No. 33: Chino XL

I'm a big fan of versatility, but sometimes it's nice to just have one thing that you do better than almost anyone else. For Derek "Chino XL" Barbosa, that thing is crafting punchlines.

Capable of dissing you or bench-pressing you.

From a strictly musical standpoint, Chino is borderline unlistenable — but it doesn't so much matter because his lyricism is at such an elite level. According to his Wikipedia bio, he's a real-life member of MENSA...and that intellect is apparent in his rhymes, which are loaded with witty similes and battle punches.

In 1996, when the rest of hip-hop was beginning its downward spiral toward bubblegum pop death, Chino dropped his rugged debut LP, Here To Save You All. The album, which featured a fantastic collab with Ras Kass ("Riiiot!") and several other bangers, began a barrage of punchlines that continues to this day...

Every day you live is a gift from me/that's why they call it the present...



Jesus came in the vocal booth like, 'N****, you the next me'...



You ain't just wack/you're what wack wants to be when it grows up...



Be a man like Meshell Ndegeocello/receive your ass-beating...



...and so on.

Chino could even manage to shine among the heavyweights. On the 1999 Sway & Tech posse cut "The Anthem," he stole the show on a track that also featured the likes of Eminem, Kool G Rap and Pharoahe Monch:


Now who the master to beg?/Your demo gets passed on the reg
You shouldn't have been signed if you had a white cast on your leg...

Still doing it to this day, the bodybuilding fanatic plans to release his fifth solo project, RICANstruction, shortly. The album is rumored to feature appearances from Ras Kass, Immortal Technique, Proof and Big Punisher.

Don't count on him being outshined by any of them.