What’s In Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6-cubic-foot refrigerators. 

On the grill

Chin Injeti

Who are you

I am a Grammy and Juno Award-winning producer, writer, and sometimes artist, who has produced and written for people such as Eminem, Drake, Kanye, The Clipse, Anderson Paak, and J. Cole. I recently made my first producer’s record featuring some of my favorite artists. The record is called Vessels and it comes in three volumes. Volume 2 comes out on August 17 with the first single being “For Better or Worse” feat. YBTB aka Shad K. This project was truly a labour of love that I’m excited to share with the world. Volume 1 is already out­—go check it out.

First concert

It was AC/DC in the early ’80s. I lived in a hospital and on weekends they would take some of us out on field trips. The hospital was called the Hospital For Sick Children, and it was located in downtown Toronto near the Maple Leaf Gardens. I remember it being super loud and super exciting. It was the For Those About To Rock tour, and they sounded amazing and I went to sleep with ringing in my ears.

Life-changing concert

Without a doubt Prince­—I think the year was 1987 or ‘90. It was the Sign O’ The Times tour. My mind was blown on every level. I didn’t think one human being could have that much talent. He danced, played every instrument, was the funkiest, rocked the hardest. When I experienced this I knew that I had to have a taste of it. So here I am, making music and living the dream.

Top three records

Stevie Wonder Songs in The Key Of Life  This record changed the fabric of my musical being. Every lyric, every instrument, every arrangement made me feel things that I didn’t think were possible. I swear the molecules in my bedroom changed as I played it. It is definitely my desert island record­—it has everything I require in an album.

Rush Hemispheres  It was my journey into prog rock and the reason why I play the bass. This record gave me permission to explore all instruments and song forms. It definitely hit me in a cerebral way and forever changed the way I looked at making records.

A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory  This record came to me in a time when I needed it the most. I had a record deal, was learning how to make records, and really diving into jazz, funk, and soul. I actually think it’s underrated and that we should speak of Q-Tip in the same light as Dr. Dre (who I’ve worked with ). Only a visionary could have weaved this tapestry of sound and made it seamless. The mood, the rhyme skills, the culture­—it truly changed hip-hop. This joint should be revered as one of the greatest records ever made.

All-time favourite video

Michael Jackson “Thriller”  So many videos to choose from, but for me without a doubt “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. This video, ’til this day, is influential. You still can’t get over the choreography, and the fact that the “music video” had a narrative that made it feel like a feature-length movie was mindblowing. It truly made the song better than it already was. It was one of the first times we saw a face morph into a monster. Everyone copies aspects of this wonderful piece of art in one way or another. So, yeah, “Thriller”.

What’s in your fridge

Dhal. Because it’s tasty and the first thing my mama ever taught me to make. The brilliance of South Indian cuisine is that, not only is it tasty, but it preserves wonderful. In fact, it’s tastier a few days later.

Rice pudding. ‘Cuz I love it and it’s that cheap kind from Costco, it tastes so good with fruit. This always reminds me of being in the hospital as a kid, because it was the only thing that tasted like food to me and that I wasn’t force-fed.

Mangos. Because it’s that time of year and they are the most delicious thing to eat in the summer.  We love green mangoes with a little bit of salt and chili powder drizzled on top. I promise it will blow you away and you won’t be able to stop.

You can stream Chin Injeti's Vessels here.