Back in 2019, HNHH and TuneCore came together for the "Heat Seekers" contest which saw numerous up and coming artists get featured on our website over the course of 11 weeks. This contest became immensely popular amongst our readers as it exposed them to various new artists they otherwise wouldn't have been privy to. The initiative gave many deserving artists a platform to get heard, with one artist receiving the experience of a lifetime, in the form of a recording session at the HNHH studio. The session was even led by a famous producer, making the experience that much more valuable. In 2020, HNHH and TuneCore have picked up from where we left off, except this time around the "Heat Seekers" contest is featuring 12 artists over the course of 12 months. If you feel like your music is good enough to be featured, be sure to submit your music to enter the contest, here.
This month, HNHH and TuneCore are delighted to present the tenth winner of this year's "Heat Seekers" contest, Chino The Nobody. With a name like that, Chino shows a self-awareness that surely serves as his motivation and drive to hopefully one day become somebody. The 32-year-old New York artist is certainly putting in the work to get noticed. He describes his sound as a mix between classic and moody, soaking in the sounds of Queens and moving based off of that. He's wildly influenced by Jay-Z, Nas, and other pillars of rap, showing glimpses of their greatness in his own music. He remains a mysterious figure, blurring out his face on social media and proving that just about anybody could be Chino The Nobody.
Check him out on Instagram to get a feel for what he's all about, read our Q&A session with Chino below, browse his music in the playlist below, and stay tuned for future editions of the "Heat Seekers" series.
Where are you from? How has your home influenced your sound/style?
I’m from Queens, New York. Corona, to be exact. My home influenced my entire universe. Queens was the foundation. I grew up in a time where Queens rappers ran the game. Every time I came outside there was legends chilling on my block. Hip hop was just the culture where I was from. We grew up into and with it. Obviously, you can hear it in my music with the beat selections and flows and constant Queens references.
Describe your sound in three words.
My sound in 3 words is Queens. Classic. And Moody. Queens is just a part of me forever so I’ll always have that Queens sound to my music. I say classic because I try to keep it timeless and also try to keep tradition. And Moody because I like getting personal on Lo-Fi beats, it def puts you in a certain mood.
How old are you? Does age matter to music?
I’m 32 years young. I ain’t got no kids so I feel and look 25. I’m good lol. Age don't really matter to me in music. If you dope, you dope but, me personally, I always listened to rappers older than me. I guess because it always felt like I was learning from them. Nowadays the kids that run the game, they make great music, but it’s shit that I already lived thru 10-15 years ago. I can’t really learn from it now.
What’s the last album you listened to?
The last album I listened to was FKTG by Conway the Machine. Boy a monster.
Name your top 3 biggest influences.
Damn my top 3? I can’t narrow it down to just 3. I’ve been influenced by mad rappers and mad life shit. But as far as rappers a strong 3 that I was influenced by gotta be Jigga, Big L, and Prodigy.
Name your dream collaboration.
Damn, another tough one. Shit. Ima just say Drake so that shit could get a billion streams and we uppppp haha.
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
1 album? Shit man today Ima say Reasonable Doubt. Tomorrow I might say Illmatic.
What’s your favorite hip-hop sub-genre at the moment?
I don't know if the underground renaissance happening right now in NYC and Upstate NY is considered a sub-genre cuz that shit feels like the essence, but that’s all I be fucking wit lately. And of course the young homies in NYC on that drill gang rap. U know hip hop was started in the streets by street dudes so street rap will always reign supreme. That’s my shit.
About TuneCore:
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We recommend using industry leader TuneCore if you’re looking for a trustworthy and transparent service. For an affordable fee, TuneCore will host your album or single on all the major stores and streaming platforms. You get to keep all your rights and 100% of the sales revenue.