Chi-Ali Griffith (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name Chi-Ali, is an American rapper from

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City, best known for his debut album, '' The Fabulous Chi-Ali'', released in 1992, and as a member of hip-hop collective

Native Tongues The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal me ...

Music career

Chi-Ali made his first appearance on

Black Sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

's debut album, '' A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing'', on the

posse cut A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.Edwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC'', Chicago Review Press, p. 221. Tracks described as posse cuts ...

"Pass the 40". Chi Ali at the time was a core member of

, a New York City-based hip-hop collective, and also had connections with the Legion family, along with

Showbiz and A.G. Showbiz and A.G. (also shortened as Show and AG) is an American hip hop duo from The Bronx Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, composed of record producer Rodney "Showbiz" Lemay (born July 7, 1969) and rapper Andre "A.G." Barnes ...

In 1992, Chi-Ali released his first solo single, "Age Ain't Nothing But a #", which was a moderate hit and reached #6 in the US Hot Rap Singles chart. The song was popular on urban radio stations, and the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

received good rotation on ''

Yo! MTV Raps ''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dough ...

'' and ''Rap City''. The album in which the song was featured, '' The Fabulous Chi-Ali'', was released shortly thereafter, which yielded two other singles: "Roadrunner" and "Funky Lemonade," which were both remixed and re-recorded. Chi-Ali seemingly disappeared from the hip hop industry until the late 1990s, when he appeared on Dres's solo album, '' Sure Shot Redemption'', and began occasionally appearing on the work of other artists. Chi Ali collaborated with

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with Bad ...

on a song entitled "G-Check". A documentary chronicling Chi's life titled ''The Fabulous Chi Ali'' was released in 2019.

Manslaughter conviction

On January 14, 2000, Griffith shot and killed Sean Raymond during an argument in the

Throggs Neck Throggs Neck (also known as Throgs Neck) is a neighborhood and peninsula in the south-eastern portion of the borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by the East River and Long Island Sound to the south and ea ...

area of The Bronx, New York City.Demby, Eric.
Ex-Rapper Chi-Ali Arrested A Year After Fleeing Murder Charge
, MTV.com, March 14, 2001. Raymond was the brother of Griffith's girlfriend at the time. Griffith fled New York City and was charged with first degree

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

as well as various lesser charges. An extensive

manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

resulted, with Griffith twice featured on the TV program '' America's Most Wanted''. Griffith hid in numerous

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

cities until he was apprehended on March 5, 2001, in New York City, and was subsequently convicted of the killing of Sean Raymond, and served 12 years of a 14-year sentence at

Sing Sing Correctional Facility Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

Discography

References

Publications

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chi-Ali 1976 births Living people American prisoners and detainees Native Tongues Posse Five percenters Rappers from the Bronx Relativity Records artists 21st-century American rappers American people convicted of manslaughter 21st-century African-American musicians