I Self Devine | |
|---|---|
 I Self Devine performing live in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chaka Mkali [1] |
| Also known as | Self One |
| Born | 1972 (age 51–52)
[2] Los Angeles, California [2] |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota [3] |
| Genres | Hip hop, alternative hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, producer, activist |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American hip hop musician based in Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as The Dynospectrum, [4] Micranots, [5] and Semi.Official. [6] In 2012, City Pages described him as "one of the most influential voices in Minnesota hip hop." [7]
Early life
I Self Devine was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to Minnesota with his mother when she was accepted to the University of Minnesota's social work master's program. [8] He says, "The first time that I became aware of hip-hop was in 1979, when my mom gave me [ The Sugarhill Gang's] ' Rapper's Delight,' the 12-inch." [8] He experimented with graffiti writing, freestyling, DJing, and breakdancing before starting to invest lots of time into rapping and graffiti.
Career
I Self Devine released the solo debut album, Self Destruction, on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2005. [9] He released the second solo album, The Sound of Low Class Amerika, on the label in 2012. [10] It was produced by Medium Zach of Big Quarters, DJ Todda, Benzilla, King Karnov, Vitamin D, Jake One, Proh Mic, and I Self Devine himself. [11] The album was preceded by four mixtapes, which were all released in early 2012. [12] In 2015, he released a collaborative album with Muja Messiah, titled 9th House. [13] In an interview with The Current radio station, he stated that he was expecting to release two albums in 2021: Rituals of Resilience and That Which Is Hidden. [8]
I Self Devine is celebrated for his live shows. Spectrum Culture wrote that he "is synonymous with a dynamic live show." [14]
Personal life
I Self Devine has five children and has made efforts to prioritize his family over his career. He told The Current, "To think about emceeing or even being a community organizer – those are great things and have big impacts. But to me, when all of my kids are together, I feel rich beyond belief. I feel crazy wealthy, like I got gold as far as you can see." [8]
Discography
Studio albums
- Self Destruction (2005)
- The Sound of Low Class Amerika (2012)
- Rituals of Resilience (2021)
- That Which Is Hidden (2022)
Collaborative albums
- 9th House (2015) (with Muja Messiah)
Mixtapes
- LA State of Mind (2012)
- The Upliftment Struggle (2012)
- Reports from the Field: In the Trenches (2012)
- The Shining Path (2012)
Singles
- "Ice Cold" b/w "All I Know" (2005)
- "The Origin of Urban Crisis" (2012)
- "IOFWUCUC" (2015) (with Muja Messiah)
- "The Disruptor Suite" (2021)
Guest appearances
- Atmosphere – "Flesh" from God Loves Ugly (2002)
- The Opus – "First Contact" from First Contact 001 (2002)
- P.O.S – "I Play the Matador (Redo)" from Ipecac Neat (2004)
- Oddjobs – "Stone Cold" from Expose Negative (2005)
- Omega One – "I Want It All" from The Lo-Fi Chronicles (2005)
- Cleveland Steamers – "Day by Day" from Treasure Chest (2006)
- Leroy Smokes – "John Henry" from Love Hustle Theater (2006)
- Big Quarters – "How to Kill Your Rap Career" from Cost of Living (2007)
- Heiruspecs – "Broken Record" from Heiruspecs (2008)
- Muja Messiah – "Patriot Act" from Thee Adventures of a B-Boy D-Boy (2008)
- Doomtree – "Twentyfourseven" from Doomtree (2008)
- Crushcon7 – "Fieldwerk" (2009)
- Toki Wright – "The Law" from A Different Mirror (2009)
- St. Paul Slim – "McArthur Park" from Bald Headed Samsun (2010)
- Villa Rosa – "Chico" from Blue Diamond Island (2011)
- IBE & Benzilla – "Casual Convo" from This, That and the Third (2013)
References
- ^ McCormick, Zach (April 17, 2012). "Q&A: I Self Devine". The Wake. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ a b Brown, Marisa. "I Self Devine – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (May 6, 2012). "Friday night wrap: I Self Devine release party, impromptu Beasties tribute". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ^ Gillespie, Blake (April 18, 2008). "Minneapolis is Rhymesayers". Impose Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Miyakawa, Felicia M. (2005). Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black Muslim Mission. Indiana University Press. p. 98.
- ^ Beacham, Kevin (April 30, 2013). "H2 Local highlights – I Self Devine and DJ Abilities' collaboration Semi Official". The Current. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Gage, Jeff (May 2, 2012). "I Self Devine: Rhymesayers legend returns – The Sound of Low Class Amerika gets personal". City Pages. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Cecilia. "I Self Devine is playing the long game". www.thecurrent.org. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Self Destruction – I Self Devine". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Ortiz, Edwin (May 17, 2012). "I Self Devine – The Sound Of Low Class Amerika". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Elabbady, Ali (May 1, 2012). "I Self Devine: The Sounds of Low Class Amerika". Reviler. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Drake, David (May 7, 2012). "Stream I Self Devine's The Shining Path Mixtape". The Fader. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Paul A. (November 30, 2015). "Muja Messiah / I Self Devine: 9th House". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ "Interview: I Self Devine". Spectrum Culture. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
External links
- I Self Devine on Rhymesayers Entertainment
- I Self Devine on Twitter
- I Self Devine discography at Discogs
- African-American male rappers
- American male rappers
- American hip hop record producers
- Rappers from Minneapolis
- Living people
- 1972 births
- Midwest hip hop musicians
- 21st-century American rappers
- Rhymesayers Entertainment artists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- 21st-century African-American musicians
- 20th-century African-American people
I Self Devine | |
|---|---|
|
I Self Devine performing live in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chaka Mkali [1] |
| Also known as | Self One |
| Born | 1972 (age 51–52)
[2] Los Angeles, California [2] |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota [3] |
| Genres | Hip hop, alternative hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, producer, activist |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American hip hop musician based in Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as The Dynospectrum, [4] Micranots, [5] and Semi.Official. [6] In 2012, City Pages described him as "one of the most influential voices in Minnesota hip hop." [7]
Early life
I Self Devine was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to Minnesota with his mother when she was accepted to the University of Minnesota's social work master's program. [8] He says, "The first time that I became aware of hip-hop was in 1979, when my mom gave me [ The Sugarhill Gang's] ' Rapper's Delight,' the 12-inch." [8] He experimented with graffiti writing, freestyling, DJing, and breakdancing before starting to invest lots of time into rapping and graffiti.
