Chaka Seisay
Chaka Seisay known professionally as Chak La Rock is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and DJ. He is the lead singer and founding member of urban soul rock music collective 'Frank Ernest'.[1] He is one of Sweden's first professional hip hop artists.[2]
Chak La Rock | |
---|---|
Birth name | Chaka Seisay |
Also known as | Complicated C, DJ Chaka |
Born | New Rochelle, New York, U.S.A. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Rapper • musician • singer-songwriter • DJ • producer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals • percussion • keyboard • guitar |
Years active | 1987 – present |
Website | frankernest |
Career
1987-1989
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he formed the Stockholm based hip hop duo Sure Shot Groove with MC Stranger.[3]
Sure Shot Groove recorded with Swemix, a hot bed for the budding musical talents that would dominate the Swedish music scene throughout the 1990s and bring American style hip hop in to the mainstream of Swedish popular music.
In 1989, Sure Shot Groove release the single We'll Never Fess and the 12 inch single Rhymes Are Flowing.[2]
1990s
In 1992, he appeared regularly on 'Clubhopping' a dance/hip hop music program on Swedish television network ZTV hosted by Rob'n'Raz.[4]
In 1993, he appeared in the Daniel Fridell film 'Sökarna'.[5]
He became a sought-after DJ in the mid-1990s organizing popular hip hop/soul and r&b clubs in Stockholm and rapidly scoring gigs around Europe.[5]
2000s
In 2000, he co-wrote and performed backing vocals on the singel 'Friday Night Is Here' by D-Flex.[6][7]
In 2008, he began a songwriting project with songwriter and bass player Nebosja 'Neb Malicious' Grujic, drummer Clemons 'C1' Mårtensson with contributions from rapper/guitarist Oliver 'Diplomatic' Hallqvist. They formed the band One.[8] In 2009, 'The Fact Remains' the single he co-wrote and performed with One, was selected for the compilation album Groove.[9][10]
In 2015, he founded urban soul rock collective Frank Ernest with Malicious. They teamed up with lead guitarist Stefan 'Grooveya' Grujic and drummer Clemons 'C1' Mårtensson began a new music project.[1]
On September 30, 2016 Frank Ernest released their debut album 'One Time for the Mind' and the title track 'Revolution of the Mind' on iTunes and Spotify.[1]
Discography
- LPs
- Way Out (2010) by One
- One Time For The Mind (2016) by Frank Ernest
- Singles
- We'll Never Fess (1989) by Sure Shot Groove
- Rhymes Are Flowin (1989) by Sure Shot Groove
- Friday Night Is Here (2009) by Dflex
- The Fact Remains (2009) by One
- Are You Ready (2010) by One
- Rings And Things (2010) by One
- Revolution of the Mind (2016) by Frank Ernest
References
- "'One Time For The Mind' the debut album from Frank Ernest is here!". frankernest.com. Frank Ernest Productions KB. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "Sure Shot Groove – Rhymes R Flowing". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "Chak la rock". Reverb Nation. Reverb Nation. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- "Clubhopping". Svensk Media Databas (Swedish Media Database). National Library of Sweden. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "Chaka Seisay". IMDb.com. IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "Friday Night Is Here". Pop Fakta. Svensk Rock Arkiv (Swedish Rock Archive). Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "Chaka Seisay". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "One, Way Out". Genius.com. Genius.com. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "Svensk Media Databas". National Library of Sweden. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "The Fact Remains". All The Lyrics. AllTheLyrics.com. Retrieved 2 October 2016.