Too often rap isn't about rapping at all, and it seems a shame that in exchange for a fat beat and hook many hip-hoppers forsake the vocals on which the genre bases itself. Not so former Art of Origin frontman Chino XL. Th... more »e East Orange, New Jersey, rapper is a fully dedicated lyricist, and a good one at that. So good, in fact, his music suffers by comparison. The weak link in Here To Save You All, Chino's debut solo album, is no doubt its flat beats and rote backing tracks. Except for the swinging "Feelin' Evil Again" and stirring "Rise," there's a dullness that keeps the album a notch away from great hip-hop. Chino does his part, however, to keep the craft of the MC alive. With relentless, lightning-fast delivery he drops pop culture references like a ghetto Dennis Miller, naming everyone from Eazy E and LaMaze to Donna Karan and Pearl Jam with witty, outrageous insight. Into the jokes he mixes substance whether he's tackling status and materialism in rap ("No Complex") or the identity crisis of growing up half-black/half-Puerto Rican in a white neighborhood ("What I Am?"). Then, where most rappers make empty claims authenticity, Chino lets his imagination take control. He recounts lives and loves he's never had ("It's All Bad" and "Kreep"), then muses over fallen angels ("Ghetto Vampire") and the afterlife ("Rise"). Part monologuist, part short story author, Chino is an uncommon reminder of all a rapper can be. --Roni Sarig« less
Too often rap isn't about rapping at all, and it seems a shame that in exchange for a fat beat and hook many hip-hoppers forsake the vocals on which the genre bases itself. Not so former Art of Origin frontman Chino XL. The East Orange, New Jersey, rapper is a fully dedicated lyricist, and a good one at that. So good, in fact, his music suffers by comparison. The weak link in Here To Save You All, Chino's debut solo album, is no doubt its flat beats and rote backing tracks. Except for the swinging "Feelin' Evil Again" and stirring "Rise," there's a dullness that keeps the album a notch away from great hip-hop. Chino does his part, however, to keep the craft of the MC alive. With relentless, lightning-fast delivery he drops pop culture references like a ghetto Dennis Miller, naming everyone from Eazy E and LaMaze to Donna Karan and Pearl Jam with witty, outrageous insight. Into the jokes he mixes substance whether he's tackling status and materialism in rap ("No Complex") or the identity crisis of growing up half-black/half-Puerto Rican in a white neighborhood ("What I Am?"). Then, where most rappers make empty claims authenticity, Chino lets his imagination take control. He recounts lives and loves he's never had ("It's All Bad" and "Kreep"), then muses over fallen angels ("Ghetto Vampire") and the afterlife ("Rise"). Part monologuist, part short story author, Chino is an uncommon reminder of all a rapper can be. --Roni Sarig
"I will admit it, I never heard of Chino until 2Pac mentioned his name on his classic diss track "Hit Em Up". Eventually I decided to buy his record because I heard through the grapevine he's the punchline king and disses everyone alive and dead. "Here To Save You All" is Chino's first album which was released in 1996.
1. Here to Save You All - Intro
2. Deliver - Good beat, Chino comes so hard, hook is good - 4.5/5
3. No Complex - Good beat, Chino rips it again, different hooks - 4/5
4. Partner to Swing - Good beat, Chino says some of the sickest rhymes ever, hook is alright - 4.5/5
5. It's All Bad - Bangin beat, Chino comes great, hook is great as well - 5/5
6. Freestyle Rhymes - Nice beat, Chino kicks some sick rhymes, hook is good - 4.5/5
7. Riiot! (Featuring Ras Kass) - Good beat, Chino and Ras rip this track to shreds, hook is nice - 5/5
8. Waiting to Exhale (Featuring Gravitation) - Nice beat, Chino and Gravitation just spit rhymes back and forth, good but nothing special - 4/5
9. What Am I? - Bangin beat, Chino raps about some deep ish about his parents being different colors and him not fitting in in school and other situations because of it, good hook...classic track - 5/5
10. Feelin' Evil Again - Good beat, Chino comes nice with a lot of good punchlines, hook is good - 4.5/5
11. Thousands - Great beat, Chino rips it yet again, hook is good - 5/5
12. Kreep - Good beat, Chino comes nice, good hook - 5/5
13. Many Different Ways - Great beat, Chino doesn't disappoint, hook is good - 5/5
14. The Shabba-Doo Conspiracy (Featuring Kool Keith) - Decent beat, Chino and Keith make a nice collaboration, hook is good - 4.5/5
15. Ghetto Vampire - Good dark intro, which then switches into a good beat where Chino comes real hard, hook is good - 5/5
16. Rise - Great beat, Chino spits real nice to the beat with some great lyrics, has 2 different hooks...one is real good and the other is so-so but the song is great nonetheless - 5/5
Overall: 70.5/75
5 Stars
This cd is truely amazing. Chino definitely has the best punchlines I ever heard. He really was before his time with his lyrics. All the beats are banging except for like two tracks and every song is solid. Lloyd Banks may be the punchline king today and he's good at it as well, but Chino is the true king of them and it's sad his albums never went gold or platnium because he deserves well over that with the knowledge he has."