Career
I Self Devine released the solo debut album, Self Destruction, on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2005. [9] He released the second solo album, The Sound of Low Class Amerika, on the label in 2012. [10] It was produced by Medium Zach of Big Quarters, DJ Todda, Benzilla, King Karnov, Vitamin D, Jake One, Proh Mic, and I Self Devine himself. [11] The album was preceded by four mixtapes, which were all released in early 2012. [12] In 2015, he released a collaborative album with Muja Messiah, titled 9th House. [13] In an interview with The Current radio station, he stated that he was expecting to release two albums in 2021: Rituals of Resilience and That Which Is Hidden. [8]
I Self Devine is celebrated for his live shows. Spectrum Culture wrote that he "is synonymous with a dynamic live show." [14]
Personal life
I Self Devine has five children and has made efforts to prioritize his family over his career. He told The Current, "To think about emceeing or even being a community organizer – those are great things and have big impacts. But to me, when all of my kids are together, I feel rich beyond belief. I feel crazy wealthy, like I got gold as far as you can see." [8]
Discography
Studio albums
- Self Destruction (2005)
- The Sound of Low Class Amerika (2012)
- Rituals of Resilience (2021)
- That Which Is Hidden (2022)
Collaborative albums
- 9th House (2015) (with Muja Messiah)
Mixtapes
- LA State of Mind (2012)
- The Upliftment Struggle (2012)
- Reports from the Field: In the Trenches (2012)
- The Shining Path (2012)
Singles
- "Ice Cold" b/w "All I Know" (2005)
- "The Origin of Urban Crisis" (2012)
- "IOFWUCUC" (2015) (with Muja Messiah)
- "The Disruptor Suite" (2021)
Guest appearances
- Atmosphere – "Flesh" from God Loves Ugly (2002)
- The Opus – "First Contact" from First Contact 001 (2002)
- P.O.S – "I Play the Matador (Redo)" from Ipecac Neat (2004)
- Oddjobs – "Stone Cold" from Expose Negative (2005)
- Omega One – "I Want It All" from The Lo-Fi Chronicles (2005)
- Cleveland Steamers – "Day by Day" from Treasure Chest (2006)
- Leroy Smokes – "John Henry" from Love Hustle Theater (2006)
- Big Quarters – "How to Kill Your Rap Career" from Cost of Living (2007)
- Heiruspecs – "Broken Record" from Heiruspecs (2008)
- Muja Messiah – "Patriot Act" from Thee Adventures of a B-Boy D-Boy (2008)
- Doomtree – "Twentyfourseven" from Doomtree (2008)
- Crushcon7 – "Fieldwerk" (2009)
- Toki Wright – "The Law" from A Different Mirror (2009)
- St. Paul Slim – "McArthur Park" from Bald Headed Samsun (2010)
- Villa Rosa – "Chico" from Blue Diamond Island (2011)
- IBE & Benzilla – "Casual Convo" from This, That and the Third (2013)
References
- ^ McCormick, Zach (April 17, 2012). "Q&A: I Self Devine". The Wake. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ a b Brown, Marisa. "I Self Devine – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (May 6, 2012). "Friday night wrap: I Self Devine release party, impromptu Beasties tribute". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ^ Gillespie, Blake (April 18, 2008). "Minneapolis is Rhymesayers". Impose Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Miyakawa, Felicia M. (2005). Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black Muslim Mission. Indiana University Press. p. 98.
- ^ Beacham, Kevin (April 30, 2013). "H2 Local highlights – I Self Devine and DJ Abilities' collaboration Semi Official". The Current. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Gage, Jeff (May 2, 2012). "I Self Devine: Rhymesayers legend returns – The Sound of Low Class Amerika gets personal". City Pages. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Cecilia. "I Self Devine is playing the long game". www.thecurrent.org. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Self Destruction – I Self Devine". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Ortiz, Edwin (May 17, 2012). "I Self Devine – The Sound Of Low Class Amerika". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Elabbady, Ali (May 1, 2012). "I Self Devine: The Sounds of Low Class Amerika". Reviler. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Drake, David (May 7, 2012). "Stream I Self Devine's The Shining Path Mixtape". The Fader. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Paul A. (November 30, 2015). "Muja Messiah / I Self Devine: 9th House". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ "Interview: I Self Devine". Spectrum Culture. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
External links
- I Self Devine on Rhymesayers Entertainment
- I Self Devine on Twitter
- I Self Devine discography at Discogs
- African-American male rappers
- American male rappers
- American hip hop record producers
- Rappers from Minneapolis
- Living people
- 1972 births
- Midwest hip hop musicians
- 21st-century American rappers
- Rhymesayers Entertainment artists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- 21st-century African-American musicians
- 20th-century African-American people