I Self Devine

Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American rapper from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been a member of groups such as the Dynospectrum,^[5] Micranots,^[6] and Semi.Official.^[7] In 2012, City Pages described him as "one of the most influential voices in Minnesota hip hop."^[8]

I Self Devine
I Self Devine performing live in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Chaka Mkali[1]
Also known as	Self One
Born	1972 (age 52–53)[2] Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2]
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.[3]
Genres	Twin Cities hip-hop[4]
Occupations	Rapper record producer activist
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Rhymesayers Entertainment

Early life

I Self Devine was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to Minnesota with his mother when she was accepted to the University of Minnesota's social work master's program.^[9] He says, "The first time that I became aware of hip-hop was in 1979, when my mom gave me [The Sugarhill Gang's] 'Rapper's Delight,' the 12-inch."^[9] He experimented with graffiti writing, freestyling, DJing, and breakdancing before starting to invest lots of time into rapping and graffiti.

Career

I Self Devine released the solo debut album, Self Destruction, on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2005.^[10] He released the second solo album, The Sound of Low Class Amerika, on the label in 2012.^[11] It was produced by Medium Zach of Big Quarters, DJ Todda, Benzilla, King Karnov, Vitamin D, Jake One, Proh Mic, and I Self Devine himself.^[12] The album was preceded by four mixtapes, which were all released in early 2012.^[13] In 2015, he released a collaborative album with Muja Messiah, titled 9th House.^[14] In an interview with The Current radio station, he stated that he was expecting to release two albums in 2021: Rituals of Resilience and That Which Is Hidden.^[9]

I Self Devine is celebrated for his live shows. Spectrum Culture wrote that he "is synonymous with a dynamic live show."^[15]

Personal life

I Self Devine has five children and has made efforts to prioritize his family over his career. He told The Current, "To think about emceeing or even being a community organizer – those are great things and have big impacts. But to me, when all of my kids are together, I feel rich beyond belief. I feel crazy wealthy, like I got gold as far as you can see."^[9]

Discography

See also: The Dynospectrum, Micranots § Discography, and Semi.Official § Discography

Studio albums

• Self Destruction (2005)
• The Sound of Low Class Amerika (2012)
• Rituals of Resilience (2021)
• That Which Is Hidden (2022)

Collaborative albums

• 9th House (2015) (with Muja Messiah)

Mixtapes

• LA State of Mind (2012)
• The Upliftment Struggle (2012)
• Reports from the Field: In the Trenches (2012)
• The Shining Path (2012)

Singles

• "Ice Cold" b/w "All I Know" (2005)
• "The Origin of Urban Crisis" (2012)
• "IOFWUCUC" (2015) (with Muja Messiah)
• "The Disruptor Suite" (2021)

Guest appearances

• Atmosphere – "Flesh" from God Loves Ugly (2002)
• The Opus – "First Contact" from First Contact 001 (2002)
• P.O.S – "I Play the Matador (Redo)" from Ipecac Neat (2004)
• Oddjobs – "Stone Cold" from Expose Negative (2005)
• Omega One – "I Want It All" from The Lo-Fi Chronicles (2005)
• Cleveland Steamers – "Day by Day" from Treasure Chest (2006)
• Leroy Smokes – "John Henry" from Love Hustle Theater (2006)
• Big Quarters – "How to Kill Your Rap Career" from Cost of Living (2007)
• Heiruspecs – "Broken Record" from Heiruspecs (2008)
• Muja Messiah – "Patriot Act" from Thee Adventures of a B-Boy D-Boy (2008)
• Doomtree – "Twentyfourseven" from Doomtree (2008)
• Crushcon7 – "Fieldwerk" (2009)
• Toki Wright – "The Law" from A Different Mirror (2009)
• St. Paul Slim – "McArthur Park" from Bald Headed Samsun (2010)
• Villa Rosa – "Chico" from Blue Diamond Island (2011)
• IBE & Benzilla – "Casual Convo" from This, That and the Third (2013)