Chali 2na

Chali 2na (born Charles Stewart in Chicago, Illinois) is an MC for the hip-hop group Jurassic 5. His voice, a deep basso profondo, is one of the most recognizable and commanding in all of hip-hop. He

Chali 2na (born Charles Stewart in Chicago, Illinois) is an MC for the hip-hop group Jurassic 5. His voice, a deep basso profondo, is one of the most recognizable and commanding in all of hip-hop. He moved to South Central Los Angeles, the home base of Jurassic 5 since the group's inception in 1995, at a young age, and was raised by his grandmother. His stage name is a reference to Charlie the Tuna, the deep-voiced animated mascot of Sunkist.

He and Cut Chemist, one of Jurassic 5's two DJs, became friends in high school. Teaming with Marc 7, they formed a group called Unity Committee, and spent Thursday nights performing at The Good Life Café, a once-vibrant L.A. institution where rappers and spoken word poets showed off their skills in an open mic format. They were, along with another three-person troupe called the Rebels of Rhythm, the crowd's favourite performers. The two crews also appreciated one another's styles, and they teamed to record a 12" single, "Unified Rebelution", in 1995. The Rebels of Rhythm were MCs Akil and Zaakir (aka Soup) and DJ Nu-Mark; the six men banded together to form Jurassic 5.