Chino XL, 1990s New York Rapper, Dies at 50

Chino XL, the New York rapper known for 1990s hits like “No Complex” and “Kreep,” died at his home on Sunday morning (July 28), his family shared in a statement. “Our father had many titles — King of Punchlines, Puerto Rican Superhero — but the most important one was Girl Dad,” his daughters wrote on social media. “And what he gave us most in that role was his strength, straightforwardness, and ability to be super realistic. The main thing we are feeling now is that our Dad is at peace, and so we are at peace.” Chino XL was 50 years old.

Born Derek Emmanuel Barbosa in the Bronx, Chino XL was so drawn to hip-hop at a young age that he started his own group, Art of Origin, as a preteen with friend and future DJ Kerri Chandler. After catching the attention of Rick Rubin, a 16-year-old Chino XL was signed to American Recordings and rolled out his debut album, Here to Save You All, in 1996 with guest appearances from Kool Keith, Gravitation, and Ras Kass.

Here to Save You All’s lead singles, “No Complex” and “Kreep”—the latter of which is a nod to Radiohead’s “Creep” in title and composition, and earned frequently airplay on MTV—made Chino XL a rapper to watch nationwide. While the LP garnered critical acclaim, it also prompted controversy with bold lyrics about sexual bravado and eye-rolls over mainstream commercial rap. “Riiiot,” in particular, caught heat for a notorious line in its first verse (“I’m trying not to get fucked like 2Pac in jail”) that spawned an alleged feud with Tupac Shakur. (That following year, 2Pac took shots at Notorious B.I.G., Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Mobb Deep, among others, on the diss track “Hit ’Em Up.”)

In 1997, Chino XL signed to Warner Bros. to release his sophomore album, but numerous delays pushed its release back until, eventually, he was dropped by the label during the shuttering of its Black music department. I Told You So came out years later, in 2001, via Metro Records, and Chino XL followed it up with 2006’s Poison Pen and 2012’s Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary, the latter of which boasted collaborations with Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne, and Bun B.

“I never got into this music to get rich. When I first started, the music that I was influenced by, the people were not rich,” Chino XL once told Truth505. “I kind of enjoy being an artist that, you’re not my fan or my supporter by accident. You can’t find my records in half of the places.… So, I’m kinda happy to be able to say what I want and do what I want. It feels good.”