Album Review: Chip — League of My Own II

26-year-old grime artist and rapper, Chip has released his widely anticipated third studio album. Despite his relatively young age, Chip is a veteran having been in the game for over 10 years. It has been a tumultuous couple of years for the rapper, with a long list of beefs and navigating the journey of becoming an independent artist. Whilst, it hasn’t been an easy ride, what has been made clear, is the level of lyricism on this project and the desire to surpass his previous projects.
The opening words are spoken by his father, preaching the importance of positivity and God. He eloquently raps about refusing to compromise his talent and his unwillingness to be exploited by a major label. He isn’t running a race consciously looking either side to see where his competitors are, he is running his own race, “Llow me, I’m back in my zone/Just tryna outdo my own bars”. He comes out guns blazing, holding no prisoners and addressing everything.
This album showcases what his core fans already knew, versatility is at the core of his artistry. His early commercial success was both a gift and a curse as having hits such as “Oopsy Daisy” overshadowed the fact he actually knew how to put pen to paper and with ease spit catchy punchlines and metaphors. This body of work has something for everyone, whether you’re a fan of Chip flexing his lyrical muscles (Confirmed, Scene and 34 Shots), a fan of his songs for the ladies (Snap Snap and About Time) or his club bangers, “Normal” which features and was produced by fellow UK artist, Donae’o.
Chip knows how to make a hit and draw you in as a listener. “Snap Snap” calls out Instagram girls that are so focused on living life for the gram with The FaNaTiX on production. You will find yourself singing along long after the song has stopped playing.
There were a few songs that I felt could have been left off due to lack of verve compared to the majority of the album. #YSN was an obvious song to cater to the female audience but other songs served this purpose, this track didn’t bring anything different.
There are some great features on the album, Ella Mai’s soulful vocals on “Hit me Up” worked perfectly on the Harmony Samuels’ produced song. The song that paid homage to the Grime scene features heavy weights, Jammer, D Double E, JME and Wiley. On the whole, the features felt authentic and most brought their own unique flavour.
Being one of the early pioneers of bringing together Dancehall and Grime, through his past collaborations with Mavado and Kranium. All through the album, we hear the influence of his Jamaican heritage. As expected bravado and reminding all the haters who is and what he has achieved are at the forefront. However, a multitude of personal topics were discussed including depression and the acknowledgement of his lost focus over the past few years. He struck a perfect balance of basking in his success whilst addressing his missteps along the way. As many artists can get so lost in projecting a certain “image” they forget to share their real life and feelings.
On Repeat: Snap Snap, Normal, Confirmed, Amazing Minds, Hit me Up, Family and 34 Shots.
Skippables: #YSN and About Time.
Rating: 4/5
Buy the album here and check out the visual for “Snap Snap” here, “Normal” feat. Donae’o here “Amazing Minds” feat. Giggs here
