Showcasing his brilliant artistry, Cheque has mixed in various vibes of R&B, hip-hop, and dancehall into his afrobeats style in his awesome second studio EP, titled “Chequemate”. The EP contains six tracks and includes collaborations with Fireboy DML and Crayon. This EP release acts as the follow-up to his single “Sunflawa”.

Cheque, real name Akinbi Bamidele Brett, began his musical journey as Kyle B, carving out a niche for himself while still an undergraduate at University. He gained popularity with freestyle covers he shared on social media, catching the attention of the music scene. Since signing with African rap icon Phyno through the Penthauze imprint in 2019, Cheque has become a dynamic force in the African pop music realm, leaving an indelible mark. Seamlessly blending afrobeats, R&B, hip-hop, dancehall, and pop, Cheque’s diverse musical palette showcases his lyrical prowess and entrancing melodies, setting him on a trajectory toward global stardom. His 2020 debut EP “Razor” served as a launchpad, with the breakout single “Zoom” giving rise to a larger-than-life remix featuring afrobeats legend Davido and Grammy-nominated rap star Wale. Cheque’s inaugural album “Bravo”, anchored by viral hits like “Dangerous” with Ayra Starr – which is his most-streamed track on Spotify at 12.5 million streams, “Call Me Baby”, and “LOML” alongside Olamide, garnered nearly 200 million streams, solidifying his ascent as a burgeoning superstar. Recognised for his versatility and captivating artistry, Cheque has left an indelible mark on West Africa and is poised to broaden his international footprint. His genre-spanning style, infused with afrobeats, R&B, hip-hop, and dancehall, signifies the forefront of new African sounds.

Talking about “Chequemate”, Cheque said: “This EP is born out of my life’s journey in recent years – the relentless hustle and cycle of striving to achieve something bigger and more impactful. I just want to help and inspire others through my music, and if you listen to ‘Shine’, which opens the EP, you’ll hear how I’m intent on motivating people to overcome tough times because I myself was going through similar adversities. There’s a lot of hate in this world, but some love and motivation might just be what we need to make things better.”

Stream “Chequemate” by Cheque on Spotify here:

The EP starts off with “Shine”, which is a progressive afropop track that effortlessly showcases Cheque’s style, vocals, and energy. The catchy beat flows in under his melodic voice giving us an addicting rhythm with some drum chords easily making this appeal to mainstream radio. Lyrically, Cheque empowers his listeners and the energetic sensation of the backing track picks up on his positivity, building up the sound whilst keeping the spotlight on him. Shining, Cheque sure is, and this track makes a good vibes-only statement from the get-go. “Hustler” follows next, which is a collaboration with Fireboy DML, and it infuses the mainstream energy from the previous track but delves in deep with afrobeats and hip-hop. Showing off his versatility with this track, Cheque knows how to use different genres to his advantage and as per usual Fireboy DML shines during his sections. As the song progresses you can feel their friendship vibes with interpolated vocals, addicting chanting, and awesome harmonies. The third track is titled “Way Too Young” and it brings a rhythmic R&B energy that is infectious and totally makes listeners groove in time to the beat. With songs as catchy as this one, it’s not a surprise that Cheque has millions of streams to his name.

“LPD” is track number four, which keeps the R&B rhythmic vibe from the previous track but flows in dancehall, all infused around a deep afrobeats energy. Cheque stretches out his lyrics giving highlighted vocals that work well with the fired-up drums that provide the prominent rhythm in the backing track. Following that is “Sunflawa”, a collaboration with Crayon, which is currently Cheque’s most popular track on Spotify, at the moment. It’s the most afrobeats track on the EP, so we’re not surprised it was chosen as a single, and it effortlessly showcases both artists’ flawless vocals with stunning falsettos and unforgettable vocal runs. Lyrically, the song is sweet and shows how much they like a woman who is in their lives. If anything, this track enriches the EP as a whole and is definitely a statement piece. The last track on the EP is “God Bless Me”, and it’s a deep hip-hop track with afrobeats vibes infused into the backing track. With a thick rap flow, Cheque impresses with positive lyrics as he is determined to continue to make music his career, he’s already up there but he’s going to not only stay up there but he is going to climb up to become one of the best afrobeats stars in the world, and this EP alone proves that he deserves to be on top. Versatile beyond words, Cheque crosses genres and infuses them like no other artist.

Stream “Shine”, our favourite track from the EP, on Spotify here:

“Chequemate”, by Cheque, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via Penthauze and Empire.

Let us know what you make of “Chequemate” by Cheque on Twitter @CelebMix.

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