Just after 9 PM, the DJ begins to play the first introduction track of Chinx’s debut body of work, titled “Experimental.” With his signature autotune sound, the song and its title are a theme for the album, being that it contains many different sounds. Jumping right into the main tracks, “Far Rock” is played next, and it definitely rings a cryptic vibe in people’s ears.

Not only is Chinx dedicating the song to his home city, but the crowd begins to hear the voice of one they never expected, but is all too familiar. The voice is of the late Stack Bundles, who has a feature on the track, despite having also been senselessly murdered 8 years prior. Both having been extremely close music friends with French Montana, the set up is quite the shocker to new ears, but a comfort of mourning to older ones. After the track plays through, it is announced that Chinx did not, in fact, hear the “Far Rock” version with Stack on it.

Emotions are high, but the night is not over just yet, and the love for Chinx is just starting to make a deeper impact on the crowd. The DJ rolls through more of the album, including songs titled “Thug Love,” “Go Get It,” “How To Get Rich,” and the tough-to-hear title, “The Other Side.”

The toughest moment of the evening came as the DJ skipped over to the last track on Welcome To JFK to close everything out. While it notably features French Montana and Fabolous, the too-real aspect comes when the audience finds out that it’s called “Die Young.” With some loved ones getting misty-eyed, the final song is the perfect way to close out the album, and the listening session, leaving a mark that hip-hop fans won’t be able to shake. One thing is for sure – Chinx may be gone from us physically, but his spirit has a lot more living to do. – Lindsey India

Rest In Peace, Chinx.