Choclair

Kareem Blake, (born March 27, 1975) better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He helped develop Canadian hip hop in the 1990s, as a member of the Circle.

Career

Blake, of Jamaican descent, was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in east Toronto. Starting at the age of 11, he followed in his older brother's footsteps, and decided to become a rapper. In 1995, he released his debut single, "Twenty One Years", on his own independent label, Knee Deep Records. In 1997, he released the EP, What It Takes, which was accompanied by a music video featuring Jully Black. In June 1998, after having released 11 records (including the first international releases for Saukrates, Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Solitair, Marvel, Tara Chase and more from Toronto's music scene), achieving a gold record with the Rascalz for contributing to Canada's hip hop anthem, "Northern Touch", receiving two Juno Awards and a MuchMusic Video Award, Choclair then decided to expand his team and joined Virgin Music Canada.

In 1999, he signed with Priority Records, and released his debut album Ice Cold. The album was certified gold in Canada (50,000 copies)^[1] and spawned the hit single "Let's Ride", produced by Kardinal Offishall. Let's Ride reached #38 on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart.^[2] The hit was considered part of the late 1990s renaissance of Canadian hip hop. The underground community worldwide quickly embraced Ice Cold, establishing him as a standout rapper in the burgeoning Canadian hip-hop scene. In 2000, "Let's Ride" won a SOCAN award. It also won a MuchMusic award in 2000.^[3] Ice Cold won a Juno award for Best Rap Recording in 2000.^[4] He released the single "Skunk" from 2002's Memoirs of Blake Savage which featured Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound.

Choclair started his own independent label Greenhouse Music in partnership with Sextant Records/EMI Music Canada. In 2003, he released the album Flagrant, and other Canadian hip hop albums in conjunction with Sextant Records and EMI. Greenhouse followed that with the release of My Demo, a collection of Choclair's early underground recordings.

In 2006, Choclair released his latest album, Flagship. He was also featured on Karl Wolf's single "Desensitize".

Discography

Albums

• Ice Cold (1999)
• Memoirs of Blake Savage (2002)
• Flagrant (2003)
• My Demo (2003)
• Flagship (2006)

EPs

• What It Takes (1997)

Singles

• "Twenty One Years"
• "What It Takes"
• "So I" (Frankenstein featuring Choclair)
• "Internal Affairs"
• "Flagrant"
• "Let's Ride"
• "Rubbin'"
• "Light It Up"
• "Skunk"
• "Who Dat Is (Chiznock Pt. II)"
• "Skyline"
• "Tell 'Em"
• "Desensitize" (Karl Wolf featuring Choclair)
• "Weekend" (Karl Wolf featuring Choclair)
• "Sunshine (These Are the Days)"
• "The Essence"
• "Made (Move Mountains)"
• "T-Dot"

References

External links

• Choclair's Official Website
• Choclair at MySpace
• Smooth as Choclair — Canadian hip hop artist reveals the secrets of seduction — by Denise Ing, Varsity Staff
• Word Magazine Article
• NOW Magazine Article
• College Newspaper Interview
• Choclair Brings Canadian Hip-Hop On U.S. Tour