Chester Watson (rapper)

For other uses, see Chester Watson.

Chester Watson (born March 16, 1997) is an American rapper and record producer from St. Petersburg, Florida currently based out of Atlanta, Georgia.^[2] He is a member of the crew Nü Age Syndicate.^[3]

Chester Watson
Birth name	Montrell Elijah Haymon
Also known as	The Monotone Samurai
Born	(1997-03-16) March 16, 1997 (age 27) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Origin	St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S
Genres	Hip hop, lo-fi, psychedelic
Occupations	Rapper[1] record producer[1]
Years active	2012–present
Labels	P.O.W. Recordings
Website	chesterwatson.co

Early life

Watson was born to separated parents^[4] in St. Louis, Missouri.^[2] He rarely saw his father, who has been a producer for Three 6 Mafia and a keyboard player for Con Funk Shun and Bar-Kays.^[4] He grew up in Clearwater, Florida and spent several years in Georgia.^[5] He transferred from a performing arts school, where he studied ballet, to a regular public school in St. Petersburg, Florida.^[3]

Career

At the age of 15, Watson started releasing his music online.^[4] In 2012, he released a mixtape, Phantom.^[4] The music video for its title track caught the attention of Zane Lowe, who played the song on his BBC Radio 1 show.^[4] For weeks, the video received tens of thousands of views each day.^[4] Watson released Tin Wooki in 2014,^[6] Past Cloaks in 2016,^[7] and Project 0 in 2018.^[8]

On October 31, 2020, Watson released his debut studio album, A Japanese Horror Film.^[9]

Artistry

Watson's inspirations are made clear through his music, with references in his lyrics to many artists. In a recent livestream on his Twitch channel, Watson was asked who his biggest inspirations were. He replied with the following artists: Psymun, MF DOOM, Odd Future, Mos Def, Madlib, Nujabes, J Dilla, André 3000, Metro Boomin and Travis Scott.^[10]

Producing most of his own material, Watson blends genres together, including hip-hop, lo-fi, and psychedelia. In 2017, Watson released a video on his YouTube channel titled "A Moment With Chester Watson",^[11] in which he stated "I kinda just want my career to just take its course, and lean towards psychedelia, for sure... because... I don't know, like, that's what I'm influenced by the most." His signature monotone style of delivery is one of the components that sets Watson apart from his contemporaries, and ultimately has given him the nickname of the Monotone Samurai.^[12]

In his EP 1997, released on February 27, 2021, Watson made multiple references to the late MF DOOM's passing. He released a video for the first track on the EP, "Sunbeam", and in its description wrote "RIP MF DOOM".^[13]

Discography

Studio albums

• A Japanese Horror Film (2020)
• fish don't climb trees (2023)^[14]

Mixtapes

• Phantom (2012)
• Tin Wooki (2014)
• Past Cloaks (2016)
• Project 0 (2018)
• Instrumental Tape (2019)

EPs

• Space Nobility (2013)
• My Girlfriend Made Me Drop This (2014)
• Summer Mirage (2015)
• Autumn Mirage (2015)
• Spring Mirage (2016) (with Kent Loon)
• 3 of 3 (2016)
• Nebulous (2019)
• 1997 (2021)
• Winter Mirage (2024)

Singles

• "Koi Island" (2015)
• "Marble" (2017)
• "Smog" (2017)
• "Halloween" (2017)
• "Chessmaster" (2018)
• "Afro!" (2019)
• "Time Moves Slower Here" (2019)
• "Cloud Mask" (2019)^[15]

References

1. Marsh, Calum (April 10, 2014). "Chester Watson "Yetti"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
2. Cortez, Kevin (October 22, 2018). "Music and Cannabis With Hip-Hop Artist Chester Watson". Leafly. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
3. Leight, Elias (November 28, 2018). "Chester Watson Wants to Open Your Mind". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
4. Bell, Max (May 18, 2016). "Chester Watson's Fantastic Visions". Vice. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
5. Bell, Max (December 16, 2014). "Interview: Young Florida Rapper Chester Watson". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
6. Spencer, Jack (January 16, 2015). "Rap Prodigy Chester Watson Turned Down to Stir Up His Audience". City Pages. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
7. Confusion (February 5, 2016). "Listen to Florida Rapper Chester Watson's 'Past Cloaks' Album". Complex. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
8. Cubbison, Jeff (May 30, 2019). "Chester Watson - "Cloud Mask"". Impose. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
9. Raw, Son (October 30, 2020). "A Japanese Horror Film, Directed by Chester Watson". Passion of the Weiss. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020.
10. Vibe Stream II | Chester Watson Twitch Stream, February 19, 2021, retrieved April 1, 2021
11. A Moment With Chester Watson, September 11, 2017, retrieved March 27, 2021
12. Monotone Samurai, January 24, 2016, retrieved April 1, 2021
13. Chester Watson - Sunbeam [Official Music Video], February 26, 2021, retrieved April 1, 2021
14. "fish don't climb trees, by Chester Watson". Chester Watson. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
15. "Music | Chester Watson". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 28, 2020.

External links

• Chester Watson discography at Discogs