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Chali2Na - MC. Musician. Actor. Painter. Renaissance Man. Chali2Na has done it all. From his days growing up on the hardscrabble streets of Chicago's south side, to his subsequent explosion onto Los Angeles' burgeoning hip-hop scene, to his tenure as MC for seminal hip-hop group Jurassic 5, Chali epitomizes the portrait of a 21st century artist. To be sure, with his unmistakable, beloved baritone, Chali has firmly established himself as one of the most distinctive, charismatic personalities not just in hip-hop, but music in general. Only a select few can say they've rocked microphones in front of thousands at a sold-out arena in Tokyo with Jurassic 5, spit rhymes at Lollapalooza, painted professional caliber oil color paintings in their California home and lent their distinctive bass-heavy voice, to such mega-brands as Coca Cola and Sega Dreamcast. Now, buoyed by the wide spectrum of socio-cultural and geographical influences that have shaped himóhip-hop's Renaissance man is poised to release his first solo album Fish Outta Water in spring of 2009. Indeed, this deeply personal body of work reveals a side of the long time Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli front man that his fans have never seen, a story from start to finish of his life, loves, triumphs and let downs, weaving in a powerful selection of beats from the likes of Scott Storch and Jake 1 and memorable appearances from Damian 'Jr. Gong' and Stephen Marley, Anthony Hamilton, Beanie Man and others. "I wanted this album to expose who I am as an artist. The majority of people know me from Jurassic 5 and Ozo, but I felt like nobody knew me as an artist," Chali says. "I want to show you all facets of who I am. Man. Husband. Brother. Father. Son. Painter." Says Chali: "I want to free peopleís asses and let their minds follow. To not be preachy, but to make them aware of what I'm about. I want to enlighten, but I ain't trying to be a bumper sticker either." Tickets $38 +BF from Real Groovy, Beat Merchants, Conch and iTicket.co.nz /// 10pm to late |
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