Rap veteran Chino XL dies at 50

XL chinothe rapper with bold lyricism and relentless courage, has died at age 50. In a joint statement released Tuesday (30), the family of the New York rapper, born Derek Emmanuel Barbosaconfirmed that he died at his home on Sunday morning (28).

“Our dad had many titles — King of Jokes, Puerto Rican Superhero — but his most important one was being a Girl Dad,” his daughters wrote. “And what he gave us most in that role was his strength, his candor, and his ability to be down-to-earth. The main thing we feel now is that our dad is at peace, and so we are at peace.” The cause of death was not given.

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

Barbosa began his career in the music industry as a teenager and formed the rap duo Art of Origin with producer Kaoz. He was later signed to the American Recordings label. Rick Rubin at age 16, and Barbosa’s debut album, Here to Save You Allreleased in 1996, received praise.

After being released from his contract with American Recordings, Barbosa signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1997, but his second album faced several delays. He was later dropped by the label after the closure of its black music department. I Told You So It was eventually released, but only in 2001, through Metro Records.

Their third album, Poison Pen, was released in 2006, followed by their fourth and final LP, Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary in 2012. The double album released with Viper Records Immortal Techniquewas hailed as his best work to date.

When talking to the Hip Hop DX About the record, a deeply personal and vulnerable work, Barbosa discussed how “a lot of the internal issues and a lot of the things from my past affect my present.” He added, “I kind of felt like the pen was just going its own direction and it was just what I wanted to get out of my system for good.”

Barbosa, who often spoke about the artistic skill and craft behind songwriting, participated in the Hip-Hop Architecture Camp of Mike Ford in 2008 to help diversify the field of architecture by having students build Lego models based on rap lyrics.

“I’ve been on this planet for several decades, and I’ve moved in some pretty radical circles, but personally, I don’t remember ever meeting a melanated architect in my entire life,” Barbosa told Rolling Stone at the time. “Just for these kids to know that this is possible, that’s important.”

Following the news of his death, several artists shared tributes on social media and reflected on Barbosa’s legacy.

“Damn… RIP to the legend Chino XL,” he wrote Joe Budden node X. “It hurts to write, RIP Chino XL,” he 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,” he wrote. KXNG Crooked in X. “I’m fucked. Rest in Peace my brother Chino XL.” Crooked and Chino had just joined Rakim in “Pendulum Swinging,” which was released last week.

Barbosa shared his excitement about joining Rakim on the track in an Instagram post. “Blessed to be a part of this project @thegodrakim It’s an honor of the highest caliber,” the rapper wrote on Instagram in June. “My friend and curator of this entire project [AR M80] made this childhood dream come true, sincere gratitude.”

While Barbosa was often recognized for his music, he also had roles in television, such as Reno 911!, and CSI: Miami, and films, including The Beat of Brandon Sonnier and Alex & Emma from 2003, next to Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson.

Speaking to Truth505 in 2011 ahead of the release of his latest album, Barbosa acknowledged that while people need to make money from his music to make a living, his focus has always been on the lyrics.

“I never got into this music to get rich. When I started, the music that influenced me, people weren’t rich,” he said. “I kind of like being an artist that, you’re not my fan or my supporter by accident. You can’t find my records in half the places.”

He continued, “Luckily, I’m in a position in my life where I don’t have to do a lot of 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. That gives me a good feeling.”