The motto of this infamous underground crew, "Gotta Cumm Up, Gotta Cumm Up!" is the same premise in which they operate.

This is a group of rappers, producers, musicians, engineers, graphic artists, web designers, computer technicians, and hard workers who have come together to better their situations through their nature and acquired talents. Having performed at a many venue, large and small, and with a catalog you wouldn't believe, Chillin Villain Empire (C.V.E) has built a credible economic base to go to in a land where fast-food jobs are hard to come by. Currently this group is signed to Afterlife Recordz, an independent label they own along with other artists own.

The group had its start in 1985 in the cities of Venice and Santa Monica. The Rhymin' Riddler? (Now Riddlore?) and The Jammin' Jay Be Nice hit the clubs (such as 321 in Santa Monica), the high schools they attended. house parties, streets and always the beaches letting all know to "beware 'cause there's a villain in your neighborhood". The term "Chillin Villainz" describe how the black male is considered to be villainous in Amerikkk/kan society before a crime is committed…just chillin at a bus stop when a car pulls up and the doors lock. The group name was Chillin Villain Posse (CVP) and was revised to C.V.E in the late 80's. In those days the equipment was a drum machine and two DJ's who went by the name of Treacherous Kid Chaos (TKC) and Very Vital. Several songs were recorded at studios such as Mad Dog (Venice, CA) and eventually a 12' with "Can U Love A Villain" and "Power to the Posse" as the featured cuts. In the early 1990's "Gotta Cumm Up, Theme of the 1990'z" was posted all over LA and on T-shirts. The crew also produced EPs and LPs in-house and distributed them on cassette through grass-roots means. The most memorable tapes were the "CV Beat" tapes, which came in volumes. Their arrival to Goodlife Café was monumental. This open Mic spot became their Thursday night home where the not only performed weekly but maintained the position of sound engineer for a number of years. The engineering skills acquired there manifested themselves in many ways as they went on to engineer Project Blowed's open mic spot and the 24/7 broadcast on web-community curbserver.com.

The first and founding members were Jay Be Nice (currently inactive) and The Riddlore?, youth from Santa Monica and Venice, California streets. They set a tone for the future of this crew in the department of lyrical skills and self-sufficient means to produce and distribute those skills. Most of the artwork for C.V.E albums, to this day, were created by these Rid and there is very little done outside of C.V.E/Afterlife Recordz camp to record, produce, promote and distribute their products. Filet of Soul (Fish) was welcomed into the family in 1987. Starting off as a DJ in '85, music was always a big part of this youngster's life. He quickly jumped into producing with the help of Ebow (another chillin villain who officially became a member in the early 90's). Fish also was very interested in the business end of the music and became a worker bee in that area. Ebow, an accomplished, self-taught musician on the keyboards, changed the direction of the music of C.V.E dramatically. He showed the way to producing music without sampling loops from old tunes which Rid and Fish have twisted to the next level producing music that sounds like samples with no samples. Tray-Loc gave birth to Pimp-Hop through C.V.E in 1990 dropping sexual-lyrical-lingo with chops. He is C.V.E's latest producer taking time to learn state of the art equipment provided by Afterlife. Big-Kev (currently inactive) also came aboard in '92 bringing muscle to the click. Wreccless (formally from Afterlife group, Hip Hop Kclan) climbed aboard in 1996. He is currently building engineering skills and contributing to many songs vocally. Ms. Wreccless (the only female so far) joined C.V.E in 1999 bringing a perspective of villainism untapped previous to her arrival. Honorary members of C.V.E are Chung Chu (freestyle guru), Bus Driver (his audience hasn't even been born yet) and Raphael (known as Spud, security intelligence) among others for their dedication to the "Cumm Up".

C.V.E has accomplished so much to date in countless areas. Not only does Rid and Fish produce most of the music so far coming from Afterlife Recordz, they are executives in the company, Afterlife Entertainment LLC. They help make sure company goals are met annually and day to day. They are the general manager and music director for underground hip-hop web-community curbserver.com. Future goals include: maintaining a high level of self-sufficiency: continuing the Cumm Up; understanding the bigger picture; living accordingly; passing the baton to the younger generation; never coming up short on lyrical skills. This is only the beginning of this rise of this great empire.

