Having been on the scene – albeit on and off – for 6 years, “Before We Proceed” marks a very welcome first EP for the rapper, singer and songwriter, Chuks Profound. His only other project was “Daddy Knows Best”, an album that was released on New Year’s Day of 2015 to positive reception. Since that project, releases from Chuks Profound have been few and far between, making this 5-track EP all the more exciting for fans his fans.
Backed by features from Psycho YP and Zarion Uti, “Before We Proceed” has racked up 13,000+ streams since its May 28, release date. Chuks Profound flaunts his flows, penmanship and versatility on the Afrobeats, Hip-Hop and Trap sounds represented on the short tape, exploring a variety of themes during the project’s run time.
On “Lowo” he collaborates with Zarion Uti and Chordratic to create this laid-back love song that serves as the project opener. Chuks shines through a mixed rapping and singing performance that seamlessly blends with the efforts of the track’s collaborators. As you can expect when you see Psycho YP’s name on a song, “Suwoop” is a trap entry that sits pretty as track number 2. Chuks is in full on rap mode here, leaving clever punchlines like “we pull out the whip like we’re about to discipline dudes” as he smoothly weaves his way through the beat. YP’s contribution is limited to the hook, giving Chuks room to flex his skill, and he does that to the maximum. BrisB joins him on “Pacman“, and they both use clever metaphors that connect the famous game to their sexual desires on the high-octane Afrobeat sounds. Track number 4 is titled “E Go Be” and the star affixed to the song name on Apple Music tell you all you need to know. Chuks Profound goes to the basics and spits facts of life on this classy Hip-hop sound. His use of English and Pidgin make the lyrics all the more catchy and relatable, contributing heavily to the strong replay value this song holds. He remains loyal to Hip-hop as he closes out the project on “ADHD“, going in with solid verses that capture the difficulties of the medical condition of the same name.
Standout Track: E Go Be
There are many elements needed to come together to make a project of any length work and this project boasts of a good number of them. Quality production, features that work and an abundance of quotable lyrics are prominent during the 15 minutes run time where he combined his love of and skill at rap music with more commercially accepted genres. The title of this project – “Before We Proceed” – suggests Chuks Profound might be here to stay this time, and if the quality of music he has cooking is at the very least at par with the one here, then exciting times are on the way for rap music faithfuls.
Verdict: 7.7/10