Chuckie A. is a Canadian hip-hop artist who hails from Toronto's infamous Jane and Finch area, dubbed "Canada's most notorious community." His real name is Phong Nguyen and he is of Vietnamese descent.
Chuckie's career began as a battle rapper and he made it to the Top 16 MCs handpicked to be part of a competition hosted by Kiss 92.5. After several years of doing battles and other public performances, Chuckie left the battle scene and began recording songs and releasing them in his community. He also started posting them on the internet, where he quickly developed a large fan base following.
Chuckie's troubled life in poverty has given him the inspiration for his music and lyrics. Many of his songs speak of the hardships and pain he's seen around him and gone through himself. No matter what happened though, he's kept a positive outlook on life. He has remained focused on the way to fulfilling his dream of making music and representing his people in the struggle. The best way to describe Chuckie's music is real, which is something that's lacking in today's mainstream music scene. There's no gimmick, it comes from the heart and soul of this artist.
Between 2002 and 2004 Chuckie released four albums on the streets of Toronto. He has released over 10,000 copies of his homemade records so far. He has built his career up slowly, from the bottom, starting with the most basic recording set-up. However, his many fans couldn't care less how the music was recorded and have supported him wholeheartedly. Thanks to the power of the Internet and word of mouth, Chuckie's unique voice has touched fans worldwide and his fan base continues to grow. Within the Asian hip-hop scene, Chuckie has already become a household name.
In 2005 Chuckie proved how marketable he could be, given the right backing. In a period of a year and a half his name dominated the media. He was featured in almost every newspaper and news program in Toronto and Canada, from The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, CP24, to CBC, City TV, CTV, Global, OMNI, and TVO.
His life and music have recently been spotlighted on CBC's The Fifth Estate special entitled 'Lost in the Struggle' and a MuchMusic feature called 'Music Is My Life'.
All the attention, however, has not gone to Chuckie's head. He's still the same positive, humble and sincere person he was when he began his journey. He takes time out from his busy schedule to give motivational speeches in the schools in his community and around Toronto. Many young people look up to him as a role model and he is more than happy to try and direct them towards the right path in life.
Chuckie's passion and dedication shine through his music and his achievements and it is no surprise that he is considered one of the top up-and-coming Canadian hip-hop artists.
official pages:
http://www.myspace.com/therealchuckieakenz
To much history, I needa write a book.
Yeah when theres a good offer or its beneficial.
Till this day its still Tupac Shakur, he was the last artist to really speak about the struggle.
Sometimes some ghetto shit sometimes some professional shit.
For the struggle mang