Dr Chima Anya (not like Dre or Octagon, he really is a GP), has been on the grind for nearly a decade, since the early days of GTA (his first musical outfit with counterpart Ineff) he has continued to release countless albums, championing an alternative Hip Hop sound that he is known for. From his beginnings in 2010 where he made it onto the ‘Best Hip Hop’ list in the iTunes chart he has gone on to support the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Dead Prez, Wale, Asher Roth & More, as well as acting as lead vocalist on a sold-out run of orchestral hip hop renditions. Saying that this artist brings a lot to the table is an understatement.
On his latest album ‘No Pressure’, he teams up with fellow creative SoulChef, an Auckland born producer known for blending Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop. Soulchef has released no less that 25 albums with artists worldwide and can boast an impressive 20 million streams. On paper this release would appear to be an amazing offering but how did the collaborative meeting of minds pan out.. we had a listen…
The album is an absolute treat for your headphones, with track after track of uplifting, soulful, hip hop goodness, delivered over snappy breaks and pulled together by the warm styling of Chima. It’s good to listen to an album that focuses on the positives in life, like family, good food and music, rather than the usual dark urban tales and dreary narrative, you will feel elated after listening to this fresh release and you could actually dance to these tracks at the club, musically this is something special.
The 10 track multitude of sounds open with ‘Don’t be afraid’, the chorus echoing the famous FDR quote “The only thing to fear is fear itself” and sets the tone for the rest of the album. ‘Grateful’ plays out like a gorgeous dose of 80’s soul, blending Alexander O’Nealesque vocal licks into Chima’s velvety tones, effortlessly delivered on top of SoulChef’s simmering production, great chorus and will make you want to jump on the dance floor for sure. ‘You Will’ is one of the singles off the album and features Tahn, a great vocal track where Chima’s raps run alongside the smooth silk and deserves mention. Zaya is the only other feature on the album and produces some lovely lyrics for the title track.
‘Time’ bursts with power and an ever building energy, it is the stand out track on the album that will not fail in getting your head nodding, a great piece of work among a fantastic selection of songs.
So here comes our future leaders/ popping two Valium before they do their speeches/ worry, worry, worry, worry, man it’s too egregious/ every body dies son, you need to do your research ~ Chima Anya
Chima has an infectious style and continues to impress with his fourth album, the team up with SoulChef really works and the production nails it, this is a highly recommended release and should be part of your collection, a real Hip Hop album.
‘No Pressure’ is out now on digital, if you like your Hip Hop soulful with ever building beats, bass, solid word play and style then grab your copy now from iTunes or Spotify!
Words by Theo Specone