Being in the thick of it is nothing new for Chinx. The Far Rockaway native has always found himself inside hip-hop’s nucleus since the start of his career. He became affiliated with French Montana and the Coke Boyz through a shared network of mentors: Chinx came up under local legend Stack Bundles as French did with Max B. While Chinx was incarcerated upstate at Mid-State Correctional Facility, Stack was killed by gunshot in 2007. Chinx is still haunted by it, but music has been his catharsis, fueling him to continue the legacy of his fallen friend.
After a prolific mixtape career, which includes the popular Cocaine Riot series and 2012’s infectious “I’m A Coke Boy,” Chinx is evolving into the next chapter of his career. He’s dropped “Drugz” from his nom de guerre to increase his viability beyond street rap and has a new EP called I’ll Take It From Here.
Still a little delirious from lack of sleep, Chinx invited us into the studio for perhaps his most personal interview.
Being a rapper from New York City always comes with the added pressure to uphold the sanctity of so-called “real, NYC hip-hop”. How are you feeling?
I don’t feel any pressure at all, to tell you the truth.
Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation talking, but you’re incredibly relaxed on the eve of your EP release. Does anything stress you out?
I ain’t get no sleep, so maybe that’s it. I try not to let people see that I get stressed out. You can have a bad day and the energy you give off can push a good situation for away without you knowing it. I just try and be quiet. I’ve always been like that. I’m not a hard person to get along with. That’s how I make my relationships with everybody in the game. I’ve been in this studio about, fucking 30 times, and I never said anything.