CHIKA RELEASES AMBITIOUS AND DEEPLY PERSONAL DEBUT SAMSON: THE ALBUM.
FEATURING STEVIE WONDER, SNOOP DOGG, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, AND FREDDIE GIBBS
Grammy®-nominated artist CHIKA releases her visionary debut SAMSON: The Album. A bold yet disarmingly vulnerable exploration of the rapper’s hopes and fears, the record showcases her unmatched intensity and flawless flow. “SAMSON is an album for people who know their worth and value despite the standards that they’re used to,” CHIKA says of her hotly anticipated debut. Listen HERE via Warner Records.
That concept of a person stepping into their power resonates across the album. From the opening track, “Overture,” a collaboration with theater giant Lin-Manuel Miranda, it’s clear that CHIKA is determined to right past wrongs and speak her truth at every possible opportunity. To do so, she uses Samson, the biblical warrior, as her avatar — while still keeping a distinctly autobiographical tone. Take the recent single “MAD,” which references her experiences in the music industry.
“Perpetual chip on my shoulder, I’m tired of faking this shit like a poser,” CHIKA raps over soaring brass, synths, and menacing beats. “Attention is lost in a second, these battles are endless — I’m built like a soldier.” She then riffs even harder on fame and the creative process on “DEMIGOD” (“I am what I am and that shit worked perfect man”), before looking deeper inward on the startlingly raw “Requiem For a Dream,” her first new single this year.
“Often I just wanna cry,” CHIKA raps over the beat, which pairs the gothic, technical architecture of drill production to a lilting lullaby-like melody, before she ominously laments: “My family can’t take another goodbye.” While the album never shies away from pain and raw emotion, there’s also room for bold, buoyant experimentation on tracks like the Freddie Gibbs-assisted “TRUTH OR DARE” and the raunchy and wholly unfiltered “TAP.”
CHIKA also revels in comradery with her hip-hop cohorts, tapping Snoop Dogg for “UNC’S INTERLUDE” and Wale for the touching “BROTHER’S BETRAYAL.” Perhaps the most striking collaboration is the joyous album closer “GET HERE,” which boasts R&B legend Stevie Wonder on harmonica. “Who else can say, ‘My debut album has Stevie Wonder on it?,'” the Alabama-raised hitmaker quips of a track that succinctly underlines her esteem and standing in the game.
Though CHIKA hadn’t released a project since 2021, the impact of her previous work still ripples through the music world. Her 2020 debut EP Industry Games not only landed her on XXL’s coveted Freshman cover but earned her a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. In 2021, she followed that record with Once Upon a Time, an EP that showcased her powerful storytelling and raw skills.
SAMSON: THE ALBUM TRACKLIST:
- OVERTURE (feat. Lin-Manuel Miranda)
- INTRO
- REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
- TRUTH OR DARE w/ Freddie Gibbs
- OUTRO
- DEMIGOD
- NIGHT 4
- AWARDS
- MAD
- PRODIGY
- Intermission
- SHOW ME
- PLAIN JANE
- TAP
- HURT
- UNC’S INTERLUDE (feat. Snoop Dogg)
- BLIND
- BROTHER’S BETRAYAL
- DELILAH
- GET HERE (feat. Stevie Wonder)
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