Pure genius ..truely a .............GEM !!!!
PAL | UK | 02/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was relesead in 1996 , debut by chino xl after he left origin . Heres why its such a lassic !
I owe nearly 200 rap/hip hop albums , all the biggies -ready to die , illmatics , mobb deep inafamous , all eyez on me , chronic ,doggy style,all the legendary classics from rakims paid in full , pe -takes a nation, cypress hill,This one has to be in my top five as one of my favourite albums . Chino is one heck of an mc , just check his flow and delivery .
Hes one of my fav artist , but its almost impossible to find his stuff here in the uk , so i had to order this one . I will be truthfull to say that i listened to this record at least 10 times without skippin a single track [or maybe shaba doo at times ] But this album from start to finish was flawless.
Some reviewrs asy that the prouduction was a bit weak ..um NO IT WAS'NT !!!.
The album starts with an intresting intro , then quickly into "deliver" a good song to start off 4.5 /5 . Then the 2nd single off the album "no complex" - a lyrical massacare of you name it ! 5/5 . The album the starts to really take off , with
" partener to swing " top notch track 5/5
Then comes , " its all bad " , freestyle rhymes , riiot -which as a lyrical onsluaght feat the mighty lyrical chino twin ras kass , and inhale/exhale . All these tracks are 5 /5 just very strong , completly in place . Then comes the darker "what am i"
a classic in its own way , fellin evil again and thousands -amazin all these tracks 5/5 . The album is already a solid , stunning record ! now to make it a classic ! it goes into "kreep" a great stroy pretty calm , about chino xl's heartbreak crisis . But then straight into "many different ways" an uproar of fierce rhymes -5/5 . The album amazingly finishes with ghetto vampire [not forgetting shaba doo ] , "ghetto vamp " starts with a cool smooth verse by chino , about him being an angel[religous refferences] - the the 2nd verse completly changes - and chino ripps it with a lyrcal force . And back to being calm by verse 3 . But the tipp of the ice berg is the amazing "rise" -very powerful ............... And thats the makin of a classic , no doubt . ITs just as good or even better than gza -liquid swords or mobb depp's infamous.
Chino xl is a punch rapper definetly , eminem was largely compared to chino when he first came . But chino raps much more faster and aggressively , makin you actually follow the song . He throws disses at , 2pac [heavily ] - during the conflict in which chino claimed pac got raped in jail . bone thugs n harmony , im not sure why he dissed them , but bone never retaliated . oj Simpson is mentioned , led zepplin , pearl jam , larry holmes , r.kelly , aaliah , ect .
This type of album is needed in hip hop today , chino came to save us 1996 - and hel be sure to return with poison pen . But chino is'nt commercial , and desreves much much heavy credit for bringin out ace albums such as here to save you all, and " i told you so "
hes one of the greatest mc's ever to touch a mic in my opinion . Hes in the exact same league as , Rakim , big l , krs one , ras kass , nas , ect
But chino has one thing that most mc's lack in the game today ...INTELLEGENCE !!!!!!!!!!!
