photo by HONOZOOLOO
Creed Chameleon aka Kristofer Rojas is a hip hop artist from Hawaii that has been uplifting the scene for about a decade plus with numerous recognition, awards and experience under his belt.
Having had a rocky upbringing in his hometown of Waipahu, Hawaii, and facing much adversity as a young adult, Creed brought balance to his life by utilizing his love of hip hop and writing prowess to channel his early experiences into graphic audible depictions of a youth lost in a world of drugs and confined by social pressures and barriers of adolescence.
Of Filipino-mixed descent, Creed Chameleon made a name for himself in the Hawaii hip hop community by winning several emcee battles such as Radiotron, Rumble in the Garden and representing Hawaii in the Brainstorm West Coast Battles in 2004.
Creed Chameleon is often a promoter’s first choice for performing and opening for big hip hop artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Talib Kweli, Too Short, De La Soul, Chino XL, Mos Def, Gym Class Heroes, Living Legends, Atmosphere, Brother Ali and even performed at the Rock the Bells Hawaii Festival in 2007. He is also well received in the west coast hip hop scene and opened for the Chicago based hip hop group Typical Cats in San Diego in 2008. In 2009, he had the opportunity to be one of the exclusive performers from Hawaii to jump on the OOF! Inter-island tour with Blue Scholars and Bambu.
His first album, “Defy”, which was released in 2005, was a self released LP that featured the production of Joe Dub (Westcoast Workforce, Asita Recordings). It created a small buzz in the Hawaii hip hop scene and also some parts of West Coast.
In 2006, his sophomore release titled “Love Potion Cyanide” showed a deeper side of Creed Chameleon as he navigated the struggles of being a young father and the difficulties of love gone awry. He’s even collaborated with 2007 Scribble Jam Emcee Champion, Nocando on the track, “Reaching Skies”. This album received tremendous support from the Hawaii music industry when he was the first underground hip hop artist being nominated for the prestigious Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and the Hawaii Music Awards in 2007. This album was also his first to reach mainstream distribution in stores such as Borders, BestBuy, Virgin Megastores, and other national big-box music retailers, in addition to web-based retailers like iTunes and Amazon.com.
With his release in 2008, “Siq Of Lazy” goes into more of a braggadocio, political and even sensitive side of Creed Chameleon. With this album, Creed got chosen as URB Magazine’s Next 1000 for his single, “Choke” which URB Writer Ben Meredith adds, “If you haven't heard of this Chameleon already, I'm sure he'll blend in to your music somewhere down the line.” This album is a collection of tracks created to address the stereotypical lackadaisical attitude of Hawaii hip hop’s music scene, and a call to action to his fellow emcees and artists to “up the ante” and turn the local scene into a veritable force in the hip hop industry.
Preparing for 2010, Creed is releasing his forthcoming album, “The Ultimatum”, which features collaborations with Blue Scholars, Bambu, DJ Packo, T-Qron and Osna. With this album, Creed surpasses out of his normal realm and delves into more nostalgic hip-hop grooves with production by new and upcoming rapper/producer, Osna. Recently jumping on with Tassho Pearce’s label and clothing line, Flip The Bird Entertainment, this is only an initial impact on what’s to come with Creed Chameleon in 2010 and beyond.
“Artist. Father. Worker… Creed Chameleon is a revived man poised to make his passion a career.” – Contrast Magazine
“His brand of humor doesn't overshadow his abrasive side, his sarcasm doesn't dominate but is present if you follow his lines and verses, and the sentimental side is balanced with the challenges of reality.” – Urbnet.com
“…the impact of his insights is heightened by the power of tracks he flows over.” – Honolulu Star Bulletin
