Chino XL

In late 2019 Freemusicempire wrote that Chino XL is "The greatest name-checker in rap history" Dan-O wrote "Chino XL has a career full of jaw dropping name drops that don't benefit him at all. In 1996 he was clowning OJ Simpson, in 2012 he was making fun of Muhammed Ali's brain stem. If you are going to drop the name of someone important do 2 things for me A.) don't walk it back and apologize B) make it heinous. Do it out of an unparalleled fearlessness. Shake the world up so the people who feel safe don't anymore….and when the consequences come take them like a seasoned criminal takes a sentence. Or don't do it at all."

In 2015, he featured on UK singer/rapper RKZ's single 'They Don't Know Nothing'.

In 2014, he formed a hip hop supergroup along with rappers Vakill, Copywrite, Tame One and producer Stu Bangas called Verse 48. They started working on an EP.

On June 15, 2013, Shanghai :30 Entertainment booked a show with Chino XL for him to play alongside local, on-the-rise hiphop artists.

On September 25, 2012 the album Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary was released as a double disc through Immortal Technique's Viper Records. It won the 2012 HHUG Album of the Year award

In 2009 during a controversial interview with Allhiphop.com writer Han O'Connor, Chino revealed that his fifth studio album The RICANstruction was to be released soon. The album was released via his own joint venture CPR/Universal and featured Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne, and Bun B. The RICANstruction also featured a collaboration with Big Pun. The album featured production from DJ Khalil and Focus served as executive producer.

In 2007, Chino signed a contract with the Universal Latino label Machete Music.

In 2006, Chino released his long-awaited third album, Poison Pen. The now-iconic release featured appearances by Proof of D-12, Killah Priest and legendary hip hop duo The Beatnuts.

Chino was released from his American Recordings contract when American Recordings switched distributors from Warner to Columbia in 1997. Warner Bros. Records then signed Chino in the fall of 1997. His sophomore album was due to be released during April 1999 but numerous delays prevented the album from being released. Although in early 2001 when the album was about to be released and its lead single "Let Em' Live" featuring Kool G Rap was nearing early pressing stages Chino was dropped by Warner, as they folded their Black music department, supposedly due to the public legal battle with Prince. The album, titled I Told You So, was eventually released in 2001 by Metro Records.

After co-founding the duo Art of Origin, the emcee was signed at age 16 by music impresario Rick Rubin to Rubin's American Recordings label, which was once part of the Warner Bros. Records family. He released his debut album Here to Save You All in 1996, which was released to critical acclaim. The lead single "Kreep" which featured an interpolation of the Radiohead song "Creep" experienced major airplay by radio and MTV. Kreep charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B Chart for a record 23 weeks, from July 1996 to January 1997.

Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary – won the 2012 HHUG Album of the Year award