Choosey is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop artist based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

who grew up in National City and Chula Vista, California. His debut studio album ''Black Beans'' (2019), produced by Exile, represented his Afro-Chicano heritage and conveyed themes of

ethnic identity An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

, and Black-brown unity. The album received positive reviews and was referred to as a "masterpiece" by

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

and a "breath of fresh air" by

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

Personal life

Choosey's grandfather Tata Vasquez was involved in the

Latin Jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, which ...

scene of Los Angeles, playing in

Eddie Cano Edward Cano (June 6, 1927 – January 30, 1988) was an Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin jazz pianist and composer. Early life Cano was born in Los Angeles on June 6, 1927. His mother was Mexican-American, and his father, a bass guitarist, was Mexican. Can ...

’s band and appearing in the film Rock Around The Clock (1956). Vasquez was described as influential to how Choosey creates music, who reminded him to create music from the soul. In an interview with

Remezcla Remezcla is an American media company focusing on the Latin American cultural sphere. It serves the millennial market. History The brand was founded by Claire Frisbie, Andrew Herrera and Nuria Net in 2006, had no outside funding; it first recei ...

, Choosey stated that he grew up in a household that was both Black and Mexican. He stated that he always felt that he belonged to both ethnic groups, which allowed him to see divisions between both groups as well as witnessing the beauty of collaboration: "Black and Brown love was making absolutely no headlines at the time while propaganda like ‘

Black on Black Crime Race is one of the correlates of crime receiving attention in academic studies, government surveys, media coverage, and public concern. Research has found that social status, poverty, and childhood exposure to violent behavior are causes of the r ...

’ was one of the hottest topics of the 90s. I knew of a truth untold – a truth that I was a direct product of."

Career

Choosey released his debut mixtape ''Left Field'' in 2015, a 16-track record for hip-hop label Dirty Science. His debut studio album ''Black Beans'' (2019) received positive reviews and was described as "nothing if not a fine work of art that’s timely and salient in this day and age." Lead single "Low Low" featured soul musician

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles " I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in t ...

over a mariachi-infused instrumental. In 2020, he played at the

Barrio Logan Barrio Logan is a neighborhood in south central San Diego, California. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of East Village and Logan Heights to the north, Shelltown and Southcrest to the east, San Diego Bay to the southwest, and National Cit ...

3rd Annual La Vuelta Summer Festival.{{Cite news, last=Levya, first=Hector, date=25 February 2020, title=San Diego’s Barrio Logan Presents the 3rd Annual La Vuelta Summer Festival, work=Lowrider, url=https://www.lowrider.com/events/2019-la-vuelta-summer-festival/, access-date=26 June 2020

Discography

Studio albums * ''Black Beans'' (2019) Mixtapes * ''Left Field'' (2015)

References

African-American rappers American rappers of Mexican descent Chicano rap Chicano Hispanic and Latino American rappers