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 Biography
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Mixing old school sensibilities with new school innovation, Christopher Michael Jensen is an artist who is not afraid to push the confines of art and creativity. With a knack for making unique music, Jensen is a true emcee in the booming Twin Cites hip hop scene, combining poetic introspection and commentary with lyrical dexterity and braggadocious rhymes.

 
Born in 1986, Chris was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, coming up with a disposition for being different. He was inspired by the multitude of things growing up that bombarded his brain. Through the science fiction, video games, comic books, and other interests of his youth, Chris existed in his own world, letting his imagination run wild.

 
As a little kid, Chris listened to rock and alternative radio and whatever compilations and soundtracks he had in his collection. By 4th Grade, he began listening to electronic music. It was at 13 years of age, however, that Chris delved heavily into hip hop.
"This was the year 2000, and it was the same time Napster and MP3's were exploding everywhere, so I was introduced to various songs from different people that my older brother was getting," Chris says. "I soon began acquiring numerous albums from a lot of hip hop artists, and I would go and seek out more and more from the past as I was learning about this culture. My brother and I were the only people that had the kind of depth and range of tastes that I knew, spanning back from the old school to the present, from the most mainstream and popular to the most underground and obscure. A lot of money was spent buying, and a lot of time was spent downloading. As this was all happening, I started trying my hand at writing raps myself."

 
Chris spent many years honing his skills as a rapper, creating his own homemade albums, and performing at school functions and talent shows. By the age of 21, he was seriously involved in the craft of hip hop.

In 2009, Christopher Michael Jensen released a lo-fi project called Lyrical Combustion: The Mixtape to the Internet as a free download. In 2010, Chris released his official debut album online and in select stores, entitled There's Meaning Underground.

Featuring fifteen tracks of diverse production, There's Meaning Underground is an honest exploration of Chris's past, present, and future. From depression to politics, human nature to the state of hip hop, the album is an existential look at the different facets of our 21st Century world in these post-modern times, seen through the eyes of one of the brightest and most exciting young artists in independent hip hop today.

In 2011, Chris released The Chris Tape, Volume One. Featuring twenty songs with all original production from another group of diverse producers, as well as collaborations with several other talented Minnesota artists and emcees, the mixtape is the first installment in a new planned series of free releases.

Press Coverage/
Appearances
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-  Guest appearance on Stinko & DJ Adatrak's song "Whatever That Was" on their Modern Symbiosis mixtape

- Guest appearance on Nickle Nelly & Ambrose's song "Doomsday" on their Empty Handed album

- April 9, 2012 concert preview featured on MplsMusic.com

- Interviewed by Minnesota Swag

- "Anarchy In The U.S." from The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on The Legion Volume 1 compilation

- The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on Indie Raps' list of favorite free hip hop releases of 2011

-  "Memoirs" (featuring Erok Foret) from The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on the Rapfam Vol. 4 compilation

-  Guest appearance on Megan Hamilton's song "Telescope" on Megan's The Skillogy album

-  November 17, 2011 concert preview (with Rapfam Freestyle Cypher) featured in The Minnesota Daily

- Exclusive November 8, 2011 concert pictures featured on the Minneapolis Fucking Rocks blog

- November 8, 2011 concert preview / Rapfam Vol. 1-3 (featuring songs from Christopher Michael Jensen) featured on the Minneapolis Fucking Rocks blog

-  Megan Hamilton's song "Telescope" (featuring Christopher Michael Jensen) featured on the Be Scene MPLS blog

- Exclusive song "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" featured on the Rapfam Vol. 3 compilation

- Guest appearances on Panash's songs "Hip-Hop" and "Hip Hop Back" on Panash's The Brave & The Bold Volume 1 mixtape

- "The Serum" from The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on the Rapfam Vol. 2 compilation

- "I Just Wanna Go To The Show" from The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on the Rapfam Vol. 1 compilation

- "Anarchy In The U.S." from The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on the Gimme Noise Mixtape Roundup, Vol. 3 compilation

- The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on City Pages' Gimme Noise blog

- The Chris Tape, Volume One featured in RapReviews.com's weekly "Free Music Friday" column

- Commercial for The Chris Tape, Volume One featured on Chase Radio Twin Cities' website

- There's Meaning Underground reviewed on Music Emissions

- There's Meaning Underground reviewed on ScreamFreely

-  Exclusive November 26, 2010 concert footage featured on 1st Amendment Productions' website

- "Alone" from There's Meaning Underground featured on Andre Lipsey's Armored Hearts compilation

- Guest appearance on Andre Lipsey's song "When It Snows" on Andre's Armored Hearts compilation

- There's Meaning Underground reviewed on RapReviews.com

- There's Meaning Underground reviewed on InsomniacMagazine.com

- Interview and in-studio performance on Apartment 219 Radio podcast (Episode 6 - June 7, 2010)

- "Come Of Age" from Lyrical Combustion: The Mixtape played on Apartment 219 Radio podcast (Episode 4 - May 29, 2010)


 "He keeps the sound and feel of the album as close to the essence of real Hip Hop as possible. The album is far from pretentious; instead, it provides solid doses of authentic poetic lyricism, positivity, and choice production that lead to an overall enjoyable Hip Hop experience.
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Crammed with fifteen quality tracks, 'There's Meaning Underground' offers truth in advertising - Jensen's lyrics consist of authentic meaning and not fluff.
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'There's Meaning Underground'...show[s] that this genre can be more than what it's been pigeonholed to be during the last decade. It can have meaning,purpose and feeling. This is something that is found throughout this release, from discussions of relationships to positive vibes to pain, this album is sincere, something that you'll be hard pressed to find in much of what's labeled Hip Hop today."

