Chino XL - Thousands

Chino XL - Thousands | Divshare | YSI

I don't have a lot of insight on Chino, who was near the top of the pile of polysyllabic battle rappers from Cali*** in the mid-90's but who never put out a really good album (stop me if you've heard this one). His two verses on Sway and King Tech's This Or That compilation are bananas ("my new album's Flo Jo's heart, watch it blow up / you're not wack, you're what wack wants to be when it grows up") and what got me to buy Here To Save You All in the first place. And, like I said, the album isn't that great but it has decent production and some good introspective rhymes. "Thousands" is some good ol' head-nod shit. Check it out.

Someone who does have a lot of insight on Chino is Dan Charnas, who writes extensively about Chino's beef with Tupac here. Dan also produced a track or two on Here To Save You All.

***Chino's actually from Jersey but I always associate him with Kutmasta Kurt, the Wake Up Show and other west coast institutions.