I think I first met Chinedu (Emerald Ahymo) in the summer of ’09. He was practically a statue in Rittenhouse Square. If you were coming through, you couldn’t miss him, and you didn’t want to. Chin would start freestyling out of no where and it felt so crazy that such a talented rapper could be sitting next to you, shooting the shit and smoking an L. He was notorious for rapping his way back stage at concerts and smoking up famous rappers. How was he not signed? A couple arrests and you’re in the system, get profiled and pulled over in a sting where a cop singles you out and your path to fame gets delayed and diverted. Chin has put up with a lot and had to hustle some, but he has also risen above the riff raff and wack shit to create Cult Fortified, a rap collective under which he has used many pseudonyms. Norm Rockwell, Emerald Oddyss (the name he uses on this album), Emerald Da Zappa, and Emerald Jyah, to name a few.
He is a perplexing character because it seems at times that he wants to deny fame and attention, yet at the same time it is hard to believe that such a prolific and motivated artist can really feel that way. In all likely hood Chinedu is trying to do it the right way. He wants to remain true to his roots, he doesn’t want to sell out and work for anybody but himself. It’s admirable and impressive how he acts as godfather of the underground, supporting friends and fellow rappers and putting any desires for name recognition and fame aside, preferring absurdity, novelty, and ownership of his image even if it means limiting the reach of his art.
The third track on his new album The Chaotic Neutral, ‘Hologram,’ opens with Emerald responding to a question in a cartoon voice, “I have many many styles.” He does indeed have many styles, which are skillfully blended on this album. Later on he asks himself, “Who would I be if it wasn’t for pizza and reefer” before taking the listener on a cosmic drugged out journey. Honesty and introspection square off with a violent and degenerate alpha male mentality. The album oscillates between catchy bars, and clever rambling all the while integrating obscure and well-crafted samples into crunchy beats and melodic backing tracks. Listen closely to catch all of the subtle nuances of Emerald’s wordplay and self-reflexive references. Each listen will reveal something new.
I had the opportunity to ask Chinedu a few questions about his thoughts on rap, drugs, and what the future holds:
When did you start rapping?
I began rapping around the time toy story came out, but didnt take it seriously til like… 10th grade?
Who are some of your major influences? Id say my influences are like, Busta Rhymes, DOOM, MC Juice, Very Earl Eminem
How was Cult Fortified conceived of/created?
I once imagined a group of unfathomably ill alter egos in an amalgamation called Cult Fortified, around the time when we were called the reservoir dogs, but we canned it, cuz Skillz, Nickleous F and some other bul took that name (and never even used it), so it was between cult fortified and ninja dose lol
How many (what are the) different names have you rapped under? Why so many?
I used to be Norm RockWell, but like, yea… So then it was Mr. Emerald (cuz of the res dogs thing) Then I chose a surname for Emerald, changed it twice cuz I outgrew em, and not its just Emrld Ahymo.
Why do you rap?
I rap, cuz its extremely interesting, just the way it works and what it does, its super fun, its like word math/science sometimes, like sudoku (which Im not good at)
Do you want to be famous?
I wanna be internationally recognized and respected as an Artist, everything else comes with the territory I feel
Do you have any anecdotes about interactions with other rappers or just funny shit in general?
This one time, I wrote a rap bar “smoking special herbs and spices waiting on Doomsday” and then I ate mushrooms and later that day met a rapper named DOomsDay in writtenhouse who was the best rapper I had ever met in my life, coincidence? yea sure, why not.
How have drugs affected your style and mindset?
Drugs change the way that the brain connects abstracts, so they kinda geared me in the direction of a more obscure perspective(s)
What does the future hold for Cult Fortified?
World wide success maybe, Do some chidrens books, start a relgion (cuz thats where the real cash is y’kno?) Open up a school, make a sitcom about unfocused creatives tryna get on, who knows.
Check out these videos, Cult Fortified’s bandcamp and soundcloud for more music, and stop by the Record Library to hear the new album in full.
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<iframe src=”//player.vimeo.com/video/56957548?portrait=0&color=87c4d6″ width=”500″ height=”281″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/56957548″>EMERALD J YA H “Doorway In The Sky”</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/sukkatash”>SUKKATASH</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
<iframe src=”//player.vimeo.com/video/90939166″ width=”500″ height=”281″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/90939166″>Emerald Odyss – Time Lords (feat. Fr0z)</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user25395070″>Krispy Feldman</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
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