Chemo Kid Calls it from Experience

By Danny Bernardini

Some artists struggle to come up with an emcee name before settling on a play on words or something creative.

For Giovanni Goodman, the moniker “The Chemo Kid” came easy. The name was an obvious choice for this hip hop artist after he endured three rounds of chemotherapy to combat non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The 24-year-old Vacaville resident has channeled his physical and emotional pain into lyrics and verses that he said he wants others to hear, so they can realize that having a potentially deadly disease doesn’t mean you have to give up.

He said it was three days before his 21st birthday when he went to the doctor with what seemed like mosquito bites on his body. Soon, doctors would tell him of his illness.

“When I walked out those doors, reality hit me, then I took a step back. You might as well enjoy yourself while you can,” Goodman said. “That was the first and last time I cried. I just sucked it up and did everything they told me to do.”

In fact, three days later he was in Las Vegas celebrating his birthday. That’s how Goodman has overcome the chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. He’s gone on living his life like nothing can stop him. Included in that journey has been releasing a mix-tape with songs ranging from his battle with the disease to losing his mother to oral cancer some years back. He also recently played his first show in Vacaville, which he said was something special.

“You could hear the applause from down the street,” he said. “When I got on stage, all the energy hit me. To see my family and friends was amazing. Everyone has been talking about it. Everyone was surprised. They have never seen me perform.”

During shows, Goodman said the emotional content sometimes grabs a hold of him and puts him in a zone.

“When I do a show, it’s very personal. A lot of times I take a time out. I just sit on the ground,” he said. “I’m just talking to myself, not the crowd.”

Goodman’s tone is a bit soft, reminiscent of Q-Tip, and his delivery bears some resemblance to Jay-Z. Although he would never compare himself to the legend, Goodman said he does hear the comparison from others.

“I hate listening to myself, and when I get feedback, it’s usually Jay Z,” he said. “It’s not bad; to me, he’s the greatest of all time.”

One difference, he said, is that his rhymes are always written before he goes in to record. Freestyling for him is not an option.

“I can not freestyle to save my life. I’ll write it, run it through and make sure everything fits cleanly,” he said. “I don’t even get close to freestyle circles. I would make a fool out of myself.”

Ironically though, rapping off the cuff is how he got started. One night after throwing down a few brews at Sudwerks in Davis, he and a friend started rattling off what he called a joke song.

“By the end of the night, everyone around us was singing along with it. They went along with it, we recorded it and everyone loved it,” he said.

With the combination of a unique style and some serious topics, The Chemo Kid has seen his following grow on MySpace and now boasts more than 70,000 plays. Like many artists, he aspires to take his music to another level and blow up and make millions. However, he has some motivation for that.

“My main goal is take care of family,” he said. “I don’t want that crib status. Hopefully I can get to a point where I can get big enough to get millions and give back to people and get them health insurance.”