Only Won
Encyclopedia
Only Won is a hip hop
artist who has been writing, performing, rapping
, beatboxing
and singing
as well as acting
and performing stunt
work. Only Won started rapping seriously in 1991 after being influenced by hip hop pioneers Run DMC, Will Smith
, dcTalk, and T-Bone
. Because he started rapping in both English and Cantonese, some consider him to be the first Chinese American
bilingual rapper. "This Chinese American rapper has a refreshing and unique sound with a message born out of experience, having been in the game since '91." At one point, he was labeled the "Christian" version of "Jin the MC
" until Jin became a Christian as well.
Among these things, Only Won is also a professionally licensed mechanical engineer
with a PE
License deeming him the "Lyrical Engineer". The title track of his LP (The Lyrical Engineer), provides an exposition
of the life and livelihood of a professional engineer. It demonstrates Only Won's technological acumen as well as his lyrical wit and dexterity.
Only Won is also a favored guest speaker at conventions, schools, and youth events challenging and encouraging the next generation to pursue their dreams and passions while maintaining an education and focus on God.
Signed in 2009 under Los Angeles record label, LOG Records. Only Won has appeared on JCTV
and has been featured on collaboration albums. Only Won's newest release, "The Lyrical Engineer" is produced by Grammy nominated group Dynamic Twins
, Billboard winner Maximillian and Larissa Lam
. The music video was directed and edited by Emmy Award winning director, Marlon Jones. Only Won and Larissa Lam launched a viral music video title "Cantonese Boy" which was a parody of the Grammy winning song American Boy
by Kanye West and Estelle. After being seen performing "Cantonese Boy" in Chinatown, Only Won was asked to perform at the 2010 Green Globe Film Awards as they honored Asians in film and entertainment.
Only Won (as Baldwin Chiu) is also an actor
and member of SAG
and appears in many feature films such as The Matrix Reloaded
and The Matrix Revolutions
, xXx2: State of the Union
, Twisted, and Pursuit of Happyness.
He is also an advanced level martial artists having trained under the lineage of Kanbun Uechi
and Wong Doc-Fai
. He is a 3 time UC Berkeley Wushu Champion in tai chi, weapons, and push hands and teaches Tai Chi in Hollywood. He has used some of his skills in choreographing fight scenes in movies and doing stunt work for Ang Lee
in the movie Hulk
.
On April 29, 2010 California State University, Sacramento
, honored high-achieving alumni at an annual award ceremony called the "Distinguished Service Awards". This is the highest recognized award for CSU Sacramento. Baldwin was recognized for his contributions in engineering, his performances as Only Won: The Lyrical Engineer and other entertainment industry endeavors as well as his work with youth. He received this award along side KXTV ABC News anchor Cristina Mendonsa
.
In 2011, Only Won released a "Geeked out" remix video of the hit song Billionaire (song)
titled, "I Wanna Be An Engineer" which was a parody that reached viral status and caught the attention of CNN
, Discovery Channel
, The Pentagon
, and FIRST Robotics Competition
. This song became the anthem to those in the engineering, technology, and science community. It also reached No. 2 on Reddit.com on the viral hits list gaining over 400,000 views in less than 2 weeks.
.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist who has been writing, performing, rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
and singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
as well as acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
and performing stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
work. Only Won started rapping seriously in 1991 after being influenced by hip hop pioneers Run DMC, Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, dcTalk, and T-Bone
T-Bone (rapper)
T-Bone is a Christian rapper. His father is Nicaraguan and his mother is Salvadoran. His name came from being called 'Bones' as a youngster because he was very skinny...
. Because he started rapping in both English and Cantonese, some consider him to be the first Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
bilingual rapper. "This Chinese American rapper has a refreshing and unique sound with a message born out of experience, having been in the game since '91." At one point, he was labeled the "Christian" version of "Jin the MC
Jin (rapper)
Jin Au-Yeung , who performs under the stage name MC Jin, is a Hong Kong hip hop rapper, songwriter, and actor. Growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, he decided to reside permanently in his motherland, Hong Kong...
" until Jin became a Christian as well.
Among these things, Only Won is also a professionally licensed mechanical engineer
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
with a PE
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
License deeming him the "Lyrical Engineer". The title track of his LP (The Lyrical Engineer), provides an exposition
Exposition (literary technique)
At the beginning of a narrative, the exposition is the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. Exposition is considered one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration...
of the life and livelihood of a professional engineer. It demonstrates Only Won's technological acumen as well as his lyrical wit and dexterity.
Only Won is also a favored guest speaker at conventions, schools, and youth events challenging and encouraging the next generation to pursue their dreams and passions while maintaining an education and focus on God.
Signed in 2009 under Los Angeles record label, LOG Records. Only Won has appeared on JCTV
JCTV
JCTV is a young adult television network devoted to music videos, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. It is similar to MTV, but with a Christian focus....
and has been featured on collaboration albums. Only Won's newest release, "The Lyrical Engineer" is produced by Grammy nominated group Dynamic Twins
Dynamic Twins
The Dynamic Twins were a Bronx-born Christian rap group composed of identical twins Noel and Robbie Arthurton.- Origins :The twins moved to California circa 1989. The group's members began to make guest appearances on albums by other Christian rap artists, including J.C...
, Billboard winner Maximillian and Larissa Lam
Larissa Lam
Larissa Lam , is one of the hosts of talk show, Top 3, which airs weekly on JCTV. She also appears on the JCTV reality show, Cruise with a Cause....
