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Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He helped develop Canadian hip hop in the 1990s, as a member of the Circle.

[edit] Career

Blake, of Jamaican descent, was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in east Toronto. Starting at the age of 11, he followed in his older brother's footsteps, and decided to become a rapper. In 1995, he released his debut single, "Twenty One Years", on his own independent label, Knee Deep Records. In 1997, he released the EP, What It Takes, which was accompanied by a music video featuring Jully Black. In June 1998, after having released 11 records (including the first international releases for Saukrates, Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Solitair, Marvel, Tara Chase and many more from Toronto's music scene), achieving a gold record with the Rascalz for contributing to Canada's hip hop anthem, "Northern Touch", receiving two Juno Awards and a MuchMusic Video Award, Choclair then decided to expand his team and joined Virgin Music Canada.

In 1999, he signed with Priority Records, and released his debut album Ice Cold. In Canada, the album went gold in 35 days and spawned the hit single "Let's Ride", produced by Kardinal Offishall. The hit was considered part of the late 90s renaissance of Canadian hip hop. The underground community worldwide quickly embraced Ice Cold, establishing him as a standout rapper in the burgeoning Canadian hip-hop scene. In 2000, he won a SOCAN award for "Let's Ride". He released the single "Skunk" from 2002's Memoirs of Blake Savage which featured Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound.

With many Junos, MuchMusic awards, gold records, collaborations and good business savvy, Choclair started his own independent label Greenhouse Music (it is where "the green is made" he explained) in partnership with Sextant Records/EMI Music Canada". In 2003, he released the album Flagrant and other Canadian hip hop albums in conjunction with Sextant Records and EMI. Greenhouse followed that with the release of My Demo, a collection of Choclair's early underground recordings.

In 2006, Choclair released his latest album, Flagship. He was also featured on Karl Wolf's single "Desensitize".

[edit] Discography

• What It Takes (1997)
• Ice Cold (1999)
• Memoirs of Blake Savage (2002)
• Flagrant (2003)
• My Demo (2003)
• Flagship (2006)

[edit] External links

• Choclair at MySpace
• Smooth as Choclair — Canadian hip hop artist reveals the secrets of seduction — by Denise Ing, Varsity Staff
• Word Magazine Article
• NOW Magazine Article
• College Newspaper Interview
• Choclair Brings Canadian Hip-Hop On U.S. Tour