At the age of 50, Rapper Chino XL has passed away. Many have come forward with their tributes to the late actor-rapper. To learn more about Rapper Chino XL’s cause of death, continue reading the article!
Rapper Chino XL Cause of Death
The rapper passed away on Sunday, 28th July 2024. However, Rapper Chino XL cause of death has not been revealed at the time of this article’s publication. However, the news shared by the family states that he died at his home.
Chino XL is survived by his children, Chynna, Bella, Lyric, Kiyana, and Shawn(stepson); grandchildren Emmy, Emery, Chris, and Luis; and his mother, Carole.
Other than big names in the industries coming forward to express their sadness over the rapper’s death, his daughters have also remembered him in kind words. In a heartfelt statement, they revealed that the rapper was publicly known as a ‘King of Punchlines’ or ‘Puerto Rican Superhero,’ but to them, he was a great father who treated his children with utmost love.
Additionally, the family has also requested privacy from the fans.
Artists like Chuck D and Joe Budden have talked about the late rapper’s death on their respective social media accounts.
Chuck D referred to Chino as his brother in ‘rhyme and art.‘ He also wrote that the late rapper was a source of inspiration for him as he ‘encouraged his graphics’ and, on multiple occasions, helped him in his music career.
Who Was Rapper Chino XL?
Rapper Chino XL or less famously known as Derek Keith Barbosa, was an American rapper and actor. Like any other successful rapper in the industry, Chino also had a past full of controversies and other ventures.
He was an East Coast-based musical artist who later moved to New Jersey. He started his career from humble beginnings, but with sheer hard work and determination, he made it big in the industry.
Chino started his career at the ripe age of 16 by signing with the American Recordings Label. Later in 1991, he composed a rap tandem along with the producer Kaoz. This piece came to be known as ‘Art of Origin.’ However, after this project, Chino decided to cover the rest of the journey alone. So, he embarked on a solo career.
Other than his musical career, he also tested the waters in acting. His notable projects include Reno 911!, CSI: Miami and The Young and the Restless. Quite recently, Rapper Chino XL was also working as an author for graphic novels like “Black Mass,” “Lucy” and “Skin and Bones: The Descent of the Holy.”
The Rapper’s debut album, Here to Save You All, dropped in 1996. It proved to be both career-defining but also controversial for the rapper. As one of the songs showed Tupac Shakur in bad light. He released more albums in 2001 and 2006.
However, his last album Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary was the most vulnerable one. The rapper opened up about his internal issues and some of the things that affected him in the past.
In July, Chino also celebrated his feature on Pendulum Swing, a track on Rakim’s new album The God’s Network: Reb7rth.
Rapper Chino XL’s Feud With Tupac Shakur
As mentioned earlier, this feud was sparked by Chino when he used Shakur’s imprisonment in the lyrics of his album’s single ‘Riiiot!’ The lyrics were:
“By this industry, I’m trying not to get f***d like 2Pac in jail.”
Of course, Tupac didn’t sit back when Chino publicly ridiculed him. Shortly after this track, Tupac released a diss track Hit ‘Em Up featuring Outlawz. But Tupac went a step ahead and threw shade at not just Chino but also other rappers like Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G.
In 2001, Chino revealed in an interview that he had no intentions of starting a feud with Tupac despite all this drama. According to him, the lyrics were just meant for pure entertainment purposes. This interview came after Tupac Shakur passed away. In his words:
“I’ve got a chance to see him on Venice Beach one time right before he passed and I let him know that if I would have known [my lyrics] would have [upset] him like that, I would never have said it. I mean I was a fan of his like everyone else was. Everything was straight though and the Outlawz are my peeps from Jersey so it was all peace.”
So, that was everything you needed to know about Rapper Chino XL cause of death. For more information, remember to bookmark this page!
