Jamel Rogers | Staff Writer
Christian Ho started charting a path to success before he got to Hampton University.
Ho, aka “DatKidChris,” first made the beat to Middle Child at age 17 during his junior year in high school. He produced the song by PnB Rock and XXXTentacion.
After Middle Child’s release, it ranked No. 91 on Billboard’s Top 100 and No. 37 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop Hot 100 for the week of May 18, 2019. The song peaked in the top 10 in all of Apple Music. The music video has 62 million streams on YouTube.
Ho, now 21 and a third-year computer science major from Woolwich Township, New Jersey, was honored to work with PnB Rock.
“PnB Rock is a monumental figure in the music industry in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area,” Ho said. “I was a big fan of his work before working with him and am honored to have been a part of his project, TrapStar Turnt PopStar, which was released in May of 2019.”
That was less than a year after XXXTentacion was shot dead at age 20, according to The New York Times.
Ho believes XXXTentacion would have been one of the greatest artists of this generation.
The beats go on
Ho has worked really hard to get to this point and estimated that he has made around “3,000 beats since starting [his] musical journey in 2016.”
He also has unreleased tracks with recording artist Playboi Carti, titled Let’s Get It and Rollie. Ho hopes those songs will make Carti’s rumored deluxe version of his critically acclaimed 2020 album, Whole Lotta Red, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 100 in December 2020.
Ho also has a recently released project with an upcoming Philadelphia artist named Lil Bape, Neighborhood Popstar, which is available on all streaming services.
Hampton influences
Ho’s mother is a proud Hampton alumna who is one of many who influenced his decision to attend Hampton University.
His interest in technology motivated his interest in the computer science department. He has aspirations to make his own software application that will tie both music and technology together for creators like himself. Ho wishes there were more outlets for aspiring producers/creatives like himself at the university, including more label opportunities and listening events for artists to get their names out there.
His Hampton University inspiration is DJ Envy, a prominent Hampton alumnus and host of the nationally syndicated radio station 105.1 The Breakfast Club. His other inspirations include Pi’erre Bourne, Metro Boomin and Pharrell Williams.
What separates him
Many people have asked him to collaborate and wonder why he does not work with many artists, and it is because he is very critical of his art and has to believe in an artist’s vision to work with them. He states that many people just release art, hoping that it works instead of focusing on putting the best product out there and being unique, which he believes separates him from many other creatives.
You can follow Christian Ho’s musical journey by following his social media platforms, @DatKidChrisOnDaTrack, and he encourages other fellow Hampton creatives to contact him to collaborate or for tips on how to start making music.
The Hampton Script 