The Boston-born, New-York based emcee serves up some heat with dizzyingly fast bars.
They say that pressure makes diamonds. Born below the poverty line, Chris Borelli hustled and grinded every step to where he is now, captivating listeners with his infectious charisma and obvious talent.
A rising star in independent rap, he's bringing a fresh perspective to Hip-Hop with his unique blend of traditional musical knowledge and contemporary rap sensibilities. Hailing from Boston and now based in New York City, Borelli has been honing his craft for over a decade, and his hard work and dedication are paying off in a big way.
A major part of his appeal is that Borelli's music is raw and unapologetic, with direct and relatable lyrics. Having started from humble beginnings, he understands the struggles of your everyday man, having been there himself. His stage presence is energetic and magnetic. His ability to connect with audiences with his down-to-earth, direct lyrics has seen him recognized for his talents, opening for big names in the industry like Joyner Lucas, T-Pain, Wyclef Jean, and Waka Flocka Flame, among others.
"Pronto," the latest manifestation of Borelli's creative drive, sees him push the envelope to see how far his sound can go. Over kicking 808s, Borelli weaves in and out of the beat like a professional boxer, dropping lines like "Rampage no octagon/tryna make some M's overnight no Shyamalan" at breakneck speed before cooling off and letting the audience recover. With an ear for catchy sounds, significant lyrical ability, and a commanding stage presence, the New York artist seems poised for a breakout year.
If you're looking for an up-and-coming fire artist to add to your hip-hop playlist, look no further than Chris Borelli. Tap in and stream "Pronto," available now on all major streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Chris Borelli! Wow, we’re feeling pretty charged up after listening to “Pronto.” We have to ask, what was the inspiration behind this track? I love to hear it! Thank you for listening. The song was inspired by a few things - one of them being timing. My first drop of the year typically has to be a banger. A fresh start always comes as an opportunity to put something out to keep the energy high for the cold winter weather. I like to take advantage of that and build excitement for the year ahead and the song itself. Musically, I'd say it has some "10 Bands" by Drake Energy in its foundation and is a bit of a follow-up to my lead single from last year, "Creases," off my "UNSAID" album. Similar tone and overall vibe but revamped and reimagined for 2023. The messaging is based on the bravado that comes with feeling like a champ at what I do and putting some shine on the network being strong as well. I've done alot of internal work around embracing my potential over the recent years, so this song is another chapter in that storyline. I was raised to be humble. But sometimes you gotta let 'em see you flex every now and then. So you mentioned you’re currently based in New York City; what’s your favorite about the music scene there, and how did it influence you as an artist? For an independent artist on the come-up, the NYC music scene is a wild one. Full of life and seemingly endless opportunities you can come across regardless of your experience. It has its pros and cons, like anything else. But the main things it's taught me are persistence and confidence. This city can take a lot out of you, but you can also receive just as much in return if you stay active and persistent in your music communities. You gotta really hustle about your craft which can be intimidating at times - but that's the feeling you want to embrace in order to see the return on your investment. The genuine respect and admiration people have for true art in NYC is special and almost coveted for me. I still have a lot more to learn on my journey here but it's been a blessing being immersed in such a beautiful community of art of culture as I do what I do best.
You also mentioned you came from humble beginnings. How has music and your drive to succeed helped you overcome that, and do you have any advice for anyone trying to follow in your footsteps? I've been in NYC for about 6 years but am originally from Boston, MA, where I experienced plenty of hardship growing up—primarily family trauma but many other things. As I've gotten older, I've humbled myself quite a bit to the reality of 'struggle' being universal to all of us in some way, shape or form - especially now. For me, music creation was always the outlet. It came when I was the most helpless I could ever feel and wasn't seeking it. But I quickly realized it was the only thing that made me feel safe as I learned how to express myself and what I was going through. I had to teach myself most of what I know today, but I wouldn't want it any other way. The rawness and unexpectedness of my musical journey are part of my narrative and can never be rewritten. That truth alone brings me back to life whenever I'm feeling unsure of myself and would be my advice to anyone in a similar place where they found music/creation thru struggle. Never forget that your journey is constant - but also, stay present. The hardship you experience can be used as fuel for your art in ways only you could truly understand and leverage....and it all connects, no matter how much time, space, or pain in between. How beautiful is that? It's the struggle that makes us powerful, unique, and influential. I try my best never to forget that to this day. What do you want listeners to feel when they hear your music? It's important that listeners genuinely feel whatever they want as they hear my music. Once It's out, it's no longer just mine. It's everyone. As long as you allow yourself to be true to those feelings, I care most about that. My music can evoke all kinds of different things. But I've stayed within a realm of self-empowerment / defying odds/knowledge is power as a basis for my overall look and feel. So if you're feeling inspired, encouraged, challenged, charged up, and/or uplifted in some way, I'd say that's accurate to what I tend to give out. But I create energy just as much as I create music - being the sole architect of most of what I put out. It's the energy that I hope people respond to more than just the songs themselves. But it's entirely up to you. What’s next for you? Can we expect to hear any new music soon? For sure! Since the release of my album "UNSAID" last year, I've been leaning more towards dropping singles and collaborating with my peers as of late. So I have a couple more singles on the way and some collaborative efforts soon to come. A video is in the works, and a couple also shows to look forward to. Staying the course as usual but am excited to continue forward.
Comments