Inspired by the greats like Bob Marley, some of Iamchampelli’s earliest memories in his life revolve around music. He recalls days in a childhood spent exploring his mom and brothers’ record collections and growing up in the ’80s really shaped his taste for music in the age of the mixtape and radio shows.
Never classically trained in any particular instrument, he was always inquisitive and curious when it came to the craft. Whenever there was a spare guitar or piano nearby, he couldn’t help himself from trying his own hand at it and making his own rhythms.
It wasn’t until the mid-90’s that he really got his start making beats on the ASR and turntables, after a close friend, Aris Voulkos, unfortunately, passed away and inspired him to take their part-time hobby into a full-time endeavor. His first piece was a Bay Area compilation with a partner of his around ‘95. Compilations were a big deal during that era, where you would gather a bunch of artists together and pair them on different tracks with different features.
Soon after, he formed his record label, Champelli Entertainment, which went on to be mentioned by some of the biggest artists of that time. From this project, he was inspired to further his involvement in the music industry and work to support artists all along the West Coast. He notes that the Bay Area was always home to independent music and artists, stating:
“Unlike LA with all the big record labels, the Bay Area remained mostly independent.”
Supporting major artists like San Quinn, 3Xkrazy, and Mac Mall, among others, on their come-ups, Iamchampelli was able to use his business acumen and knowledge of the industry to make plays that were beneficial to their careers. Not only was he able to share his wisdom with them, but working with powerful artists also inspired his own work:
“Being in the studio and adjacent to all these artists and producers, I had a vision of my own and always was wanting to express myself musically whether it was producing or rapping, so I started to make more beats.”
More recently, his label has been involved in the music production for heavy hitters like Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and Gucci Mane, plus many others who are equally as influential in the field. After putting so much focus in his past on his label and other artists, Iamchampelli is now more focused than ever on his own projects and craft. Plus, he is looking forward to releasing 150 unreleased tracks from the original Champelli record label vaults as NFTs and special releases.
To hear more from Iamchampelli and stay up-to-date on his latest projects, you can check him out at the following links:
https://www.instagram.com/champelli/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FfpseUpXqhwg9cAlYEkiZ?si=_CLJXWy4Tg2KQHTGfhzn2w
https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/161829812https://music.amazon.com/artists/B09TFH2L3S/iamchampelli?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_igen6L3iZPbPa7yu8Dtf1rCbfhttps://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lk2xP81kXOX90SfR3hOUVA0qaTbtClsrA&feature=share