Chinx Enlists French Montana, Young Thug And A$AP Ferg For Upcoming Mixtape
Chinx
How old were you when you heard Illmatic?Shit, I had to be in the fourth, fifth grade or some shit.
How did it affect you?
That was the first hip-hop album that I ever heard that made me actually want to rap. 'Cause I'm from Queens and one of my uncles left his Walkman at my house in the projects one day and I picked it up, listened to it and I felt that was the first time I listened to hip-hop with curses in it. N.W.A was later, but Illmatic was definitely the one for me that made me want to get involved with music.
I could relate. It just so happens that the first album that made me want to do hip-hop was from somebody that was from my borough. He was from Queensbridge projects, I was from Edgemere Projects but it was still the same thing in a sense. The same struggle, so I started to mimic his style until I found my own.
What's your favorite song from Illmatic?
Specifically it was that one line, "The brutalizer, crew de-sizer, accelerator / The type of nigga who be pissin' in your elevator" [from "Represent"]. I pissed in the elevator every other day. [Laughs] And I understood right then—not right then, but later on—the familiarness of what Nas was saying. I'm from the projects somewhat similar to where he's from, so it was like, man, I could relate to this stuff. It sounds cliche, but the type of stuff I'm saying is real.
Chinx held an exclusive listening party for his forthcoming mixtape, Cocaine Riot 4: Woulda Been Here Sooner, last night at Jungle City Studios in NYC.
The Coke Boys member is touring three cities to promote his tape, starting things off in Atlanta and ending in Miami before the May 15 release date. During his New York listening, Chinx and room full of his closest homies partied over complementary Tequila Avión. At around 9:30 P.M., he headed into the main room and told his DJ to play a few songs in no particular order.
Compared to his previously three installments, Chinx is focused on showcasing his own individual talents as a torchbearer for New York street rap. While Cocaine Riot 3 was fueled by the all-star remix of “I’m A Coke Boy,” the latest in the series features “A Couple Niggas,” which is a prime follow-up to “Fuck Ya Feelings” that’ll tear up Greenhouse or The Griffin. Another potential heavy-hitter is his collaboration with A$AP Ferg on “What You See,” a dark, menacing song that contains gun-touting lyrics. “When you staring at the barrel of a 9MM / Tell me what you see,” Chinx raps on the hook. Conversely, Ferg spits a hazy and weird verse, venturing into an obscure lane that he seems to be owning.
Besides clear-cut turn up anthems, Chinx also likes to slow things down a bit. He prominently features his partner in rhyme French Montana on a few tracks—“I Just Wanna Know” and “Thank You”—as well as French’s younger brother Zach. Who know if this means the Montana family is spreading their musical abilities, but he follows in his older brother’s footsteps with verses seen on “Started From The Floor” and “I Ain’t Gonna Lie.”
Check out some InstaVideos of his in-studio performances of “A Couple Niggas” and his collaboration with Young Thug. Cocaine Riot 4 drops next week.
Previously: Lil Bibby, Chinx And Vic Mensa Show & Prove In XXL Issue 153
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