Black XO School Tour – #ChaddyChampu
Chad Williams' biggest influence was the late great Tupac Shakur.
Chaddy Champu, born Chad Alessandro Williams on December 13, 1996, is hip-hop artist from Eldorado Park. From a young age, Williams was exposed, not only to rap and hip-hop music but RnB and other commercial genres as well.
One of his biggest influences is the late great Tupac Shakur and he remembers being able to recite Tupac lyrics as far back as he can remember.
Throughout his childhood and time in high school, he felt an attraction to music and even poetry but it wasn’t until February 2014; however that he started to realise his natural knack for rhyming and writing lyrics into the rhythm while rehearsing for a Parody Performance for his Grade 12 Valentine’s Day Showcase.
He then started taking music seriously and started rapping in a group with three close friends and went on to record multiple songs and shoot music videos for a few of those singles.
The two-year stint as a member of the group included numerous performances at most schools, clubs, and pubs but also included a short tour to Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal in 2016 as well as a performance at The Eldos Arts and Jazz Festivals’ Talent Mash Up. The group had a short spell of airplay for their fan favourites “Go Low” and “Stay Winning”.
In early 2017 the group had an amicable split due to the members having differing visions creatively and musically. Chad then started recording solo music under the stage name Chaddy Champu.
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He also started dabbling in radio when he was offered a spot on Eldos FM’s Drive show, The Fast Lane, and later the same year he went on to release his first short-length project titled “The EP” on his Birthday.
He said, “This project means a lot to me as an artist because it is my first solo, longer-length project and also because I did it for myself (artistically, it is everything I wanted or felt I needed to do at the time) but I also did it to inspire change and growth in the local rap/hip-hop scene.
“I wanted it to challenge the other rappers in Eldorado Park to do more with their music in order to grow- and/or move the culture forward and even though I might never get recognition for doing that, I just feel good about having pushed the boundary. I wanted people not from Eldorado Park to start recognizing that we have a lot of talent and potential.”
He continued, “Before this project, I was very naïve and even though I still have a lot of learning to do, I think the most valuable lesson I picked up along the way was about the power of music.
“Being an artist is about more than just being famous and making ridiculous amounts of money off the art form. Music is real energy that people relate to; people of all ages, races and different backgrounds.”
Before The EP, he was obsessed with the idea of being famous; he didn’t understand the responsibility placed on Artists. Now he’d rather have a positive, long-lasting impact on 50 people than be just another rapper that 50 million people listen to but don’t learn anything from or they can’t relate to; even though he thinks it would be quite a feat to be able to have a positive impact on 50 million people.
He said, “It’s a blessing just being able to reach even one person through my music. You’ll always be a part of that person’s past and no amount of money or fame can topple that very real connection between artist and listener.
“I want my music to stimulate the listener and challenge them, every time. I want my music to outlive me and educate as well as entertain generations after our own.”
He concluded by saying that the best investment you can make is cultivating another’s mind; you never know how far the seed you scatter could spread.
He said, “The next president could be a fan of Chaddy Champu, that’s the reality.”
