Chico Debarge

Official Biography (courtesy of Kedar Entertainment)

Addiction is a musical screenplay that embodies the extended works of Chico Debarge's "Long Time No See" - as a ghetto griot whose musical works personifies life in the streets and that of everyday people. Chico creates a musical movie canvas, as one listens; the scenes play out; becoming ever more real and life-like.  The plot, the intricacies and details along with the poetic subliminal messages; linger in your mind long after the songs are over.

Following the formula and vein of his classic recording, Chico partnered once again with Kedar Massenburg of Kedar Entertainment; whose musical directives were essential in defining this enormous talent. As Kedar states "Chico has written a beautiful masterpiece while living through his own pains and continual struggles.  His life speaks volumes and he relates to everyone's joys and pains; creating music of substance; essentially reality music." 

These realities have honed Debarge's craft of storytelling; which have grown more mature as the years have gone by; with life becoming ever so real, with insurmountable challenges. Chico looked to his music roots; not only sound and style; but also direction.  Addiction takes us on the journey - from one moment to the next.  As the tracks change as pages in a book, we sit and listen; waiting for the next musical introduction.

As the album opens, Chico speaks frankly and briefly to his own addiction, without beating the point; all the while creating metaphorical reference to each and everyone's problem.  The problems that everyday people face in light of drugs, sex, food, abuse - addictions we all face and struggle with daily.

The featured single "Oh No!" with its up-tempo Roots-like groove and live instrumentation brings us back to the Chico we know - taking us directly to the sexy-yet bashful and down-to-earth Chico his audience have come to appreciate and love. 

Addiction speaks to love and the complexity of its nature...the wanting more.  Such songs as "She Love's Me", exposes the rare honesty people face in accepting affection in light of a perilous environment. Chico being a proponent for intimacy and affection is easily heard in "I Forgot Your Name" and "Tell Your Man" which features JOE; where they advise women to tell their men to treat them right, or else...Respectful of other musical story-tellers, Chico's collaboration with hip-hop presario, Talib Kweli on the cut "Math" is an R&B/Hip-Hop classic in the making. 

Through "I'm Okay" and "Slick", Chico provides the listener with an idea of his own battles; all the while assuring the audience that he is okay and that support is always necessary and needed.  The raw - unabashed emotion seen in the Chico's musical veins introduced by Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke - has Chico reaching to new heights with original instrumentations from seasoned professionals - geniuses to be precise. Musicians entrenched in the "ways" and waves of sounds; creating music for an ongoing film score and soundtrack for a musical screenplay called "Addition: Reality Music".