When it comes to making non stop noise in music recently, Jersey undoubtedly has the game in a chokehold. With that being said, emerging emcee, ChuckXL is capitalizing his career through his musical prowess. Taking 2023 by storm, ChuckXL unleashes the first installment “LA Times” from his impending debut project. The new trendy track arrives after the announcement of his debut EP, Nights Like This which set off the Spring!
In doing so, ChuckXL is kicking off the new year with a new raved release accompanied by a vibrant visual that’ll have you feeling like you’re riding through the West Coast with the top down, living your best life. Chuck is inspired by life experiences and social issues to express his creativity and talent and has mastered molding it into the music. In fact, ChuckXL embodies the energy perfectly with the Marcel Lamar-directed visual. Shot in the City of Dreams, the video follows Chuck on a trip to LA where we witness him living lavishly like the movies depict.
Welcome to “LA Times”
We see him strolling along Sunset, indulging in In-N-Out Burgers, while turning up with beautiful women before he is abruptly awakened by his alarm, realizing it was all a dream. Returning to reality, ChuckXL realizes how his honed craft can cater to his dreams to turn his dreams into reality. When speaking on the significance behind his new sizzling single, ChuckXL says:
“LA Times” is a depiction of my sensualization of Los Angeles. Growing up on the East Coast, we often create this romanticized image of LA based-off movies and crazy celebrity stories. The song reflects that, somewhat naive, train of thought most of us have before we actually experience the city.
Putting on for Passaic, the rising rhymer’s ambitions are to be the voice for his people. At an early age, ChuckXL was introduced to Motown music by his father, along with 1970s and 1980s rap records. As a result, ChuckXL learned and loved the style of the greats which inspired him to become a performer and artist himself. Shortly after, he was introduced to GarageBand at the age of ten, he began penning and producing music.
New Jersey Noisemaker
The NJ-native decided to switch gears. While attending Ramapo College and playing D3 basketball to pursue his passion of becoming a rap phenomenon. Honing his craft in hometown and maneuvering to pursue his passion of music professionally, ChuckXL stepped onto the scene and right into the spotlight.
Shortly after chasing his newfound career, ChuckXL began performing at local events. Including, NYC venues Delancey and SOB’s as a college athlete and aspiring artist. Chuck’s confidence grew with the help of fellow hip-hop artist and cousin Rasheed Chappell. Which also solidified his belief in himself and his music. Fast forward to today, ChuckXL is unleashing back to back bangers leading up to the release of his highly anticipated debut project.
East Coast Meets West Coast
With the unveiling of “LA Times” as his first single of 2023, proves that he is ready to make his mark in the hip hop world. Don’t believe me? Press play on the visuals here at KAZI Magazine. Lastly, let us know what you think!
CONNECT WITH CHUCKXL ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | APPLE MUSIC | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE
ChuckXL Chops It Up With KAZI Magazine
- Hey ChuckXL! Happy Wednesday! First, thank you so much for taking the time out to chop it up with me on behalf of KAZI Magazine! Let’s jump right in to talk all things ChuckXL, your artistry, & more! For fans new and old, who is ChuckXL and where did it all begin for you?
“ChuckXL is everything New Jersey. Passaic, New Jersey. It really started with my father. He put me onto a lot of music early on. It started with introducing me to Motown and throughout the years with a lot of other stuff. And, you know, from the beginning of hip hop to now I’m really well versed in all things hip hop“.
- Introduced to music at an early age by way of 70s and 80s rap, are you still musically inspired by that era? Also, what are your thoughts on the current state of Rap and Hip-Hop?
“I’m definitely still inspired by the era. Just the legends that, you know, still go on tour and things of that nature to this day. They paved the way. So the level of excellence that they strive for, you know, it still drives me. As for with the state of music today, I think is just opened up. There’s just so much there’s something for everybody out here. And, you know, it really allows you to be creative, and to be unique, you really have to be unique to stand out in this business”.
The Artistry
- Honing your craft in your hometown on Garageband since the age of 10… do you write and produce all of your records?
“So I write all of my records, I’m very hands on when it comes to production, but I do get a lot of help with production”.
