Entertainment expert Chae Hawk is leading local talent with business talks and progressive rap

By Jessica Brant

How do you rebound from true love? That is the question independent entertainment expert, and progressive rap artist and founder of Team Radio Records, Chae Hawk, asked me during a phone discussion about “REASSURANCE,” the first piece of new music he has released since 2014. 

For the better half of the last decade, Chae has been living life on his own terms. Those who know Chae Hawk the artist, the man, the father, know he never stopped caring about Buffalo, about his people. “REASSURANCE” is what he calls “my personal love manifesto for the one I want to be with one day.” In writing the single, Chae said: 

“I was motivated [to write “REASSURANCE”] by my son’s mom at the time…I was just ready to commit to something, something that could be…that’s why I would call it a manifesto, a personal resolution to what I am and what I want.” 

The music entrepreneur is known for being vocal about social injustices, especially within the entertainment industry and in his own hometown. He has made teaming up with some of the most progressive out of Buffalo a priority during his career. Chae has created cinematic visuals with EDM producer Grabbitz, melodic flows with Keith Buckley of the metalcore band Everytime I Die, and food for thought with powerhouse rap activist Quadir Lateef. 

Finding his professional footing in the entertainment industry after a much-needed break to regroup and strategize has been a long and toiling road for Chae Hawk, and that could be said for any musician who takes a hiatus of any length. One year feels like three. Three years feels like five. The release of “REASSURANCE” is even more appropriate because it also doubles as a metaphor for his career progression and the dance artists do when recovering from a creative breakup, which, according to Chae:

“It’s not going to be that real thing you spent time with…the only thing you can do is go back to an ‘old girlfriend’…so I went back to people I knew, and found something just to heal myself,” he said.

Chae Hawk has regained his strength, and he’s quietly lifting the scene, with the objective of restoring all that was lost. He’s been featured in several local publications, including in a recent University at Buffalo article about his entrepreneurial interests. “Progressive rap cinema” is a style that is quintessentially his own, and he’s using his platform to abolish the hate inside one of the most segregated cities in America. He’s also keeping busy by sponsoring talent of underserved youth in Niagara Falls and teaching career-minded students the value in studying the business behind the industry: 

“Music is about being courageous enough to express yourself in a serious way,” he said. 

Coronavirus has many artists in a funk as of late, but let’s regroup together with a little of Chae’s “REASSURANCE”: