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Baldwin Chiu (born May 17, 1974), professionally known as Only Won, is an American rapper, actor, producer and stunt performer. As a hip hop artist, he writes/performs rap, beatboxing, and singing. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild involved in acting and choreographing stunt work. Only Won started rapping professionally 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.[1][2] At one point, he was labeled the "Christian" version of "Jin the MC".[citation needed]
Only Won | |
|---|---|
 Only Won at a Sacramento California State Fair concert in 2010. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Baldwin Chiu |
| Born | May 17, 1974 |
| Genres | Christian hip hop, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, actor, stunt performer |
| Labels | LOG Records |
Career
editOnly Won is a professionally licensed mechanical engineer with a PE License, earning him the "Lyrical Engineer" nickname.[1][3] The title track of his LP (The Lyrical Engineer), provides an exposition of the life and livelihood of a professional engineer.
Only Won is also a 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.[4][5]
Signed in 2009 under Los Angeles record label, LOG Records. Only Won has appeared as both a host and musical guest on JCTV and has been featured on collaboration albums. Only Won's release, "The Lyrical Engineer" is produced by Grammy nominated group Dynamic Twins,[6] 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"[7] 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.
As an actor and member of SAG, he appears in many feature films such as The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, xXx2: State of the Union, Twisted, and Pursuit of Happyness.[8] He has also provided music for the soundtrack of Dead Man Down and the animated film, "The Monkey Prince".[9]
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 [10] 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.[11][12]
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.[13] He received this award alongside KXTV ABC News anchor Cristina Mendonsa.[14][15]
On Pi day 2012, Intel asked Only Won to be part of President Barack Obama's national White House campaign titled, Stay With It, designed to boost retention of students in undergraduate engineering programs.[16]
Only Won releases
edit| 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 |
| 7 | Only Won | Crush em Like Godzilla | 2011 | Single |
| 8 | Only Won | JUN BAY | 2012 | Single |
| 9 | Larissa Lam | Love and Discovery | 2015 | LP |
Other work
editTai Chiu Music was set up in 2008. After moving its location from Sacramento, California, 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", titled "I Wanna Be An Engineer",[17] a parody that reached 1.2 million views on YouTube and caught the attention of CNN, Discovery Channel, The Pentagon, and FIRST Robotics Competition. The song "Crush 'em Like Godzilla" was inspired by Ed Wang, the first NFL player of full Chinese descent.
In summer 2012, Only Won released two songs on the video game Sleeping Dogs.
In Spring 2013, the song "JUN BAY" (aka: Get ready) was featured on the film Dead Man Down.[18]
Reissues on other labels
editLOG 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 Truth.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Far East Deep South | Producer | Documentary Feature |
| 2015 | Finding Cleveland | Producer | Documentary Short Film |
| 2013 | JUN BAY (aka: Get Ready) | Soundtrack | Film: Dead Man Down |
| 2013 | DIM SUM | Principle Musical Artist | TV WEB, Film Festival |
| 2012 | Sleeping Dogs (video game) | Musical Artist | Video Game - Square Enix |
| 2011 | I Wanna Be An Engineer Music Video | Principle Musical Artist | WEB |
| 2010 | JCTV Christmas Special | Featured Rap Artist | TV |
| 2010 | Lyrical Engineer Music Video | Principle Musical Artist | TV |
| 2009 | JCTV Top 3 | Musical Guest | TV |
| 2008 | Cantonese Boy Music Video | Principle Musical Artist | WEB |
| 2008 | JCTV Christmas Special | Beatbox | TV |
| 2006 | Pursuit of Happyness | Intern | FILM |
| 2005 | xXx2: State of the Union | Navy Officer | FILM |
| 2004 | Twisted (2004 film) | CSI Photographer | FILM |
| 2003 | Hulk (film) | Swat & FBI | FILM |
| 2002 | The Matrix | Zion | FILM |
Film Maker
editIn 2015, Only Won produced a documentary short titled, Finding Cleveland with Larissa Lam as the director and music composer. It garnished multiple nominations for Best Documentary.[19][20][21] In 2016, Finding Cleveland won Best Documentary at the Oxford Film Festival.[22][23] The story started as a journey for him to search for his family roots, but instead of taking him to the far east, it took him into the deep south of Cleveland, MS. While the 12-minute documentary focuses on the family's discoveries about their roots, it also touches on a broader history, such as the treatment of Asian immigrants in the region and the role the Chinese Exclusion Act played in that.[24]
In May 2021, his multi-award-winning film Far East Deep South released on PBS America ReFramed.[25]
Personal life
editIn March 2008, he married American talk show host, singer-songwriter, director and producer Larissa Lam. The couple currently reside in Los Angeles, California.[26]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Cummings, Tony (July 10, 2009). "Only Won: Surely the world's only bi-lingual Chinese gospel rapper". Cross Rhythms.
- ^ Nau, Jeff (September 13, 2012). "OnlyWon, the Unsung Hero of Nerdcore". [Daily Nerdcore]. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ Shallot, Bob (March 26, 2007). "Archive DVD Action Flicks-Engineer Moonlighting in Showbiz". Sacramento Bee.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Marquez, Peter (March 23, 2007). "Hip Hop Christian". Philippine Fiesta. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
- ^ Marquez, Jose (May 11, 2007). "Psalms of Hope at the New Hope Center". Philippine Fiesta. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
- ^ Rhythms, Cross (August 6, 2009). "Dynamic Twins' Noel Arthurton producing Chinese rapper Only Won". Cross Rhythms.
- ^ 88bar, oneinchpunch. "Cantonese Boy-Parody of American Boy". Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "IMDb The Internet Movie Database". IMDb.
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2986062/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm [user-generated source]
- ^ "Martial Arts Club of CSUS - News Archive". Csus.edu. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
- ^ "Baldwin Chiu Filmography". Cinema.com. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
- ^ http://media-casting.com/resume.cfm?uid=401 [dead link]
- ^ "The Lyrical Engineer | College of Engineering & Computer Science | Sacramento State". Ecs.csus.edu. October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
- ^ Lindelof, Bill (April 21, 2010). "Sacramento State to honor distinguished alumni". Sacramento Bee.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Ponto, Michelle (April 30, 2010). "Sac State Distinguished Service Awards". ABC News 10. Archived from the original on May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ Koscho, Craig (March 14, 2012). "Campaign Encourages Future Engineers". Sac State News.
- ^ "I Wanna Be An Engineer - (Billionaire Geeked Out Mix) by: Only Won - the Lyrical Engineer". YouTube. January 18, 2011. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2101341/soundtrack [user-generated source]
- ^ "Home". findingcleveland.com.
- ^ "2015 Summer Quarter Winners". Asians On Film. October 15, 2015.
- ^ "2015 BAAFF Guests and Screenings". Asians On Film.
- ^ "Film fest ticket sales up". Oxford Eagle. February 22, 2016.
- ^ "BEST OF OXFORD SHORTS AT THE SHELTER MARCH 5 FREE!". Oxford Film Festival. February 26, 2016.
- ^ "'This is a Story About America': Short Doc Explores Family's Immigration Story". NBC News. October 21, 2015.
- ^ Summer Evans."‘Far East Deep South’ Shares Journey Of A Chinese Family Trying To Discover Their Ancestry In Mississippi," WABE, May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Sunny Shell Interviews Larissa Lam". Christianwomenonline.net. January 6, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
