# Chynna Rogers
**Chynna Rogers** (1994–2020), known professionally as Chynna, was an American rapper, DJ, and model from [West Philadelphia](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-philadelphia) who signed with [Ford Models](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-models) as a young teenager and later built a rap career affiliated with the New York collective A$AP Mob.[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) • [2](https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/20342) She died on April 8, 2020 at her Philadelphia home of an accidental drug overdose at age 25.[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Born 1994 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died April 8, 2020 in Philadelphia of an accidental drug overdose, aged 25[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11485671/) • [1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) |
| Modeling | Signed with Ford Models at age 14 after being discovered at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey; later walked for DKNY and VFiles at New York Fashion Week[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11485671/) • [4](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150811_Chynna_Rogers__Model_and_rapper_and_chasing_more.html) |
| Mentor | Found a mentor in A$AP Yams (Steven Rodriguez) while still in high school; became associated with A$AP Mob[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) |
| Breakout singles | "Selfie" (2013) and "Glen Coco" (2014), her first online hits[5](https://pitchfork.com/news/chynna-dead-at-25/) |
| EPs | I'm Not Here. This Isn't Happening. (2015), Ninety (2016), Music 2 Die 2 (2017), "$(Dough)" (2018, via 300 Entertainment), and in case i die first (2019)[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) |
| Sobriety | Released the mixtape Ninety on her 22nd birthday in 2016, titled for the days she had been sober after opiate dependency[5](https://pitchfork.com/news/chynna-dead-at-25/) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) |
## Early life and modeling
Rogers grew up in West Philadelphia and graduated from Lankenau High School.[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) At 14, while waiting in line at [Six Flags Great Adventure](https://www.edgepedia.org/six-flags-great-adventure) in New Jersey, she was discovered by a director at Ford Models and signed with the agency.[4](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150811_Chynna_Rogers__Model_and_rapper_and_chasing_more.html) The modeling schedule cut short her first stint in the industry, and she returned to fashion after finishing high school.[4](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150811_Chynna_Rogers__Model_and_rapper_and_chasing_more.html)
Her modeling work continued alongside music. She walked for VFiles and DKNY during [New York Fashion Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-fashion-week) and appeared in a DKNY summer print campaign, and she later said that by that point she was being booked for fashion jobs because of her music career.[4](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150811_Chynna_Rogers__Model_and_rapper_and_chasing_more.html) In a 2016 interview she described doing DKNY campaigns and runway work despite having extensive tattoos, work she counted as defying the odds in an industry she found difficult to enter.[7](https://www.nylon.com/articles/chynna-rogers-interview)
## Music career
While still in high school, Rogers sought out the producer Steven Rodriguez, better known as A$AP Yams, hoping he would help her; she later credited him with inspiring her music career.[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) According to AllMusic's biographer Andy Kellman, she had intended to pursue the A&R (music-industry role scouting and developing artists) side of the music business, but Yams motivated her to become a recording artist.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) She began rapping around 2013 after spending time with A$AP Yams and A$AP Mob beginning in 2011.[8](https://www.xxlmag.com/chynna-the-break-interview/)
**Early singles.** Her first online hits were "Selfie" (2013) and "Glen Coco" (2014), the latter named after a character in the film *Mean Girls* and released through A$AP Ant and DJ Nick's Marino Gang label.[5](https://pitchfork.com/news/chynna-dead-at-25/) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) "Glen Coco" received a Twitter co-sign from [Chris Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-brown).[4](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150811_Chynna_Rogers__Model_and_rapper_and_chasing_more.html)
**EPs and label support.** She followed the singles with the six-track EP I'm Not Here. This Isn't Happening. (2015), titled after a [Radiohead](https://www.edgepedia.org/radiohead) lyric, and the mixtape Ninety (2016), released on her 22nd birthday and named for the number of days she had been sober after struggling with opiate dependency.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) Her first official EP, Music 2 Die 2, was released in September 2017; she described its sound as "scary and dense and kind of cryptic," and the title referenced the Hitchcock album *Music to Be Murdered By*.[9](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/philly-rapper-chynna-wants-voice-underdogs) • [10](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/chynna-rogers-song-bets-music-2-die-2-exclusive) With support from 300 [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) she released the four-track "$(Dough)" EP and an official release of I'm Not Here. This Isn't Happening., both in 2018.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) Her final release was the EP in case i die first, which landed in December 2019.[5](https://pitchfork.com/news/chynna-dead-at-25/) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452)
**Style and subject matter.** Critics described a low-volume, deceptively lackadaisical delivery that carried dense wordplay, and a catalog often shrouded in melancholy, with songs such as "seasonal depression," "Flatline," and "Reaper."[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452) • [11](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/chynna-5-essential-songs/) She was open about her opiate addiction, addressing it on Ninety, and told Pitchfork in 2018, "It got to the point where I had to do something just to be able to get onstage and do my job. I didn't like that."[5](https://pitchfork.com/news/chynna-dead-at-25/) In 2019 she released the singles "mood," "asmr," and "iddd," the last standing for "I don't do drugs."[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html)
## Death
Rogers was found unresponsive at her Philadelphia home on April 8, 2020. The cause of death was an accidental drug overdose, according to James Garrow, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health; she was 25.[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) Her family's statement, "Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed," was issued through her manager, [John Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-miller).[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html)
Death had been a recurring presence in her life and work. Her mentor A$AP Yams died of an accidental overdose in 2015, and her mother, Wendy Payne, died in 2017 at 51.[1](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html) • [11](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/chynna-5-essential-songs/) Asked about her preoccupation with death, she once said, "We need to be able to cope and deal with it more. It's just a part of life."[11](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/chynna-5-essential-songs/)
## References
1. [Valerie Russ, "Philly rapper and model Chynna dies of accidental overdose at 25," The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 9, 2020](https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/philadelphia-inquirer-chynna-rogers-obituary-model-rapper-drug-overdose-20200409.html)
2. ["Chynna Rogers — American rapper, DJ and model," Alegsaonline](https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/20342)
3. ["Chynna Rogers (1994–2020)," IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11485671/)
4. [Tariq Rashid, "Chynna Rogers: Model and rapper and chasing more," The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 11, 2015](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150811_Chynna_Rogers__Model_and_rapper_and_chasing_more.html)
5. [Allison Hussey, "Chynna, Philadelphia Rapper, Dead at 25," Pitchfork, April 8, 2020](https://pitchfork.com/news/chynna-dead-at-25/)
6. [Andy Kellman, "Chynna Biography," AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chynna-mn0000782452)
7. [Sydney Gore, "Chynna Rogers Is Breaking The Mold In Fashion And Music," NYLON, February 20, 2016](https://www.nylon.com/articles/chynna-rogers-interview)
8. ["The Break Presents: Chynna," XXL](https://www.xxlmag.com/chynna-the-break-interview/)
9. ["Philly rapper Chynna wants to be a voice for the underdogs," Interview Magazine, 2017](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/philly-rapper-chynna-wants-voice-underdogs)
10. [Katherine Cusumano, "Premiere: Rapper, Model, and A$AP Mob Protégée Chynna's New and Improved 'Bets'," W Magazine, September 28, 2017](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/chynna-rogers-song-bets-music-2-die-2-exclusive)
11. [Mankaprr Conteh, "Paying Tribute to Chynna With 5 of Her Essential Songs," Pitchfork, April 9, 2020](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/chynna-5-essential-songs/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › East Coast rap (New York and Philadelphia) › East Coast rap's 2000s–2010s era*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license