"
Chino delivers a controversial album
Big F | Mäntsälä Mielessäin, Finland | 05/09/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the album that shook the hip hop underground scene. How can a man seemingly so intelligent step on the toes of big name people like Tupac, LL Cool J or O.J. Simpson? Easily, I'd say. Chino just doesnt care. Lyrically, he stays raw, delivering lines like 'I go back like LL's hairline / F**k writing punchlines, I write f**king punch rhymes'. The production, however, doesnt come through to accomodate for the lyrics. B Wiz, the main producer, lays down lazy, slow beats and Chino seems to have some trouble flowing over them. But it's his clever and fast wordplay that saves the album: The majestetic 'Rise', on which he contemplates existence after death, and on 'Ghetto Vampire', a hypnotic track where Chino's flow really shines. The atmosphere on the album is very strong, mainly thanks to Chino's ability to paint pictures with his words. It isnt a perfect ten, though, and I for one know that Chino has got what it takes to score that ten. So until next time."
The Ghetto Vampire can Deliver in so Many Different Ways
Mr hip hop | Winston Salem NC | 11/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Chino XL, probably the illest lyrical emcee to date. Its hard to find someone who can put together as many sick metaphors and rhymes like Chino can.Chino XL will never be platinum, probably never gold. Who cares. Who cares if you wont see him on TRL or 106 Park. Hell you will probably never see this kat on Rap City. Chino XL fans know hes ill. Chino XL fans know hes still out there. And we have massive respect for him.This album is incredible. Amazing. Astonishing. Pure classic. This isn't the greatest hip-hop album of all time, but its close. Its real close.Here to Save You All is breathtaking. Its groundbreaking. But will never be seen as an all time classic hip-hop album. Sad but true. Some say this album could have been better than what it was (production wise) but this album is perfect. I can't think of how it could be better. There are a few guest on here. Ras Kass and of course the krazy Kool Keith. But the two tracks they are on are the least best. Chino doesn't need a collab. Kunt Master Kurt did some of the production. Making the album nice on a productive tip.The illest tracks include:"Ghetto Vampire" "Deliver" "Many Different Ways" "Rise" and the all time classic "Creep." After I heard this album I seen why Tupac was so jealous of Chino.There really isn't much more I can say about this classic except buy it. If you was a true head you would have already had this in your collection. I havent heard "I Told You So" yet but I can almost asure everyone its not as good as this."
Punchline Master {4.5 Stars}
Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 09/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I don't think there's any question as to whether or not Chino XL is a next level emcee, we all know he is, but anyone that tells you that beats are irrelevant to a rap album is crazy -- rap was born from party music...not the other way around.
I remember watching video jukebox back in '96 and seeing his video for No Complex for the first time. I think I ran my moms phone bill up about $30 just on that video and Das EFX's "Baknaffek" video (which I think I kept on the air for about 2 years all by myself). The funny thing is that almost no one payed any attention to Chino when he dropped. He was getting praise for the classic "No Complex", but after he dropped "Kreep" he seemed to lose/confuse a lot of people because back then lyricists where all about flexin' their mic skills instead of showing their range/versatility. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best album that no one bought in 1996. Whether it's ill lyricism (No Complex), varied subject matter (What Am I), or neck jerking beats (It's All Bad), this album has a little bit of everything.
The flaws on this album are few. Some complain that the beats are boring, but this isn't club music. This is hardcore, boom bap styled rap. Which means the emphasis is going to be placed more on the lyrics than the beats. The only people gettin' "jiggy" in '96 were the pop acts (Nas, Kim, Jay, Puff & Big, etc...). I found the production to be a perfect backdrop for Chino to unload on. My only beef is the somewhat disturbing "hidden track" #60 (it offers weird commentary on the OJ trial and it isn't a "track" at all) and "Thousands" is somewhat forgettable.
If you're into outstanding, next level lyricism, then this album is definitely for you. The punchlines and similies on the album are unlike those you would get from the average rapper. Even though Here To Save You All dropped to almost no fanfare, it's still one of the best albums to come out of '96. Chino may have been a little too far above the heads of the average listener at the time and it's a shame because this great album was all but ignored when it dropped. It shouldn't be too hard to find now, so if you come across it, snatch it up. You won't be disappointed at all.
Standout Tracks: Rise, Feelin' Evil Again, Riiot feat. Ras Kass, It's All Bad, Ghetto Vampire, No Complex (My Favorite), Many Different Ways, Freestyle Rhymes, The Shabba Doo Conspiracy feat. Kool Keith, and What Am I"
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1
