No Frills Reviews

The Atlanta emcee delivers a soul-infused slow-burner of thoughtful street rap

Atlanta emcee, Big Cheeko, is something of an unheralded veteran of the rap underground. His own catalogue dates back to the mid-2010’s, but he’s perhaps most recognisable for his link-ups with Mach-Hommy. He appeared last year on SAME 24 – one of the standouts from Mach’s much-acclaimed #RICHAXXHAITIAN album – and that track gives a hint of what to expect here; soulful street wisdom. As he put it himself on his 2022 project, you could describe him as the Block Barry White.

Coulrophobia takes its name from the fear of clowns (or clown ass n*ggas in Cheeko’s words), with the songs titled after various famed clowns. As that may suggest, there’s hints of Cheeko on attack mode here; most notably on Tommy, where he takes aim at young pretenders that “wanna rap about dope but they ain’t sold none”. But, as much as anything, he spends his time outlining and re-affirming his own credentials – “came a long way from moving weight to real estate”.

Cheeko’s raps are grounded in the street lifestyle, without ever really indulging in it – “This ain’t that ordinary trap bullshit, you gon’ hear me rap about more than drugs”. This is someone who’s been around long enough to learn that life isn’t all about material successes as he shares lessons of personal growth – “I learned to love myself after all these years”. At times, seemingly positioning himself as the wise old-head imparting warnings to the next generation – “You know there’s consequences to this lifestyle”. He doesn’t seek to glamourise his background, but this is also far from a demonisation – “I learned more from the streets than I did from college”. Cheeko raps about his reality; the good and the bad. There’s no costumes or make-up here, this is an album about staying true to oneself.

The messaging of Coulrophobia isn’t presented in grandstanding statements, but teased out gently, just as it plays out musically. Cheeko floats casually over smooth soul and jazz loops, often breaking into a husky part-croon cadence. His ear for beats has to be commended as despite a revolving cast of producers, there’s a unified yet subtly diverse sound across its 40-minute runtime. A smoky slow-burner that may not immediately command attention, but will sneak its way into your consciousness.

Best tunes: Bozo, Chocolat, Krusty

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