Chino XL

Derek Keith Barbosa (April 8, 1974 – July 28, 2024), better known by his stage name Chino XL, was a New York rapper, American lyricist, hip-hop emcee, and actor. He was known for his evocative wordplay and for warring with Tupac Shakur.

Chino XL arrived in the mid-90s as a technician obsessed with lyrical density and battle rap brutality, but his legacy crystallized around one consequential beef that defined his entire trajectory. His 1996 diss "Riiiot!" targeted 2Pac with prison-specific venom that was crude even by '90s standards, prompting one of the decade's most vicious responses on "Hit 'Em Up"—a track that overshadowed everything Chino had built and would build thereafter. Despite solid technical ability and punchline precision that earned respect among hip-hop heads, he became forever footnoted as the guy 2Pac destroyed, a cautionary tale about picking fights with icons. His New Jersey roots and brief mainstream moment proved insufficient to escape that gravitational pull, leaving him as a cult figure rather than a major connection point in hip-hop's larger ecosystem.