Chino performed for the very first time as a nine-year-old member of Kingston's Vaz Preparatory School choir. During his high school years at Wolmer's Boys' School, he broadened his musical pursuits and became a selector with the Omega Disco sound system, which he formed with his brother and a few friends. Omega would often play at weekend parties, an activity Chino credits as teaching him "how to connect with a crowd by playing the music that they wanted to hear".

A good student who did extremely well in his English and composition classes, Chino decided to direct his writing skills towards fashioning lyrics for songs. At age 15, when he was known as the rapper Cappuccino, he came up with his first hit Leggo Di Bwoy, a duet with KipRich.

Slip-N-Slide Records

Chino continued to hone his rapping talents and following his high school graduation, he relocated to South Florida where he signed with Slip-N-Slide Records, at that time the home of Rick Ross, Trick Daddy and Trina. He did some recordings for the label but it wasn't a long lasting relationship. "My thing is more lyrical and they were into a more dirty South kind of thing," Chino explained. "So I drifted from that situation and started spending more time in Jamaica."

Upon his return home, Chino's vocal approach shifted from rapping to a dancehall singjay style. Chino continued his red-hot hit making streak. He released Protected, featuring Stephen on vocals, a deftly rhymed dismissal of the 'fakers and enemies' who maliciously attribute the young McGregors' success to their last name, and the hardcore ladies favourite Ruff It Up, which samples Buju Banton's 1993 boom shot Make My Day. Both are included on 'Chino', as is another tribute to early '90s dancehall, the steamy duet Driving Me Insane, featuring Denyque.

Just as Chino pays homage to the dancehall icons that have been influential to his development, years from now, a subsequent generation of Jamaican stars will likewise cite Chino's work as essential to their professional growth. Foremost among the songs they'll reference is God Nah Sleep (Rise and Fall Story), a brilliantly told, chillingly detailed story about the perils of excess and the karmic repercussions in the lives of an entertainer and a drug kingpin. The haunting narrative is built around a looped guitar sample over which Stephen played the drums then delicately embellished with an array of sound effects.

As the song winds down, its dramatic storyline is reinforced by Chino's stark a cappella delivery: 'Warn dem already, one and all, careful, careful of the rise and fall/ smoke clear make sure yuh stand tall, can't run before you can crawl.'

"Stephen was browsing through some songs and I heard the guitar piece and I said, 'Yow, go back to that!'" Chino related. "We kept playing it over and over again and instantly I heard a story being told over it. That song was one of the quickest for me to write yet the story came together so perfectly; it is one of those songs that I am really proud of."

Chino concludes with two inspirational songs - the soulful Before Dem Gone, which urges expressions of love and appreciation towards family and friends while they are still alive, and Work, described by Chino as Beatles-like in its melody, instrumentation, and harmonies; its lyrics champion determination and continued effort for achieving what you want "because nothing inna life nah come easy".

The uplifting sentiments characterising Chino's music have already earned him numerous awards, including Best Male Singjay of the Year at Jamaica's Excellence in Music and Entertainment Awards (EME) in 2010 and Entertainer of the Year from New York-based Linkage Radio Awards in 2011.

Because of his positive image, Chino was chosen as a spokesman for Coke Zero and for Nestle's Supligen energy drink and he is currently considering additional endorsement offers. "All of this is a result of the music I make, songs that everyone can relate to from the hardcore fans to the elders to the corporate world," he affirms. "With this album, we want to change the perception that dancehall music is limited; we want to show people that yes, we can do this on the best level possible."