Chali 2na has that kind of voice that makes a person feel intoxicated. His baritone voice and lyrical prowess are what caught the ears of so many and carried Jurassic 5 through an illustrious decade and a half as hip-hop luminaries. Though Jurassic 5 is no longer with us, Chali 2na (real-name Charles Stewart) continues to create music (and paint). The hip-hop star performs tonight at The Wall (這牆) with a band.
HOMAGE TO DAD
His most recent album is a five-EP series called Against the Current. It reaches back to his childhood when his parents would serenade him with reggae and soul, salsa and blues, while the family cleaned up the house on Sunday mornings. The eclectic and deeply personal album pays homage to his departed father.
Photo courtesy of The Perfect Beat
From the music he was raised on to the graffiti he paints, the album reveals his artistic diversity. A coffee table book of illustrations accompanies the album — his way of showing fans that he is more than just a verbal monster.
GRAFFITI ARTIST
“I wanted people to see some of the things that really inspire me, the discipline that I gained, and the attention to detail that I have and all that comes from painting and not necessarily from being a musician,” he says.
2na describes himself as a graffiti artist who can rap, the former being something he is still enamored with because of the way a graffiti artist thinks and moves: silently. When the everyday life of a musician gets too loud, he recluses back into painting.
The new album blends music past and present, but 2na’s unmistakable lyrical arsenal is the constant that keeps it grounded in hip-hop.
“We are purists coming from Jurassic 5 but at the same time we all love music. I embrace what I like so if I hear it and like it, then I may try my hand at it or at least implement that style into something that I’m doing,” he says.
THE BAND, THE BAND
As far as tonight’s show goes, Chali 2na is bringing with him a band instead of a DJ. When he works on solo stuff, he says he likes to experiment and finds that a band suits him better.
“We really have a well-rounded sound with a minimal amount of people. Being in a band you can really do things that you can’t with a DJ,” he says.
Don’t think for a second that this means you won’t hear the spitfire sounds that made him famous.
“What people can expect to hear is a little bit of everything from everything that I do ... which includes Jurassic 5. I will fulfill their wishes,” he says.
■ The Perfect Beat, a new monthly hip-hop series, presents Chali 2na, formerly of Jurassic 5, tonight from 8:30pm to 11:30pm at The Wall (這牆), 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Admission is NT$1,500 at the door. The Blast afterparty inside Korner is from 11:30pm to 4:30am and admission is NT$200, which includes a drink.
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