This February, Chali 2na hits the road with accompanying live band for a seven-date tour throughout the West. The former Jurassic 5 mic-wielderand his ensemble plan to amp up tracks from his latest album Fish Market Part 2 (released this past June on Decon Records) to audiences in several states. DJ Dez Andres mixed and produced the album that includes reggae vocalist Tanya Stephens, New York MC J-Live, and even dub step maven Rusko. Chali’s active touring schedule ambitiously parallels his musical innovation, reluctant to stagnate physically or artistically by hitting the road and exploring the boundaries of independent hip-hop.

The “Concrete Schoolyard” denizen kicks off the string of dates in San Francisco at the legendary Fillmore and continues on through Idaho, Montana, Utah and Colorado before packing up the band and heading overseas for more shows. On this outing Chali and crew will be playing support to Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe with the tour package combining in Salt Lake City and Denver to open for Public Enemy! Smack-dab in the middle of February, audiences will have the opportunity to grab their Valentine (or lonely box of chocolates) and fall in love with live hip-hop all over again.

CHALI 2NA TOUR DATES

Feb 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Feb 14 – Ketchum, ID – Whiskey Jacques
Feb 15 – Missoula, MT – The Top Hat
Feb 16 – Bozeman, MT – Emerson Theater
Feb 17 – Victor, ID – Knotty Pine
Feb 18 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Feb 19 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theater

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Chali 2Na is back on board to deliver the second installment of his Fish Market series, Fish Market Part 2, out June 8th on Decon Records. The renowned rapper is joined this time by compatriot DJ Dez Andres (of Slum Village fame), and the classic pairing of MC and DJ is an exciting return to form. The two combine their efforts to create an album that plays like a mixtape and ultimately deliver one of the strongest hip-hop records of 2010.

From his formative years battling at the legendary Good Life Grocery in Los Angeles to selling out crowds of thousands around the world with Jurassic 5, the Chicago-born MC has criss-crossed the hip-hop landscape for nearly 20 years. Chali’s reputation precedes him, and he relishes the opportunity to step outside of the box with his new album. The Fish Market series are releases comprised of obscure gems and unreleased heaters culled from archives of guest-appearances, b-sides and passion projects and Fish Market Part 2 is undoubtedly the baritone-born MCs most interesting work to date.

For the second volume in the series, Chali stretches his baritone over a varied framework of instrumentals. On “Across The Map”, J-Live assists as tidal waves of cadence crash over punchy horns, eastern strings and timeless boom-bap. Never stagnant though, Chali doesn’t hesitate to flip the script and systematically dismantle Rusko’s dubstep on “Gadget Go Go” with a tangled double-time flow. It’s moments like this that remind us that even when he stylistically casts a wide net, Chali 2na is a rapper’s rapper at the core.

Check the Rusko produced “Gadget Go Go” from RCRD LBL:
http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Chali_2na/track/Gadget_Go_Go_prod_Rusko

CHALI 2NA- FISH MARKET 2 TRACKLISTING

1. Fintro
2. FM2 Theme (feat. DJ Dez Andres)
3. Greezy (feat. Jack Spade, Akil, Laid Law, DJ Dez Andres)
4. 2na Interview
5. No Bad Mon (Tanya Stephens feat. Chali 2na)
6. Chicken O The Sea Messages (Sha Born, Shockwave & Street Cred)
7. Hype 2night (feat. Ang 13)
8. I Met Dez
9. Step Yo Game Up
10. Funky For You (X-Clan feat. Chali 2na)
11. RIP Dusk
12. 2 Much (Heroes in the City of Dope feat. Chali 2na)
13. Across the Map (feat. J-Live)
14. Hood Report
15. Focused Up (feat. Shock Wave, Ang 13, Raw Power, Street Cred, Laid Law)
16. Fried 2na
17. On The Low (feat. Planet Asia)
18. Wheels On The World (feat. DJ Dez Andres, Elzhi)
19. Gadget Go Go
20. 4 The Luv (feat. DJ Dez Andres, Fat Ray)
21. Time Is Now
22. Save the People

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