Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American hip hop musician based in Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as The Dynospectrum,[4]Micranots,[5] and Semi.Official.[6] In 2012, City Pages described him as "one of the most influential voices in Minnesota hip hop."[7]
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.[8] 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."[8] He experimented with graffiti writing, freestyling, DJing, and breakdancing before starting to invest lots of time into rapping and graffiti.
I Self Devine released the solo debut album, Self Destruction, on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2005.[9] He released the second solo album, The Sound of Low Class Amerika, on the label in 2012.[10] 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.[11] The album was preceded by four mixtapes, which were all released in early 2012.[12] In 2015, he released a collaborative album with Muja Messiah, titled 9th House.[13] 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.[8]
I Self Devine is celebrated for his live shows. Spectrum Culture wrote that he "is synonymous with a dynamic live show."[14]
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."[8]
