Man, it’s tough to say goodbye. We just lost East Coast rap legend, Chino XL at the young age of 50, and it’s hit the hip-hop world pretty hard. Last Monday night, the news blew up on social media with heavyweights like Joe Budden and Kxng Crooked tipping their hats to this legendary MC from New York City. Right now, the details around his passing are not clear, and no one’s really sure what happened.
But this piece isn’t just about how we lost him—it’s about the bright spots in his life that he cherished the most. Chino once said something that really stuck with me about how he wanted to be remembered, especially in regards to his daughters:
“When my time comes, please remember me like this, my few moments of happiness and light in a life that’s been very dark to say the least. My three little ladies are the quiet to the Hulk’s rage and my report card of life. No material can compare. Not shown here is my oldest baby girl; she was on a cruise studying the world that week. I love them with all that I will ever have. God gave me the best gifts ever. And as a father who has never known a father myself, I’ve done okay…far from perfect but okay.” -Chi
We’re diving into what made his life outside the studio so special—his girls and his reflections on life. Plus, we’ll look into how much he achieved and what he’s left behind, from his bars to his bucks. Let’s get into it and give Chino the send-off he deserves.
Chino’s Was a Certified Girl Dad, An Inspiration To All the Dads Out There
Chino was a father of four children, four daughters, Bella, Chynna, Lyriq, Kiyana, and one step-son, Shawn. Born Derek Barbosa to an African/American mother and Puerto Rican father, was the epitome of a #girldad. If you ever scrolled through his social media, you’d catch him in action with his daughters. Chynna is a happily married woman, who made Chino a grandpa.
Besides, the mixed-ethnic rapper was fiercely protective and proud, never shy about setting the record straight for anyone who dared to underestimate the blessing of having daughters. He once fired back with, “My baby girls are no one’s curse, motherf**ker! God just gives daughters to men strong enough to protect them!” Making every day feel like Father’s Day.
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His Instagram was like a window into his heart. Celebrating his middle daughter’s 18th birthday, he didn’t just drop a typical birthday shout-out. Instead, he shared her journey and gave us a peek into her life—she’s a cancer survivor, the subject of his hit song Father’s Day, just starting college, and even kicking off her own music career. He called her his “little tornado,” which pretty much sums up how proud he was.
His emotional depth was unmistakable, especially during tough times, like the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter. Chino connected that to his own life, sharing, “As a fan of committed fathers, as a father of all girls as well, as a Laker fan… I feel like he’d want us to mourn and send all of our prayers his baby girl that passed and his baby girls and wife still in the physical essence, and use his life’s work as an accelerant to push whatever cultures we are part of forward…”
While Chino kept the details about his baby mother’s on the down low, we do know her name is Stephanie, though it’s clear he shared parenting with more than one partner. Throughout all this, his children remained his universe. Even though there’s no word on whether he ever married, it’s clear that no relationship came close to the one he shared with his babies. They were his life, his legacy.
Likewise, his kids also felt the same as evident from a wonderful tribute they gave to their late father. In a joint statement, they wrote,
Our father had many titles — King of Punchlines, Puerto Rican Superhero — but the most important one was Girl Dad. And what he gave us most in that role was his strength, straightforwardness, and ability to be super realistic. The main thing we are feeling now is that our Dad is at peace, and so we are at peace.
At the time of his death, Chino was worth a whopping $4 million, which obviously will be distributed amongst his kids.
