With Lowell's Chi Tashi, you get an authentic point of view of an immigrant's son coming into his own. The duality of his upbringing can be heard throughout all of his songs using his emotional lyricism and unique rhyme schemes, the 29 year old MC paints a vivid picture of his personal trials and tribulations growing up in the city. Developing his craft over the years, Chi has established himself as a talent to look out for in the New England hip hop scene through his live performances, videos and singles releases.
“Nice Things” (produced by 4AM Beatz)is the first single off of Chi’s album “Honey Off Thorns”. At first listen this is a bumping anthem with a west coast vibe chorus but given a few more spins and dissecting the lyrics you hear the layer of morose. It explodes through the speakers with a hard-hitting bass line and Chi Tashi’s legendary vocalism. Equipped with a dynamic sound and bass-filled beats, Chi Tashi is sure to have you vibing along. His vocals are deep and hypnotizing. His smooth flow and flawless bars can be accredited to his years of experience and raw talent. The second verse was created by Chi after the passing of his Father. His music and writing style it's about the duality of life, taking the good with the bad. Chi Tashi’s upbeat flow and flawless, witty bars make “Nice Things” unparalleled in today’s hip-hop scene. Getting a message across, effortlessly reciting perfect lyrics, and finding/creating beats to match is admirable. I highly recommend you give this track a listen and dive into the lyrics with Chi Tashi.
Check out “Nice Things” here and read more below in our exclusive interview.
Hey Chi Tashi! Can you start by telling our readers more about yourself?
Where to begin, well, second son of Margaret and Kings Tashi. First generation of Cameroonian decent, Massachusetts resident, Lowell’s very own. 30, father, cook, writer, music is my life blood, beer enthusiast and a plant lover. Also your new favorite rapper.
Love this track “Nice Things”. Can you explain the writing process and any challenges you faced along the way?
Starts by linking up with 4. I’m always on the search for producers and came across him, reached out and over time built a good relationship to the point where he trusted me with his google drive of beats. It was like a legit treasure cove, this was the third beat I ended up grabbing. Had the hook for a bit, 1st verse was completed shortly after that then I sat on the song for what ended up being a year. That tax reference in the chorus is from last season lol. 2nd verse came after my Dad died, the immediate effects of his passing and dealing with those emotions fueled not only this track but the album as a whole.
What would be your dream collaboration?
If you asked me like 3-4 years ago I would have said Kanye, he was an early influence, I related to his story a lot. Before rapping I was in a band and didn’t think I could tell my story through the avenue of rap considering the era of hip hop we were in during the early 2000’s. He inspired me. Now it’s fuck him, that Trump shit. I’m good. Right now…this is hard, umm, Kendrick or Childish Gambino, their versatility as creators! I’d like to be in that studio, cook something.
What do you think sets you apart from other hip-hop artists?
What set’s me apart is that I’m me, my music, is my story. I unapologetically put myself in every song. I’m grateful of that fact that people can relate but we all have our own unique experiences even with those shared, and our view of the world is shaped through that. I describe my music as “authentic, honest lyricism with a lot of sauce” haha and I mean it. My music is an direct representation of me I put that energy into the songs, music videos and shows.
Can we expect more collabs with 4AM?
Definitely, 4 has a dope sound, we have two other tracks that will make the album which I’m excited for y’all to hear.
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