RIP Chynna, The Best Rapper You Never Heard Of
Tristan Young @talltristan
Chynna Rogers, the Philadelphia rapper, has died today. She was 25. Announced by her management team, the cause of death has not been revealed. Regardless of if you were familiar with her work, the music community has lost a vital member and truly unique voice. That she is gone at such a young age, before she would surely leave a large impact makes this loss particularly tough to accept.
Chynna began her career at 14 as a model but as her interest in music grew she was discovered and mentored by A$AP Yams- or more accurately she found him and made sure he took notice. She developed a name for herself in the Philadelphia scene and beyond for her unnervingly direct lyrics related to drug addiction, as well as her talents for low-key intimidation and eccentric posturing. Chynna could switch between devilish showboating and harrowingly personal reveals with an alluring grace. She often did so with insular beats that could radiate a sense of dread and warning. Tracks like the synth heavy $Dough combined gloss and grime to intoxicating effect, while the minimalist melody of Glen Cocco transformed into a whirlwind of performative feats on Chynna’s part; the manner in which she naturally transitioned through a multitude of lyrical trends made it one of the most underrated hip songs songs of the last decade.
During her career, Chynna never released a full album but had a thriving catalogue of EPs and singles. Among them was her debut Selfie, I’m Not Here This Isn’t Happening, and her final release In Case I Die First.
Chynna was open and upfront about her struggles with opioid addiction. While she proudly opined on the process of getting clean she was careful to understand that recovery was not a straight line, has many set backs, and its destination is never truly fixed. Chynna documented the highs and lows of her relationship with drugs in stark and brave terms: “Now I Feel Like I’ve been through enough shit. Now I Feel like I can actually talk y’all about something”.