am most creative at home. In the early morning my first ideas come. They are usually the best ideas of the day. But I practice being creative where ever. For example, in the car stuck in traffic or different studios collaborating with different artists. WHERE DOES CREATIVITY COME FROM FOR YOU? Life experiences inspires creativity for me. |
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