1990s New York rapper Chino XL dies at 50

Chino XL, the New York rapper known for 1990s hits like “No Complex” and “Kreep,” died at his home Sunday morning (July 28), his family said in a statement. “Our father had many titles — King of Punchlines, Puerto Rican Super Hero — but the most important was daddy's girl,” his daughters wrote in social media. “And what gave us the most in that role was his strength, his directness and his ability to be extremely realistic. The main thing we feel now is that our dad is at peace, so we are at peace.” Chino XL was 50 years old.

Born Derek Emmanuel Barbosa in the Bronx, Chino XL was so drawn to hip-hop at a young age that he started his own group, Art of Origin, as a pre-teen with girlfriend and future DJ Kerri Chandler. After catching the attention of Rick Rubin, a 16-year-old Chino XL signed to American Recordings and released his debut album. Here to save you allin 1996 with guest appearances by Kool Keith, Gravitation and Ras Kass.

Here to save you allHis lead singles, “No Complex” and “Kreep”—the latter of which is a nod to Radiohead's “Creep” in title and composition and earned frequent airplay on MTV—made Chino XL a rapper to watch across the country. While the LP won critical acclaim, it also caused controversy with bold lyrics about sexual promiscuity and looks above mainstream commercial rap. “Riiiot,” in particular, came under fire for an infamous line in its first verse (“Trying not to fuck like 2Pac in jail”) that sparked an alleged feud with Tupac Shakur. (The following year, 2Pac took shots at Notorious BIG, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Mobb Deep, among others, on the diss track “Hit 'Em Up.”)

In 1997, Chino XL signed a contract with Warner Bros. to release his second album, but numerous delays pushed its release back until, finally, he was dropped from the label during the Black music division's shutdown. I told you was released years later in 2001 via Metro Records, and Chino XL followed with 2006's Poison Pen and of 2012 Reconstruction: The Black Rosarythe latter of which boasted collaborations with Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne and Bun B.

“I never got into this music to get rich. When I first started, the music I was influenced by, people weren't rich,” Chino XL once said. True505. “I love being an artist where, you're not a random fan or supporter of mine. You can't find my records in half the places… So I'm kind of happy that I can say what I want and do what I want. It feels good.”