Chali 2na

Charles Stewart (born June 26, 1971), better known as Chali 2na, is an American painter and rapper, associated with the groups Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli.

He is known for his bass-baritone and quick delivery rapping style.

As a young boy, Stewart moved to South Central Los Angeles, where the group Jurassic 5 was formed in 1993.

He was raised by his grandmother, a practising Christian, he later converted to Islam.

His stage name is a reference to Charlie the Tuna, the deep-voiced animated mascot of StarKist Tuna.

He and Cut Chemist became friends in high school.

Together with Marc 7, they were part of a three-man group called Unity Committee.

The Unity Committee crew would often spend Thursday nights performing at the Good Life Café, where rappers and spoken word poets showed off their skills in an open mic format.

They were, along with another three-person troupe called the Rebels of Rhythm, routinely chosen as the crowd's favorite performers.

The two crews also appreciated one another's styles, and they teamed to record a 12" single, "Unified Rebelution", in 1995. The Rebels of Rhythm were MCs Akil and Zaakir (also known as Soup); the men banded together to form Jurassic 5. In 2006, Cut Chemist elected to split from the group to pursue a solo career, and the Jurassic 5 group split up altogether in 2007.

He is a founding member of the activist salsa funk band Ozomatli; although no longer an official member (having been replaced as resident MC by Jabu of 4th Avenue Jones), he continues to collaborate with them on occasion and maintains his friendships with them.

Along with salsa, his music and theirs have been influenced by reggae and soul music; he is also a fan of house music.

Chali 2na is teetotal.

He is a founding member of Jurassic 5, which boasted in the song "Improvise" that the four MCs sounded like one.

He has worked with Linkin Park on the song "Frgt/10" and the skit "Chali" from the 2002 album Reanimation.

The song was also featured on Fish Market. He worked with Ozomatli on their first album and toured with New Orleans funk band Galactic.

2na delves into some of the formative experiences in his life, including a tragic incident in which his cousin, Be-Be, was killed in the 2003 E2 nightclub stampede.

Collaborators on the album include Beenie Man (with whom he recorded "International"), Raphael Saadiq, his longtime friend Rakaa Iriscience, Talib Kweli, Anthony Hamilton, Damian Marley and Ming Xia (on the final track 4 Be Be).

Fish Market, an official mix tape, was compiled and released October 25, 2004.

The mixtape is called the Fish Market, and basically, it's just an accumulation of a bunch of songs that I did with other people man, that a lot of people might not have heard or might have, but might not have wanted to buy that album just to hear that song or whatever.

So people could just pick it up, and it can kind of be like a little handbook on Chali 2na, before he actually comes out with an actual solo album.

It's a series as well, because there is gonna be a Fish Market, Part 2 with a bunch of other stuff that didn't make it.

"Don't Stop", the would-be first single from Fish Outta Water, appeared in January 2006.

It showcased 2na's familiar rapid-fire flow; in its lyrics, 2na professed his dedication to hip hop culture, insulting rappers who neglect to pay proper respect to pioneers like Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa.

He also spoke deferentially of Tupac Shakur.

"Don't Stop"'s chorus was sung by neo-soul artist Anthony Hamilton.

It was featured in the soundtrack of the video game NBA Live 06.

A second Chali 2na solo song, "The Anchor Man", was featured on the Dan the Automator-curated soundtrack to the latest installment in the game series, NBA 2K7.

Another song, "Something Different", was also featured on the All-Pro Football 2K8 soundtrack.

Five years after Fish Market, a solo album, titled Fish Outta Water, was released.

The album received generally positive reviews, holding a score of 70 on Metacritic.

He is also featured on Galactic's 2007 release From the Corner to the Block on the cut "Think Back".

Another mixtape was released in 2010, Fish Market Part 2.

Much like the first Fish Market album, this is mainly filled with collaborations 2na has completed throughout his career with famous artists such as Linkin Park.

In an interview with Mr. Wavvy, 2na revealed that he has a series of 5 EPs prepped for the near future.

Chali 2na's song "Step Yo Game Up" was featured in a popular video game in 2012 called Sleeping Dogs.

Chali 2na collaborated several times with fellow MCs.

Many, but not all of his featured guest appearances are cataloged on the Fish Market albums, mixtapes he released to give his collaborations to "people [who] might not have wanted to buy that album just to hear that song or whatever."

He is a good friend of and frequent collaborator with British hip hop star Roots Manuva, having worked with him on a number of songs (including "Revolution 5", which appears on Fish Market and Dub Come Save Me, and "Join The Dots", which appears on Roots Manuva's second proper album, Run Come Save Me).

He has also referenced his friend in the lyrics.