As kid, Adel Mejia, also known as Chucky73, would freestyle and cipher with his classmates. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine being a professional rapper.
In November, the Bronx native released his first album titled “De Chamaquito Siempre Cabezu.”
“I want people to listen to it,” he said. “I’m so excited about it. It’s love because it’s coming out of me.”
Chucky, 22, was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York when he was 8. Growing up at 173rd Street and Grand Concourse in the birthplace of hip-hop, music was always around him. As he got older, rhymes and beats were always on his mind.
By the age of 12, he had already begun writing songs with Spanish rhythms and was heavily influenced by American rap artists, namely Chief Keef. Along the way, he created his own flow and sound, which he became known for in the streets.
“When I started writing music everyone supported me,” he said.
However, his path to success was always easy. He acknowledged the struggles he experienced early on and thought about giving up on his dream a couple years ago.
Chucky knew he had talent but said that he had to find people who felt the same way. He eventually connected with a producer and founded a label, Sie7etr3/Caroline.
“A lot of people don’t believe in you until you make it,” he said.
While not disregarding the devastation caused by COVID-19, he used the quarantine to focus on his music and finish the LP.
“By the time COVID was here, I really didn’t want to go out. But I had to go to the studio,” he explained.
Chucky, who considers himself a humble guy, is happy with how far he’s come and hoped to eventually perform throughout the country and in Spain. He said that coming out with an album was everything he always wished for and it’s still crazy to think it happened.
“It feels amazing when people come up to you and want to take pictures,” Chucky said. “It feels like you are not normal.”