- As a NJ-Native myself, many may not know but Jersey birthed many musical greats. With that being said, how would you say Jersey inspired your creativity and musical sound and style?
“I think the lifestyle in New Jersey is really unique. It’s really like a melting pot of identities and cultures. Then you also can experience a city lifestyle, and a suburban lifestyle, all mixed in one and they’re so intertwined. And, you know, and then you have New York and Philly, so close to us. So you get a little bit of all of that”.
From the Basketball Court to SOB’s and Beyond!
- Also, after fulfilling your college education and playing D3 Basketball… When did it all click for you? That you wanted to pursue your passion for music professionally and hang up your jersey and that chapter of your career?
“Well, it had to be during my senior season of playing basketball. You know, my heart just wasn’t in it anymore at that capacity at the playing level. So I started to really work on music seriously. Then the pandemic hit, so I was really faced with that decision on what I was going to do in my future and how I was going to go about it. So that’s really the time that I really strapped in and I started to gameplan you know, step by step to get here“.
- Shortly after the start of your career as an aspiring artist you performed at NYC Venue Delancey and the legendary SOBs. How did you feel shutting down the stage where all of the greats get their start?
“It was definitely a little overwhelming at first, but you know, I settled in definitely. You know, it was a it was a great place to start because it’s so legendary and it’s so good. So many greats have graced that stage. So, yeah, it definitely felt great for that to be the start, you know”.
The Introduction
- Your latest offering “LA Times” arrives as the leading single for your debut project, Nights Like This . With that being said, what was it about this trendy track that you dropped it as the sneak peak for your upcoming release?
“I really think that it’s fun. I talk about a lot of serious topics on my project, but this record is fun. It’s something that, you know, you can play in different settings.You can have a good time, you could vibe with it. And then the messaging and the inspiration for the song being that, you know, it was some it was somewhat of a dream for me to go out to the West Coast. I was so infatuated with that lifestyle and what goes on out there, and then I made a song about it before I ever went out there. So it was like really important for me to, you know, start off this project like that”.
The ChuckXL and Marcel Lamar Visuals
- For its chill-vibed and vibrant visual you teamed up with Marcel Lamar in the City of Angels. What was that experience like working in LA alongside such a driven director?
“Well, I’m a I’m a huge fan of Marcel. I think he just executes. That’s the biggest thing for me, is that he can execute a vision. So when I brought the project to him, and I brought all of these things to him, along with the plans that I had for the visual aspect of the project. He was like, Oh, this is really ambitious. This is dope. We’re from similar areas.
So he was really able to help me once I gave him the treatment, to kind of break it down. And you know, add his touches on it. So I’ve been a fan of him for over a year now. So it was good to finally connect and bring the vision to life”.
- Could you tell us a little about the inspiration behind your highly anticipated project?
“Definitely. So the project is set in Senior year high school, post graduation. It is really an important time for a lot of inner city kids because you know, a lot of kids have dreams of going places and have dreams of going to college. Some people are hit with the real world early and they have to stay home and work and things of that nature. Me I was able to go off to college, but I always had those dreams of chasing a rap career. So it goes through all of those emotions, how I felt during that time, and is really the first time that I was able to unpack those emotions on tracks. It was it was definitely important for me to start my story there“.
What’s Next for ChuckXL?
- Eager and excited to hear more, what’s next for ChuckXL for the remainder of 2023?
“We’re just pushing this project. We’re doing a lot of work around Passaic. Were going to be at a lot of events, just supporting the hometown. Really a lot of things in New Jersey. A lot of press hopefully. Yeah, just gonna keep working and you know, working on new music at the moment, so I’m really excited for that as well“.
- Lastly, is there a message that you’d like to leave with fans?
Definitely. Just just chase the things you are passionate for. That’s really all I’m about, is helping out people. That’s one of my passions. I like to do that through the music. I’ve really received a lot of messages over the years about how my music has gotten people through certain situations. So you know, that’s a passion of mine. Music is definitely a passion of mine. And I just think that that makes life so much more worth it when you chase something that you really care for.
