Chill E.B.

An articulate, highly politicized US rapper linked with Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label, the original home to pre- Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy outfit the Beatnigs. Together with his DJing partner RD, Chill EB’s harsh rhymes are tempered by sweet female vocal interludes, in an arresting combination. Chill grew up in Oakland, California, and, at 6 foot 5 inches tall, was a leading basketball player (a high-school colleague was Michael Jordan). Via singles such as ‘Menace To Society’, his profile was stamped large across American television screens, and he also won an award for his work with Los Angeles’ homeless. ‘Menace To Society’, which revolved around the true story of a 13-year-old boy dealing in drugs to help to feed his sister and brother (‘I only rob the rich to feed my family, and now they call me a menace to society’), inspired a film of the same name (though the cut was not included on its soundtrack), and was also dubbed on to two television films. Less nobly, however, Chill also found time to appear in five separate adverts for Sega games.