Born Richard Simpson in Kingston, Jamaica on May 28, 1968, the rapper and hip hop star is better known by his stage name, Chubb Rock. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was discovered by his cousin, fellow Jamaican-born DJ / producer ‘Hitman’ Howie Tee. Chubb Rock worked with his cousin on two albums – Chubb Rock (1988) and And the Winner Is… (1989) – both of which made Billboard’s Top R&B / Hip Hop Albums chart. He came to prominence in 1989 with “Just the Two of Us,” his first number 1 on the Rap Singles chart. He achieved two more number 1 singles in 1990 – “Treat ‘Em Right” and “The Chubbster” – before the release of his debut solo album The One (1991), which reached number 13 on Billboard’s R&B / Hip Hop Albums chart and number 71 on the Billboard 200. Chubb Rock’s second album, 1992’s I Gotta Get Mine You! (Book of Rhymes), included the number 1 single “Lost in the Storm” and hit number 24 on the R&B / Hip Hop Albums chart. Chubb Rock’s next project was performing as a member of hip hop collective the Crooklyn Dodgers, a supergroup that also featured Jeru the Damaja and OC. In 1997, Chubb Rock’s third solo album, The Mind, reached number 45 on the R&B / Hip Hop Albums chart but the album’s singles failed commercially. In the 2000s and beyond, Chubb Rock stepped away from his career as a recording artist and only released a handful of tracks. He focused his attention on a career as a radio show host. He did return for the occasional single including “Midas Touch” (2019), “Can’t Dance to a Track That Ain’t Got No Soul” (2019), and “Grown and Sexy (G.a.S.)” (2022).
