Cheque Mate is a poor attempt at reclaiming mainstream success.
When Cheque's Zoom became a smash hit in 2020, it further confirmed the unpredictability of the Nigerian soundscape. When he followed it up with History featuring Fireboy DML in 2021, one would have thought Cheque was on the road to becoming Nigeria's foremost Trap superstar.
His debut album, Bravo, was meant to solidify his place in the mainstream. Despite the quality of that album, a weak and almost nonexistent marketing campaign failed to propel it to the heights it was supposed to reach. Sadly, Cheque has struggled to find the mainstream success that Zoom and History had. The video for Dangerous, featuring Ayra Starr, was a year late. The marketing strategy remains nonexistent, or else songs like Holy Gee and Sunflawa had or have potential.
In an attempt to reclaim mainstream success, Cheque is back with Cheque Mate.
On Shine, he says all the right things; the hook is good enough, but the verses leave a lot to be desired. The record in its entirety lacks the required punch to create the excitement needed to make a listener pay attention. The record sounds like it was not properly mixed
Hustler featuring Fireboy DML is supposed to be a hustler’s anthem, but it promises much but delivers nothing. This writer can’t help but feel like the recording was forced. The song feels like nothing more than a streaming strategy.
Way too young could have done with a little more cutting-edge penmanship. It was heading in the right direction, but it didn’t reach its destination. LPD is an improvement on being way too young. The songwriting is better, and the delivery is smooth. He brags and talks his talk. He promises to go gangster if his haters try him.
A crayon shines on Sunflawa. This record has immense potential and can become a radio hit. The hook is resonant and easy to learn, and the beat is so relatable. With the right marketing, this song can fly. Cheque closes the project on a high. God bless me. A testament to his ability to make proper trap bangers when he is in his bag The songwriting is good, and the flow he employs is smooth. Psycho YP or Zilla Oaks would make great features on this song. YP would slide on this beat with ease.
For checks, the ability is there. When he is in his bag, he can make good records like God bless me and LPD. Sadly, this writer can’t help but feel like he is not pushing himself enough. The music can be way better. Unfortunately, he seems to be focusing more on scoring hit records (which isn’t a bad thing) than truly tapping into his potential and becoming the Nigerian Trap superstar this writer tipped him to be.
This writer also feels like he is focusing on the wrong audience. If there is a market for artists like Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Kodak Black, Roddy Ricch, and the like in Nigeria, that’s the market he should be targeting. There’s a generation of teenagers consuming American trap in Nigeria that can be tapped into. He should focus on building a core fan base that will go hard for him rather than trying to tap into an audience already saturated by pop stars.
Also, he should collaborate with more Rappers. There’s no sensible explanation as to why there’s not a Cheque and Psycho YP record out now. If there’s one, this writer would love to know. Cheque is a rapper—a very good one. While we appreciate the collaborations with pop stars, the hip-hop collaborations are very necessary. As to this project, it has its moments, but it’s far from being his best work. A lot more can be done. There’s a lot of potential, but that’s just that: potential.
2.5/5
