C.H.A.$.E.

North Philly is a long way from Hershey Park and the other mountain side resorts that the state of Pennsylvania has to offer. The “City of Brotherly Love” has continually charted some of the highest murder rates in the country and has only seen a recent increase in crimes being committed by black males under the age of twenty-five. For anyone to calling this place home, the constant struggle is to getaway from the violence. After moving from Houston to the 32nd & Dolphin block of North Philly which happens to be a gang infested section of the city at four years old, a charismatic and storied emcee named C.H.A.S.E. bounced around through more schools and states that he can count on both his hands. “The one thing I definitely remember about Houston was going to the Galleria Mall and they had an ice skating rink in the middle of the place. Those were some of the few positive memories from my childhood,” says C.H.A.S.E. one of the summer’s most unbearably humid afternoons.


It’s just about rush hour in lower Manhattan’s financial district and peaking down from a 26th floor roof deck, young C.H.A.S.E. can see Wall Street tycoons and CEO’s scrambling to make their way home. But unlike the business men and women so many floors below him, he’s not in rush to go anywhere. “I’ve lived in shelters, city missions, abandoned buildings, cars, basically the streets. Experiencing all the rough situations gave me a better outlook on life, and opened up my mind,” explains the twenty-eight year old emcee. Writing rhymes since the age of twelve, C.H.A.S.E has studied the masters and carefully developed a flow and style that carries a diversity to suit the teeny-bobber crowd as well as Hip-Hop purists in search of real lyricism.


“I’ve been recording music for about 10 years, and over time I experimented with every different rhyme scheme, flow, and pattern. From real life situations, stories, and songs for the ladies I can do it all,” says C.H.A.S.E whose two-hour excursion to Manhattan seems all too routine these days. As a teenager he was inspired by the likes of Public Enemy, Nas, and the late Big Pun. C.H.A.S.E refers to Big L as one of his favorite emcees of all time, and admits to struggling in the early-days of his career, when he was still trying to develop his own skills. “I think when everyone rapper first starts and is trying to develop their own style, they sound just like their favorite rapper and I wasn’t any exception, “says C.H.A.S.E. with a short pause before bursting into laughter.


Chase now makes the commute to New York City just another step in his quest to rise to the top of the Billboard Charts, the Philly native is a firm believer in pushing his musical endeavors outside of his city’s limits, “We need to open up our minds, and think outside of the box. A lot of times artists from Philly won’t even support each other because they might not be a Beanie Sigel or Freeway, out mentalities are too local. C.H.A.S.E cites his love of Hip-Hop as his motivation to keep striving for higher goals in his career, “The first time I heard my voice on a tiny tape recorder is when I just fell in love with making music. I used to just make tapes with my boys having fun, and it kept us out of trouble for a while,” explains C.H.A.S.E.


After wrapping up a freestyle session for a crowd scantily clad women who just happen to be sun-tanning ontop the New York City loft, Chase immediately checks the constant buzzing of his Iphone. With the help of websites like Myspace and Reverb Nation, fans have been inquiring about the kid from places he’s only read about or seen in movies. For a young man was once homeless and living on streets, the transformation into a burgeoning emcee has been no easy ride, “ I’ve always been a loner and never really fit in. Moving around a lot as kid and being exposed to all kinds of different areas really had an affect on my writing. It gave me a lot of diversity in my flow and lyrics,” says C.H.A.S.E.

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I remember sleeping in an abandoned building with nowhere to stay, I had to kick the door just to get in the place. I just sat on the floor with a pad and paper. Not even having any food, but it all made me stronger, things can do it go up now.


- Mikey Fresh "The Source" Magazine