FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective: An Interlude About Chi-Ali

Since August, From Boston to Austin has been reflecting on the somewhat enigmatic legacy of the Native Tongues hip-hop collective from the late 1980s into the '90s. We've made it through three parts.  But we're not quite done.

[Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4]

While we work on what will probably be the final chapter, here's a short interlude about second-wave Native Tongue Chi-Ali.  As might be put by Slick Rick (ironically someone who can relate to Chi-Ali's story to a degree), "here's a little somethin' that needs to be heard."  You see, Chi-Ali Griffith's story is a bad case of potential wasted. He was rapping on Native Tongue singles in his early teens and had an album out at an age most folks were still dealing with trigonometry and phys ed. After that big start though, nothing really materialized, and before long, he was in deep trouble with the law.  We're talking "America's Most Wanted" trouble.

Here's a mini-doc on Chi-Ali, or prisoner no. 04A0267 at Sing Sing.