Choclair is an international music icon who has set the benchmark for Canadian hip-hop, laying the foundation for artists such as Drake, Kardinal Offishall, Belly, Classified, K' naan and Saukrates. Starting at the age of 11, Kareem "Choclair" Blake followed in his older brother’s footstep, who at the time was the hottest rapper in the neighborhood. This was the bar for Choclair. His first release, Twenty-One Years, in December of 1995 was quickly embraced worldwide, establishing him as a standout rapper in the burgeoning Canadian hip-hop scene. Subsequently, five independently owned records from Choclair were featured around the globe on prestigious hip-hop compilations due to the success of Twenty-One Years.
In June of 1998, after having released 11 records, Choclair went on to achieve a Gold Record with the Rascalz on Canada’s hip-hop anthem, Northern Touch, receiving 2 Juno awards and a Much Music Award. Choclair then decided to expand his team and join forces with Virgin Music. "The opportunity with Virgin Music was great". Together with Virgin Music, his first release Ice Cold went Gold in 35 days, reaching number one on the charts. With this Choclair became a star in the music industry, having audiences recite his lyrics from front to back.
Understanding the workings of the music industry enabled Choclair to collaborate with some of the world’s premier artists such as, Kurupt, Guru, Memphis Bleek, Rahzal, Mix Master Mike, Tha Liks, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Xzibit, De La Soul, Dawn Robinson, Beenie Man and countless others. These collaborations garnered him further respect from the international hip-hop community, paving the way to even more Juno and Much Music Awards. In 2003 armed with his arsenal of awards, Gold Records, collaborations and new found knowledge of how the business works, Choclair left Virgin to restart his new independently owned Label Greenhouse Music.
Continuing his success, Choclair released the independent album Flagrant, garnering a Source Award nomination for best International Artist, and bringing home another Juno award. "This experience has been a great ride and now I am ready to take it for the whole world to see". Always actively involved in the Canadian music scene, Choclair was instrumental in helping launch the first hip-hop radio station in Winnipeg (Flava 107.9) with his company Melt In Ya Mouth Entertainment in 2004.
Poised to release his fifth and most powerful album to date, C. Evolution aims to be the quintessential album in Choclair’s success filled career. Fueled by the hunger of Canada’s hottest up-and-coming production team PHS and keeping with the already established talents of Saukrates, Solitair and Kardinal Offishall. C. Evolution is already generating an enormous buzz, leaving countless fans in anticipation. With the lead off single Move Mountains, Choclair is looking to show the world his evolution as an artist, and prove that with perseverance they too can move mountains.
