Jared "Choc" Crawford

(Bebop, Hip Hop, Spoken Word Jam on Wednesday, June 25th @ 7pm)

Who is ChocLatt, PT1. Check out this YouTube clip (click here)

Who is ChocLatt, PT2? Check out another clip (click here)

Who is ChocLatt, PT 3 (click here)

Jared Crawford, aka "Choclatt", is a musician, producer, singer, and songwriter who began performing at the formative age of three. He first gained recognition as one of the original, world-renowned Bucket Drummers, performing in the subway stations and on the sidewalks of the New York City streets. When Choclatt gained the attention of Savion Glover, his entree to professional performing began. Signing on to perform in the Tony Award winning musical Bring in "Da Noise", Bring in "Da Funk", Choclatt created and choreographed all of the on-stage percussion segments.

Following on the hot heels of "Noise, Funk", Choclatt created and starred in the critically acclaimed musical, "Keep Bangin". It was during this time that his singing talents came to prominence as a principal, with many notably hailing him as the "new school" Al Green. Choclatt's unique vocal style blends elements of soul, R&B and Hip-Hop, with lyrics that are clearly heartfelt and real. Choclatt's talents were further recognized by Grammy Award winning artist, Lauryn Hill. She invited Choclatt to record on her successfully acclaimed album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" where Choclatt can be heard on her hit song "To Zion", which also features Carlos Santana. To proliferate the success of her album, Lauryn Hill toured the United States, Europe and Japan procuring Choclatt as her drummer and background singer. Lauding Choclatt's musical talents, Miss Hill created an opportunity to showcase Choclatt by providing him with a featured solo performance set during the run of her world tour. Choclatt has also worked with greats such as Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys. He is featured performing in Alicia Keys hit video, "Karma". Choclatt has also worked with music artists such as Usher, Kelis, the late tap dancing great - Gregory Hines, and Amerie, where Choclatt landed a featured part in Amerie's hit video, "1 Thing" from the comedic hit movie "Hitched", starring Will Smith.

Choclatt's credits also include a featured performance at the Perc Pan Percussion Festival in Bahia, the International Music Festival held in Bell Horizante, Brazil, and the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. His movie credits include "Sliver" starring Sharon Stone and a featured role in "Conspiracy Theory" starring Mel Gibson. His TV credits include "The Tonight Show", "David Letterman", "Saturday Night Live", "The Rosie O'Donnell Show", "Live with Regis Philbin" and the ABC "Millennium 2000 Special", to list just a few. Choclatt has also performed at the Grammy Awards, The Tony Awards, MTV Music Awards, Billboard Awards, etc. He has appeared in TV commercials for Cingular Wireless - "Don't Throw Away Your Minutes", Burger King and Panasonic.

His Magazine credits include GQ, The Source, Essence, Sassy, TIME OUT, The New York Times, N.Y. Post, and many other well-known news sources throughout the Country.  Choclatt's latest effort was the launch of his solo career, fronting his band as percussionist and lead vocalist. He has released his first CD entitled, "Street Performin", a self-written and self-produced project on the Major Independent label.