- InsomniacMagazine.com review of There's Meaning Underground
(Read full review here)

"Rappers always boast an alter ego or famed alias as they claim yet another 'MC' this or that or other popularized nickname. However, Minnesota's Christopher Michael Jensen is plain and simply just...him.
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...Jensen's lyricism is unmatched as his message is clear and relevant. It's quite apparent that he lives for hip hop and the art and this is the true meaning underground."

- RapReviews.com review of There's Meaning Underground
(Read full review here)

"...There's Meaning Underground displays an average/modest disposition bolstered by a realistic confidence, humble awareness and the determination typical of a hiphop head. Though CMJ takes this confidence in a direction not often seen.
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A fair-share of spitfire, CMJ writes with purpose and passion enough for one to wonder when the next release will come through. The fifteen tracks explore what hip-hop has meant to another Minneapolis southsider, 'born and raised', while reminding one of what the underground means - just another playground for our imaginations."

- ScreamFreely.org review of There's Meaning Underground
(Read full review here)

"This is what I would consider 'True-School' hip-hop in the vein of old school acts such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Pharcyde and the likes. The production work (various) is definitely where the album shines the most. The mix is nearly flawless--a rarity I find amongst underground rap albums. Every sound, including voice, sits perfectly in its appropriate part of the sonic spectrum.
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...Chris is not short on talent. He's got the flow (just listen to him on 'When It's All Said And Done'), the thought provoking--often introspective--lyrics, and obvious passion.
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All in all, There's Meaning Underground is...a consistent listen throughout, and it manages to surprise every once in a while as well. I found 'Season's Greetings' to be one of those beautiful surprises. If Chris is the one singing on that song, then shame on him for not doing it more often. The boy can hold a note. There's not much pretense with Christopher Michael Jensen (consider his artist name). But it's his 'true-to-self' style that makes him an artist worth checking out."

- Music Emissions review of There's Meaning Underground
(Read full review here)

 
Discography/
Free Downloads
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The Chris Tape, Volume One
Free Download
Released on July 12, 2011 to the Internet, The Chris Tape, Volume One is the first in a new series of free releases, featuring 20 tracks withall original production. Producers include Ecid, ShawnWayne, Thawed Out, Domingo, Christopher Michael Jensen, Andre Lipsey, J Merce, Psycho Capone, The Big J, .dB, and C.K. Guest appearances include Erok Foret, Ambrose of Option Two, Duenday, Bobby Phisher, Panash, .dB, Mary Ngunu, Andre Lipsey, RawGee, T.O.N.E., Nickle Nelly, MC Harv, and Model Citizen, with cuts and scratches provided by Nimo The Hooligan.

WATCH A PROMO COMMERCIAL FOR THE CHRIS TAPE, VOLUME ONE BY CLICKING HERE
 

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There's Meaning Underground
Download from iTunes
Download from Napster
Download from Amazon
Download from DigStation
Download from Moozone
Download from Emusic
Order/Download from CD Baby
Order from CD Universe
Order through PayPal
Order from The Fifth Element
**Also available in select stores, including Cheapo, The Electric Fetus, and The Fifth Element**
Released on May 13, 2010, There's Meaning Underground is the first real album of Chris's musical career, featuring 15 tracks of original production from .dB, ShawnWayne, Andre Lipsey, C.K., Ander, KOB, and Christopher Michael Jensen. Guest appearances include Andre Lipsey, N Squared, T.O.N.E., Nobuddie, and Model Citizen.

WATCH A PROMO COMMERCIAL FOR THERE'S MEANING UNDERGROUND BY CLICKING HERE

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Music's A Revolution (Single)
Free Download
Released on April 6, 2010, "Music's A Revolution" is the first single off of There's Meaning Underground. Produced by KOB.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR "MUSIC'S A REVOLUTION" BY CLICKING HERE

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Minnesota (Single)
Free Download
Released on July 6, 2010, "Minnesota" is the second single off of There's Meaning Underground. Featuring N Squared & T.O.N.E. Produced by Ander.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR "MINNESOTA" BY CLICKING HERE

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The Girl With No Face (Single)
Free Download
Released on October 5, 2010, "The Girl With No Face" is the third single off of There's Meaning Underground. Produced by ShawnWayne.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR "THE GIRL WITH NO FACE" BY CLICKING HERE

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Darkness Turns To Dawn (Single)
Free Download
Released on December 7, 2010, "Darkness Turns To Dawn" is the fourth single off of There's Meaning Underground. Produced by C.K.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR "DARKNESS TURNS TO DAWN" BY CLICKING HERE

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Lyrical Combustion: The Mixtape
Free Download
Released on March 31, 2009 to the Internet, Lyrical Combustion: The Mixtape is a collection of lo-fi recordings over a range of classic beats and personal favorites from hip hop's mainstream and underground, displaying Chris's raw talent and lyricism throughout as he spits rhymes about a variety of topics and subject matter.

To stream songs from Christopher Michael Jensen, visit his Bandcamp page.

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For more up to date information on Chris and his music, visit his social networking pages.

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Check out Chris's YouTube channel for exclusive videos and live performance clips.

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For booking and general inquiries,
contact Christopher Michael Jensen at:
Christophersmind@msn.com

© Copyright 2008-2012, ChristopherMichaelJensen.com