Quelle Chris | Artist

Gavin Christopher Tennille aka Quelle Chris is an American hip-hop artist and producer born 1984 in Johnson City, New York. Once described as a student of Detroit hip-hop, Chris is known for his lo-fi production methods and oddball samples, and his introspective, loose and casual yet thoughtful and introspective rapping style. Armed with a dark, self-deprecating sense of humor, he pokes fun at himself while addressing serious personal concerns and social issues. His career began when he joined Wasted Youth and attracted the attention of hip hop recording artists in Detroit such as J Dilla and Proof. He later formed a group with Denmark Vessey called Crown Nation and soon began using the pseudonyms Q-Life and Quelle, the latter of which means "source" in German. As his talents developed as a songwriter, including several songs on Danny Brown's early albums, he began working on a solo career. His debut album Shotgun & Sleek Rifle appeared in late 2011, and featured guest appearances from Brown, Roc Marciano, and Big Tone. After issuing two EPs as part of the experimental group Racehorses Are Resources (one of which featured legendary poet/activist John Sinclair), Chris signed to Mello Music Group. He has gone on to release Eleven studio albums to-date, including collaborations with his wife Jean Grae, and American nu-Jazz artist Chris Keys. Standout albums include Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often (2017), Everything's Fine - with Jean Grae (2018), Innocent Country 2 - with Chris Keys (2020), and Deathfame (2022). Ironically, for such an accomplished artist, Quelle Chris struggles with self confidence about his art. As he explained in a 2017 interview, he still has to struggle to earn a living as an artist while battling with his confidence everyday. It’s a paradoxical situation he’s been grappling with for a while: being a working artist can encourage self-doubt, but making art is therapeutic. As the artist says himself “I need to make songs, but while making them I might think, no one is ever gonna listen to this, it’s stupid, why am I doing this?.” But despite the artist's own misgivings, his work is definitely worth a listen.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Quelle_Chris

Featured Albums: Quelle Chris

Related Artists: Jean Grae, Awesome in Outer Space