Chika (rapper)

Jane Chika Oranika (born March 9, 1997)[2] known professionally as Chika (often stylized CHIKA), is an American rapper. She was featured in JoJo's song "Sabotage" which reached number 18 on the Billboard US R&B Digital Downloads. In 2020, she was included on XXL's 2020 Freshman Class.[3]

Chika
Birth nameJane Chika Oranika
Born (1997-03-09) March 9, 1997
Montgomery, Alabama, US
GenresHip hop
InstrumentsVocals
LabelsWarner[1]

Early life

Chika was born in Montgomery, Alabama.[4] Because of her interest in music and slam poetry, she attended Booker T. Washington Magnet High School. She received an acceptance to Berklee College of Music, but due to tuition costs, she enrolled at the University of South Alabama instead. She dropped out after her first year to focus on a music career.[5]

Career

Music

Chika first gained widespread attention following an Instagram post from November 9, 2016, the day after the 2016 United States presidential election. In the video, she covers herself in pale foundation, saying "African-American? Never felt that, never heard of that, never tasted that, never smelled that". Early in 2017, she created the #EgoChallenge, using the Beyoncé song of that title to promote body positivity and self-love. That year she also released a Pride-themed remix of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" as well as a poetry EP.[6][7][8]

In 2018, Chika went viral for a freestyle addressed at Kanye West over West's own "Jesus Walks" beat. The freestyle concerned West's support for Donald Trump and caught the attention of Jada Pinkett Smith, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Erykah Badu.[9] She later released a freestyle dedicated to Nia Wilson.[10] In August 2018, she featured on Rachel Crow's single "Coulda Told Me".[11]

Chika released her debut single, "No Squares", in April 2019. The following month, at the invitation of guest host Lena Waithe, she performed the track and "Richey v. Alabama", another of her songs, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[12] The song dealt with the state of Alabama's 2019 abortion bill and was named for a friend of Chika's.[13] That summer, she signed a deal with Warner Records.[14] Chika released two more singles as a lead artist in 2019: "High Rises"[15][16] and "Can't Explain It" featuring Charlie Wilson.[17][18] That year, she also featured on JoJo's "Sabotage", which reached number 18 on the Billboard US R&B Digital Downloads.[19][20]

In December 2019, Chika announced that she was working on an EP titled Industry Games.[21] On January 23, 2020, Chika confirmed the title and posted snippets of music from the EP, telling followers the release was two months away.[22][23] She released the EP's titular single on February 18.[24] The EP was released on March 12, 2020.[25] On August 11, 2020, Chika was included on XXL's 2020 Freshman Class.[26]

Fashion

In May 2019, Chika featured in a Calvin Klein #MyCalvins advertisement,[27] also writing poetry for the brand's S/S 2019 campaign.[14] That same year, she participated in a Business of Fashion panel at Paris Fashion Week and posed for the December cover of Teen Vogue.[4][28] She was recognized by Business of Fashion as one of the top 500 people shaping the fashion industry in 2019.[29]

Personal life

Chika is the youngest of her Nigerian-American parents' three daughters. She is of Igbo descent and was raised in the Pentecostal faith.[4]

Chika identifies as bisexual and addresses her sexuality in her music and videos.[30] In her video for "Can't Explain It", she put a queer spin on A Different World, one of her favorite sitcoms.[31]

Discography

Extended plays
Title Details
Full Bloom // A Poetry EP
Industry Games

Singles

As lead artist
Title Year Album
"No Squares" 2019 Non-album singles
"High Rises"
"Can't Explain It"
(featuring Charlie Wilson)
"Industry Games" 2020 Industry Games
"U Should" TBA
"My Power"
Single Year Peak chart positions Album
US R&B Dig.
"Coulda Told Me"
(Rachel Crow featuring Chika)		 2018 — non-album singles
"Sabotage"
(JoJo featuring Chika)		 2019 18[20]

Music videos
Title Year Director
"No Squares" 2019 Jack Piatt
"High Rises" Cierra "Sh00ter" Glaude[14]
"Can't Explain It"
(featuring Charlie Wilson)		 Top Shelf Jr., Chika[33]


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gollark: SQLite but web. Obsoleted by IndexedDB.
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gollark: SQLite is inescapable and omnipresent.

