Chino XL

Biography

Derek Keith Barbosa (April 8, 1974 – July 28, 2024), better known by his stage name Chino XL, was an American rapper and actor. He was known for his evocative wordplay and for warring with Tupac Shakur.
He recorded 8 solo studio albums and 2 extended plays. His album Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary×RICANstruction: The Black Rosary21 August 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 35 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Rain (interlude)0:292Father’s Day4:143Eight Beginnings1:354Have 22:545It’s Not Too L8te3:116Wicked Church4:257Silent Art Child5:058Broken Halo3:139Anything3:4910Hell Song3:3511Bad Man Bible5:0612Mama Told Me4:3113Afraid of Nothing4:2314Can Be4:1915Arm Yourself5:2416No Damn Good for Me1:5617Sleep in Scarlet5:1518Nahh4:5919Eye4:1720Regarding Elizabeth (Save Me)3:56Disc 21Black Rosary 8am (interlude)1:222Closer to God5:043Little Man4:474Figure It Out5:135Xross Your Heart3:056Buried in Vocabulary5:227Missing You 8pm (interlude)1:528Crazy Love3:499Take It Back4:2010N.I.C.E.4:1511Kings3:351290 Bars of Intervention3:5413The Hype Man (interlude)1:3914Latino’s Stand Up (remix)4:1015Gone4:41 (2012) won the 2012 HHUG Album of the Year Award.

Early life

Born in the Bronx, New York, Derek Barbosa grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. He was raised by his single mother (African American) and his father was of Puerto Rican descent.

Career

After co-founding the duo Art of Origin with Kerri Chandler, "Chino XL" (as he was called from then on) was signed at age 16 by music impresario Rick Rubin to his American Recordings label, at the time a member of the Warner Bros. Records family.

Debut album

Barbosa released his debut album Here to Save You All×Here to Save You All1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Here to Save You All0:582Deliver3:293No Complex4:404Partner to Swing4:155It's All Bad5:016Freestyle Rhymes4:147Riiiot!4:438Waiting to Exhale3:269What Am I?4:5810Feelin' Evil Again3:3211Thousands4:1112Kreep5:2113Many Different Ways5:0714The Shabba-Doo Conspiracy4:3915Ghetto Vampire4:4716Rise5:29 in 1996, to critical acclaim. The lead single "Kreep×Kreep1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Kreep (Video Remix Clean Edit)4:302Kreep (Video Remix Original Full-Length)4:583Kreep (Album Version Clean Edit)4:344Kreep (Dirty Linen Remix Original)4:455Kreep (Video Remix Instrumental)4:586Kreep (Album Version Edit Instrumental)4:317Kreep (Dirty Linen Remix Instrumental)4:468Kreep (Videoppella)4:439Kreep (Kreepappella)5:0810Kreep (Linenappella)4:30", which featured an interpolation of the Radiohead song "Creep" received major airplay by radio and MTV. "Kreep" charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B Chart for a record 23 weeks, from July 1996 to January 1997. Here to Save You All was A&R'd by Dan Charnas. It also included the single "No Complex×No Complex1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1No Complex (Radio Version)4:40".
Chino was released from his American Recordings contract when the label switched distributors from Warner Bros. Records to Columbia Records in 1997.

Other record deals and recordings

Warner Bros. Records signed Chino in the fall of 1997. His second album was due to come out in April 1999 but numerous delays prevented this. In early 2001, when the album's lead single "Let 'Em Live" featuring Kool G Rap was about to appear, Chino was dropped by Warner, as they folded their Black music department, allegedly due to the public legal battle with Prince. The album was eventually released in 2001 by Metro Records under the title I Told You So.
Chino worked with rock engineer Kent Hitchcock to bring Poison Pen to life. The lyricist/emcee co-executive produced this 3rd studio album (2006), which introduced “Wordsmith” and featured appearances by Proof of D-12, Killah Priest and hip-hop duo The Beatnuts. The title track is produced by Dan Charnas, pulled from 1996 sessions while still signed to Rubin’s label.
In 2007, Chino signed a contract with the Universal Latino label Machete Music.
In 2009, Chino's fourth album RICANstruction was released via his own joint venture with Universal Music. The album featured appearances by Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne, and Bun B and was produced by DJ Khalil, with 5x Grammy winner Focus acting as executive producer.
On August 19, 2011, a song titled "N.I.C.E.×N.I.C.E.17 August 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1N.I.C.E.4:17", produced by Nick Wiz, was released.
On September 25, 2012, the album Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary×RICANstruction: The Black Rosary21 August 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 35 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Rain (interlude)0:292Father’s Day4:143Eight Beginnings1:354Have 22:545It’s Not Too L8te3:116Wicked Church4:257Silent Art Child5:058Broken Halo3:139Anything3:4910Hell Song3:3511Bad Man Bible5:0612Mama Told Me4:3113Afraid of Nothing4:2314Can Be4:1915Arm Yourself5:2416No Damn Good for Me1:5617Sleep in Scarlet5:1518Nahh4:5919Eye4:1720Regarding Elizabeth (Save Me)3:56Disc 21Black Rosary 8am (interlude)1:222Closer to God5:043Little Man4:474Figure It Out5:135Xross Your Heart3:056Buried in Vocabulary5:227Missing You 8pm (interlude)1:528Crazy Love3:499Take It Back4:2010N.I.C.E.4:1511Kings3:351290 Bars of Intervention3:5413The Hype Man (interlude)1:3914Latino’s Stand Up (remix)4:1015Gone4:41 was released as a double disc through Immortal Technique's Viper Records. It won the 2012 HHUG Album of the Year award
In 2015, he was featured on UK singer/rapper RKZ's single 'They Don't Know Nothing'.
In late 2019, Freemusicempire wrote that Chino XL is "The greatest name-checker in rap history" Dan-O wrote "Chino XL has a career full of jaw dropping name drops that don't benefit him at all. In 1996 he was clowning OJ Simpson, in 2012 he was making fun of Muhammed Ali's brain stem. If you are going to drop the name of someone important do 2 things for me A.) don't walk it back and apologize B.) make it heinous. Do it out of an unparalleled fearlessness. Shake the world up so the people who feel safe don't anymore….and when the consequences come take them like a seasoned criminal takes a sentence. Or don't do it at all."