. The music video was directed and edited by Emmy Award winning director, Marlon Jones. Only Won and Larissa Lam launched a viral music video title "Cantonese Boy" which was a parody of the Grammy winning song American Boy
American Boy
"American Boy" is the second single from the album Shine by British R&B singer Estelle and features American rapper Kanye West. The song is her first international single...
by Kanye West and Estelle. After being seen performing "Cantonese Boy" in Chinatown, Only Won was asked to perform at the 2010 Green Globe Film Awards as they honored Asians in film and entertainment.
Only Won (as Baldwin Chiu) is also an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and member of SAG
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
and appears in many feature films such as The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
and The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
, xXx2: State of the Union
XXX: State of the Union
xXx: State of the Union, mainly released as xXx²: The Next Level outside the United States and Canada, is a 2005 action-adventure film directed by Lee Tamahori. It is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx...
, Twisted, and Pursuit of Happyness.
He is also an advanced level martial artists having trained under the lineage of Kanbun Uechi
Kanbun Uechi
was the founder of Uechi-ryū, one of the primary karate styles of Okinawa.- Early life :Kanbun grew up in the mountain farming village of Izumi on the Motobu peninsula of Okinawa. Uechi's family were farmers of daikon radishes....
and Wong Doc-Fai
Wong Doc-Fai
Wong Doc-Fai is recognized internationally as a master of Choy Li Fut kung fu and T'ai chi ch'uan . He was born in 1948 in the Guangdong province of China; the Wangshan village of Wushan - Doumen district of Zhuhai City. In April 1960, he immigrated to San Francisco, California with his mother...
. He is a 3 time UC Berkeley Wushu Champion in tai chi, weapons, and push hands and teaches Tai Chi in Hollywood. He has used some of his skills in choreographing fight scenes in movies and doing stunt work for Ang Lee
Ang Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
in the movie Hulk
Hulk (film)
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...
.
On April 29, 2010 California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
, honored high-achieving alumni at an annual award ceremony called the "Distinguished Service Awards". This is the highest recognized award for CSU Sacramento. Baldwin was recognized for his contributions in engineering, his performances as Only Won: The Lyrical Engineer and other entertainment industry endeavors as well as his work with youth. He received this award along side KXTV ABC News anchor Cristina Mendonsa
Cristina Mendonsa
Cristina Mendonsa is a local television news anchor for KXTV. She joined the station in December 1995....
.
Only Won releases
| Cat No. | Artist | Title | Date | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Only Won | First Impressions | 1997 | EP |
| 2 | Channel 3 | Channel 3 Anchormen | 2001 | Single |
| 3 | Minister RMB | When the Storm Comes | 2006 | LP |
| 4 | Only Won | Glory EP | 2006 | EP |
| 5 | Hip Hop International | H2i Mix Tape | 2009 | LP |
| 6 | Only Won | The Lyrical Engineer | 2010 | LP |
Other Work
Tai Chiu Music was set up in 2008. After moving its location from Sacramento, CA, TCM joined forces with LOG Records and producer Larissa Lam in Los Angeles.In 2011, Only Won released a "Geeked out" remix video of the hit song Billionaire (song)
Billionaire (song)
"Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine...
titled, "I Wanna Be An Engineer" which was a parody that reached viral status and caught the attention of CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, and FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
. This song became the anthem to those in the engineering, technology, and science community. It also reached No. 2 on Reddit.com on the viral hits list gaining over 400,000 views in less than 2 weeks.
Reissues on other labels
LOG Records issued the 2010 release of Only Won-The Lyrical Engineer tracks for download, through major outlets (Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby, Nimbitmusic, etc.). Also featured with Holland music collaborating with One TruthOne Truth
One Truth is a hip hop artist, who has been writing poetry, performing spoken word, and entertaining audiences with rapping and singing as well as acting and comedic roles. One Truth was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He was raised by a single mother who had been a civil rights...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | True Crime: Hong Kong True Crime: Hong Kong True Crime: Hong Kong is a video game in development by United Front Games and is to be published by Square Enix. It was going to be the third installment and a reboot of the True Crime series, and would not be developed by Luxoflux, largely due to the studio being closed in February 2010.The game... |
Musical Artist | Video Game - Activision |
| 2011 | I Wanna Be An Engineer Music Video | Principle Musical Artist | WEB |
| 2010 | JCTV JCTV JCTV is a young adult television network devoted to music videos, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. It is similar to MTV, but with a Christian focus.... Christmas Special |
Featured Rap Artist | TV |
| 2010 | Lyrical Engineer Music Video | Principle Musical Artist | TV |
| 2009 | JCTV JCTV JCTV is a young adult television network devoted to music videos, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. It is similar to MTV, but with a Christian focus.... Top 3 |
Musical Guest | TV |
| 2008 | Cantonese Boy Music Video | Principle Musical Artist | WEB |
| 2008 | JCTV JCTV JCTV is a young adult television network devoted to music videos, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. It is similar to MTV, but with a Christian focus.... Christmas Special |
Beatbox | TV |
| 2006 | Pursuit of Happyness | Intern | FILM |
| 2005 | xXx2: State of the Union XXX: State of the Union xXx: State of the Union, mainly released as xXx²: The Next Level outside the United States and Canada, is a 2005 action-adventure film directed by Lee Tamahori. It is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx... |
Navy Officer | FILM |
| 2004 | Twisted (2004 film) | CSI Photographer | FILM |
| 2003 | Hulk (film) Hulk (film) Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte... |
Swat & FBI | FILM |
| 2002 | The Matrix The Matrix The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving... |
Zion | FILM |