References
  1. "Warner Records Press | Chika".
  2. Chika [@oranicuhh] (March 10, 2017). "okay so, i turned 20 yesterday & i wanted to do a countdown rap from 20 all the way to 1. it was kinda hard. hope you like it, though! pic.twitter.com/sxouE3y5VT" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. August 11, Georgette ClinePublished:; 2020. "XXL 2020 Freshman Class Revealed". XXL Mag. Retrieved August 12, 2020.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Wagner, Lindsay Peoples (December 3, 2019). "Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond and Rapper Chika on Cancel Culture and Staying Grounded in the Cult of Celebrity". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  5. Specker, Lawrence (July 9, 2019). "Breakout Alabama rapper Chika shares her 'origin story'". AL.com.
  6. Traore, Jacqueline (June 14, 2017). "This Nigerian-American Rapper Turned Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' Into a Pride Anthem and We're Here For It". OkayAfrica.
  7. Thomas, Chris (June 14, 2017). "Chika Transformed Ed Sheeran's Song Into a 'Gay as Hell' Pride Anthem". Out.
  8. Kaufman, Gil (June 15, 2017). "Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' Reworked by Rapper Chika as Pride Anthem: Listen". Billboard.
  9. Lang, Cady (April 10, 2019). "Why Chika, the Rapper Who Went Viral for Calling Out Kanye, Wants to 'Bring Back What's Real' to Hip Hop". Time.
  10. Davis, Rachaell (July 27, 2018). "Rapper Chika Pens A Tribute To Nia Wilson That You Have To Hear To Believe". Essence.
  11. BWW News Desk (September 10, 2018). "Rachel Crow Releases Confident New Video COULDA TOLD ME ft. Rapper CHIKA". Broadway World.
  12. Amed, Imran (October 16, 2019). "What Chika Is Teaching Fashion". Business of Fashion.
  13. Elsesser, Paloma (September 18, 2019). "how rapper chika oranika turned a kanye diss into a thriving career". i-D. Vice.
  14. Warner Records (June 28, 2019). "Chika signs to Warner Records" (PDF) (Press release). Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  15. Williams, Aaron (July 16, 2019). "Why Chika Is One Of Cardi B's Favorite Up-And-Coming Rappers — And Why She'll Be Yours, Too". Uproxx.
  16. "Chika Continues to Climb With New Song "High Rises" from Upcoming EP". Gehen Press. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  17. Delgado, Sara (November 22, 2019). "Chika's New Music Video Is a Heartwarming Queer Love Story with a '90s Spin". Teen Vogue.
  18. CourtneyB (January 24, 2020). "Alabama Rapper and 'Kanye West Critic' Chika Releases New Video + Freestyle". The Source.
  19. Aniftos, Rania (October 25, 2019). "JoJo Wonders if She'll 'Sabotage' Love in New Single Featuring CHIKA". Billboard.
  20. "CHIKA Sabotage Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  21. Teen Vogue (December 3, 2019). Chika Creates the Playlist of Her Life – via MSN Lifestyle.
  22. Chika [@oranicuhh] (January 23, 2020). "The name of my EP is *drumroll* Industry Games" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. Chika [@oranicuhh] (January 23, 2020). "a glimpse into my mind. this internet shit has been a ride and a half, but it was never my final destination. i used to post out of necessity. telling myself it would pay off. and it has. and now, here we are, 2 months out from my debut project. i hope you're still here. 💜💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/fUwT2159mO" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. "Chika's 'Industry Games': Listen | Billboard". www.billboard.com. February 18, 2020.
  25. "Chika Is Not Here To Play Any Of Music's 'Industry Games'". NPR.org.
  26. Cline, Georgette (August 11, 2020). "XXL 2020 FRESHMAN CLASS REVEALED". XXL. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  27. Hargrove, Channing (May 17, 2019). "Rapper Chika Addresses Critics Of Her Body Positive Calvin Klein Campaign". Refinery29.
  28. Ford, Jennifer (December 4, 2019). "Hairstylist Lacy Redway Created A Braided Crown For Chika 'The New Queen Of The Rap Game'". Essence.
  29. "Chika – BoF 500 – The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry". Business of Fashion. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  30. @oranicuhh (March 16, 2020). "1.) I'm bisexual 2.) I'm not even remotely butch 3.) There is a specific dick I am referring to" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. Daw, Stephen (November 26, 2019). "Chika Reimagines 'A Different World' to Reflect Black, Queer Love in 'Can't Explain It' Video". Billboard.
  32. Duboff, Josh (January 14, 2020). "The 10 Biggest Rising Talents in Hollywood". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  33. "CHIKA - Can't Explain It (feat. Charlie Wilson) [Official Music Video]" – via www.youtube.com.
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