Chillin Villin Empire

Chillin Villain Empire is a product of the Goodlife open mic sessions, the same South Central Los Angeles locale that also introduced us to the likes of Freestyle Fellowship, Volume 10, Abstract Rude, and Jurassic 5. Initially known locally as intense party rockers and proper beat providers, CVE crewmembers Riddlore and Ngafsh did much to build the infrastructure of the GoodLife movement. By fusing old school production principles with new school innovations, CVE instrumentals quickly became second nature to an entire amalgamation of hungry emcees including Aceyalone, Ellay Khule, Tray Loc, and the Badstads. Beginning with the Project Blowed compilation in 1994, which featured 3 CVE tracks titled What a Pity, Once Upon a Freak, and Narcolepsy, Riddlore and Ngafsh additionally became known as prolific emcees, fully seasoned by almost a decade of freestyle frenzy. Influenced first and foremost by the likes of Melle Mel, Run DMC, and LL Cool J, at times CVE is apt to sound like MC Shan being backed with Kurtis Mantronik production. But being from Los Angeles CVE also presents many shades of the classic gangsta rap heritage ala groups such as NWA, Compton's Most Wanted, and the Geto Boys. Throw in an appreciation for jazz and reggae that naturally comes with Goodlife affiliation and suddenly CVE is grounded enough to evolve ahead of schedule with their later excursions into Southern bounce. As the Goodlife eventually gave way to the opening of Project Blowed, just down the street on Crenshaw Boulevard, Chillin Villain Empire created quite a buzz for itself by kicking off Acealone's Mic Check video with their version of Calisthenics. Riddlore also produced the beat for Arythamaticulas which appeared on Aceyalone's All Balls Don't Bounce solo debut. By way of their own...