Chali 2na considers himself a painter who can rap, not the other way around.
That might seem an odd label for a guy who's done what he's done as a performer. Chali co-founded legendary hip hop group Jurassic 5 and rock band Ozomatli while also gracing numerous festivals like Shangri-la, Riverfest, Levitt Pavillion Denver and so on. He's been around the world with his own band, the House of Vibe.
Nonetheless, the man says: "I was brought into the world of hip hop and the world of music through my participation in graffiti art. I've always known how to draw and always had more, shall we say, confidence in my visual artistic skills than anything else. The music part developed in a way that I didn't expect.
"I wanted to pursue a career in visual arts somehow, maybe being a commercial artist or comic book artist or a graphic designer. That was really where I think my career was headed in my mind—but, you know as they say: man planned and God planned, and God is the best of planners."
Chali grew up on the rough-and-tumble streets of Chicago's south side. He was surrounded by music his friends and family enjoyed, but didn't write his first poem until a pair of boys embarrassed him before his childhood crush. Not one to take such an offence lying down, Chali penned a diss track on a sheet of paper and practised until he was able to perform it in a way that seemed like he was freestyling.
He saved face in front of the girl he liked, but also remembers feeling inspired as his impromptu audience oohed and aahed at every punch line.
Moving to California as a teenager exposed Chali to the hip-hop world at large. More reps and like-minded friends eventually inspired him to give the music industry a try, and away he went.
"There's a lot of things I've learned on a day-to-day basis, but one thing that I did learn is about the nature of people and humans," Chali says. "Being in a group with five other dudes trained me to see other people in ways that are clear. I feel like I'm a really good judge of character, per se, and also I feel like I'm a good judge of vibe … sound itself has power and can change things if you use it in the right fashion."
'Missionary work'
Chali and his old Jurassic 5 running mate Cut Chemist have worked together on numerous occasions, even after Jurassic 5 officially disbanded in 2007. They've just dropped their latest single, "Melt Like Plastic," and hope their partnership will go on for years to come.
"I met Cut Chemist in 1987. He's a unique individual. He's unapologetically himself," Chali describes. "A lot of people put on airs and try to be somebody that they're not, but when we were young, I noticed that he was not afraid to be himself in this hip-hop world trying to make you conform to what the trends are. I just love that dude … 'Melt Like Plastic' is just a celebration of me and that guy's friendship. We just get together and make some s—, and if we agree that we like it, f— what everybody else thinks."
The spraypaint can remains Chali's artistic tool of choice whenever he's not rapping, but he also taught himself oil painting 20 years ago. He has enjoyed figuring out different techniques and keeps an eight-by-eight-foot canvas in his backyard to scratch his creative itches.
Regarding Canada, Chali says he's never done a bad show north of the border. The Sea to Sky corridor may not be your typical hip-hop hot spot, but that fact doesn't faze him.
"I've always looked at what we do as missionary work. Let's be real about it," he remarks. "We've been agents of this thing called hip hop, and we've been able and blessed to travel to different parts of the world, see how this art form affected that area, and contribute to what's actually happening in that area. I'm blessed to be the dude, or one of the dudes who [are] still able to do that. I'm 54 years old … amazes me every time I think about it."
Whistler's own DJ Vinyl Ritchie will open the July 17 show at 6:30 p.m. before Chali 2na and his House of Vibe strut their stuff at 7:30 p.m. Visit whistler.com/events/concerts for more details.