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Chillin Villain Empire
Afterlife Recordz / Covert Records

PROJECT BLOWED - THE GOODLIFE - 4343 LEIMERT, LA , CALI

Founders of Afterlife Recordz & CVE/Chillin Villain Empire: Jammin´ Jay , Riddlore & NGAFsh

Sites:
www.curbserver.com

CVE Members:
Chu, Ebow, (Jammin' Jay Be Nice - former member), Ms. Wreccless, NgaFsh, Riddlore?, Tray Loc, Wreccless, NuveThad,

Afterlife Members (mostly former members since most of them founded own record Labels):
2mex(OMD), Akim, Alex Ocana, Busdriver, Cali-Rag aka Mister CR(Rumble Pak , Easty Boys), Chu, Rifleman aka Ellay Khule(Hip Hop Kclan), Misfit , NgaFsh, Pterradacto(Hip Hop Kclan), Riddlore?, Shaheid, Tray Loc, Versatyle, Wreccless, Xololanxinxo(OMD)

Chillin Villain Empire is a product of the Goodlife open mic sessions, the same South Central Los Angeles locale that also introduced us to the likes of Freestyle Fellowship, Volume 10, Abstract Rude, and Jurassic 5. Initially known locally as intense party rockers and proper beat providers, CVE crewmembers Riddlore and Ngafsh did much to build the infrastructure of the GoodLife movement. By fusing old school production principles with new school innovations, CVE instrumentals quickly became second nature to an entire amalgamation of hungry emcees including Aceyalone, Ellay Khule, Tray Loc, and the Badstads. Beginning with the Project Blowed compilation in 1994, which featured 3 CVE tracks titled What a Pity, Once Upon a Freak, and Narcolepsy, Riddlore and Ngafsh additionally became known as prolific emcees, fully seasoned by almost a decade of freestyle frenzy.

Influenced first and foremost by the likes of Melle Mel, Run DMC, and LL Cool J, at times CVE is apt to sound like MC Shan being backed with Kurtis Mantronik production. But being from Los Angeles CVE also presents many shades of the classic gangsta rap heritage ala groups such as NWA, Compton's Most Wanted, and the Geto Boys. Throw in an appreciation for jazz and reggae that naturally comes with Goodlife affiliation and suddenly CVE is grounded enough to evolve ahead of schedule with their later excursions into Southern bounce.

As the Goodlife eventually gave way to the opening of Project Blowed, just down the street on Crenshaw Boulevard, Chillin Villain Empire created quite a buzz for itself by kicking off Acealone's Mic Check video with their version of Calisthenics. Riddlore also produced the beat for Arythamaticulas which appeared on Aceyalone's All Balls Don't Bounce solo debut. By way of their own label, Afterlife Records, CVE capitalized on the residual hype in 1996 by releasing the Kaos Coup de Ta EP as well as their highly sought-after instrumental album titled Portrait of a Serial Chiller. Making it a point to back solo releases by their Project Blowed counterparts, including Ellay Khule's Riflemanz Kclass-sixx and Tray Loc's Sex on the Beach, CVE continued their propensity for collaborative magic by introducing the world to both Busdriver and Otherwize.

With each of CVE's 1998 releases titled Unclassified and Declassified, Wreccless was presented as a new full-time member of the group. Compounding the accelerated ferocity of their clique, CVE then released Biggest of the Baddest by the Badstads, an album that epitomizes the street-oriented Project Blowed aesthetic as well as any chant of �please pass the mic" ever could. Followed up with solo releases from each of Riddlore and Ngafash, appearances on OD's Beneath the Surface project, and collaborations with Of Mexican Descent and Jizzm, CVE then decided to focus all of its energies into promoting their Afterlife family with what they hoped would become the crew's definitive recordings. In 2000 both Welcome to the Afterlife and Declaration of an Independent were unleashed upon public ears, essentially cementing CVE's favorable reputation everywhere from Vancouver to Austin, Havana, Australia, and Germany. Sporting incredible material from each of CVE, Hip Hop Kclan, Easty Boys, Tray Loc, Cypher 7, Legion, Busdriver, and Of Mexican Descent, the 2 albums made a musical statement and then some by proving that not only do Afterlife artists collectively have the entire history of hip hop on lock, but also a good chunk of its future to boot.

CVE continues to support Project Blowed as a weekly rap event, continues to record extensively, as evidenced by Riddlore's latest solo pieces as well as his work with Aceyalone, and continues to serve as an inspiring precedent for independent rap artists worldwide.
(AMG)


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