2020–2024

In December 2020, he released a joint extended play "Chino vs. Balt" with Balt Getty, under Purplehaus Records. The project included three music videos.
In 2022, it was reported he was working on a new album, which would include a collaboration with R.A. the Rugged Man.
In 2023, Chino XL reunited with Stu Bangas to release the LP God’s Carpenter, a 12-song album featuring Vinnie Paz on the single "Murder Rhyme Kill". Additional singles included "AMBImonsterous" and the title track "God’s Carpenter".
Shortly before his death, he contributed to the song "Pendulum Swing", from an album called G.O.Ds NETWORK: REB7RTH, assembled using production and verses licensed from Rakim.

Acting career

In addition to his music career, Chino XL went on to appear in numerous films and on television, subsequently appearing as a guest star on the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, and CBS series CSI: Miami. His feature film credits include a co-starring role opposite Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson in director Rob Reiner's Alex & Emma (Warner Bros. Pictures) and several indie films, including Brandon Sonnier's The Beat, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Personal life

Barbosa was the nephew of Bernie Worrell of the music group Parliament/Funkadelic, and was also a member of Mensa International.

Death

Barbosa died at his home by suicide through ligature hanging on July 28, 2024. He was 50.

Solo albums

Here to Save You All (1996)
I Told You So (2001)
Poison Pen (2006)
Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary (2012)
God’s Carpenter (with Stu Bangas) (2023)

Posthumous albums

Darkness & Other Colors (2024)
Map of Bones (presented by DJ Fokus) (2025)
Prelude to the Mantis (2026)
Necksnapper (with Canibus) (2026)

Collaboration albums

Something Sacred (with Playalitical) (2008)
You Can't Win (with T-Bone) (2005)

Singles

"No Slow Rollin'" (with Art of Origin) (1992)
"Un-Rational" (with Art of Origin) (1993)
"Purple Hands in the Air / Dark Night of the Bloodspiller" (1994)
"Kreep×Kreep1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Kreep (Video Remix Clean Edit)4:302Kreep (Video Remix Original Full-Length)4:583Kreep (Album Version Clean Edit)4:344Kreep (Dirty Linen Remix Original)4:455Kreep (Video Remix Instrumental)4:586Kreep (Album Version Edit Instrumental)4:317Kreep (Dirty Linen Remix Instrumental)4:468Kreep (Videoppella)4:439Kreep (Kreepappella)5:0810Kreep (Linenappella)4:30" (1996)
"No Complex / Waiting to Exhale" (1996)
"Thousands / Freestyle Rhymes" (1996)
"Deliver×Deliver1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Deliver (Radio)A2Deliver (Vocal)B1Deliver (Instrumental)B2Deliver (Acapella)" (1996)
"Rise / Jesus" (1997)
"Let 'Em Live" (2000)
"Last Laugh" (2001) Vs (1998)
"What You Got / Let 'Em Live" (2001)
"Don't Run from Me / Warning" (2006)
"Poison Pen×Poison Pen22 February 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Poison Pen (intro)0:222Poison Pen4:253Even If It Kills Me4:014Messiah2:505Wordsmith (intro)1:116Wordsmith5:117Beastin'3:188Skin7:019Don't Fail Me Now4:0610Our Time3:4111B-Boy (intro)1:0912B-Boy/Gangsta4:5413Talk to You4:4614What You Lookin' At4:3215Can't Change Me0:3416All I Wanna Do... (Bout Nothin')5:1017Nunca / What You Got10:24" (2006)
"Messiah" (2006)
"Jump Back" (2007)
"Lick Shots" (with Immortal Technique and Crooked I) (2008)
"Chow Down" (with Playalitical) (2008)
"N.I.C.E.×N.I.C.E.17 August 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1N.I.C.E.4:17" (2012)
"Arm Yourself" (with DV Alias Khrist, Sick Jacken and Immortal Technique) (2012)
"Kings" (with Big Pun) (2012)
"They Don't Know Nothing" (with RKZ) (2015)
"March of the Imperial" (with D.CrazE the Destroyer) (2016)
"Under the Bridge" (with Rama Duke) (2018)
"Ascending to Mytikas" (with Fuzzy Ed) (2022)

Notable guest appearances

Tha Mexakinz - Tha Mexakinz
Main One - Bring the Drama 12"
Saafir - Not fa Nothin' 12"
Sway & King Tech - The Anthem
RA the Rugged Man - Slayer's Club
Immortal Technique - Lick Shots
Kool G Rap - Come See Me