The “Crown” rapper finally comes out with a debut album, and she did NOT disappoint.
Chika recently released her debut album, “SAMSON: THE ALBUM,” on July 28. The album’s release follows more than four years after the rapper’s official debut in 2019.
The Montgomery-born rapper’s name was already popping by that time, notably her November 2019 video where she put on a pale foundation following Donald Trump’s election win. Chika also called out Kanye West in a freestyle over his “Jesus Walks” beat after he publicly supported the controversial president.
During her interview with Billboards’ Pridecast, a podcast that centers around influential names in the queer community, she stood ten toes down on her position regarding West.
“I feel like he’s selling out for, ultimately, money, and also just to be a part of the conversation when he wasn’t for so long,” Chika explained. “He doesn’t know the damage he’s doing.”
She was also part of a Calvin Klein ad campaign that led to a showcase at Coachella and her first music video for her song, “No Squares.” According to Advance Local, “High Rises” served as Chika’s first commercial product of her professional career. The song features the rapper’s story, including her childhood hurt, her struggles as an artist and her gratitude to her supporters.
SAMSON, an almost hour-long project, takes Chika on a journey detailing her confidence and God-given talents. The album features a theater play approach with various interludes throughout the project.
The album begins with “OVERTURE,” which features a voiceover from Lin-Manual Miranda:
“Our stories are all we got. So, if you’re gonna tell it, tell it boldly. Tell the truth. Without fear.”
The song features Chika ready to explore her story as well as her self-proclaimed genius. Accompanied by a full orchestra, the song sets the confident and reflective tone of the entire album.
“OVERTURE” blends into the next song, titled “INTRO,” adding more instruments, including drums and what sounds like a tambourine. With the added percussion, Chika toots her own horn, sitting in her confidence and throwing humility out the window as she quips “f–k being humble.”
"The only options they gave me: die as a hero or be glad to live as a villain," Chika raps, leaning into her villain era.
Holding true to the reflective nature of SAMSON, Chika discusses her challenges with mental health and its impact on those close to her during “REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.”
Throughout this song, it switches between a lullaby-based chorus and drill-based verses. The chorus sees Chika singing as she switches back to rapping during the verses.
“TRUTH OR DARE” is a take on the industry and how people tend to put on a fake persona. This song tackles the common theme of Hollywood that not everything is as it seems.
During the chorus, not only does Chika clock in on the nice things she does have, she cites the ways she needs to move forward.
“New house, new whip // New clothes, new drip // Stay fly, take trips // Just grind, no tips,” Chika rhymed.
With Freddie Gibbs as feature, he clocks in on the politics of the music industry.
“This loyalty shit is fictitious now // Only see you when bottles and b–hes out // And you do so much d–k eating // Can’t really tell if you dressed for the h–s or the n–s now,” Gibbs rapped.
After spitting some truth about the industry, “OUTRO” comes in as a midway intermission. It’s almost a journal entry as Chika begins the song by saying: “To be honest, I’m just talking right now.”
Interestingly enough, “OUTRO” is only the fifth song out of the 20-song album. Rather than have it as the conclusion, it serves as an intermission from one act to another.
Not only does the reflective project as a whole feature Lin-Manuel Miranda and Freddie Gibbs, it also features Snoop Dogg and Stevie Wonder.
“UNC’S INTERLUDE” features Snoop Dogg essentially giving Chika a pep talk and saying she’s on the right track. His words of encouragement are heard in the next song, “BLIND,” during which Chika reflects on her life and wonders if she has time to figure things out.
Steve Wonder makes his appearance in the last song of the album, “GET HERE,” which calls for people to appreciate where they are and where they’re going.
SAMSON drew a comparison between Chika and the biblical character, who had extraordinary strength. One of the more direct comparisons was in, “DELILAH,’ a sensual love song to a woman named Delilah.
In Chika’s song, she invites Delilah to “come home when you feel safe again,” promising that she will keep Delilah warm. She notes that other people may see her as this tortured soul while Delilah sees her heart.
As the biblical story goes, Samson fell victim to Delilah after he broke his religious and moral obligations many times. For one, he decimated the Philistines in a private war and later fended off an attack at Gaza after he visited a prostitute. Delilah would later betray him as she made him reveal the secret to his strength: his hair. She later brought in a Philistine to cut Samson’s hair.
In her interview with Rolling Stone, Chika explains that Samson would later ask God to regrant him his strength in order to get revenge. She explains that he used his strength to pull down the pillars he was chained to, ultimately killing himself and everyone else in the building.
“I think that my strength has always been my vulnerability, but at the same time, it’s always been my weakness because that’s the thing that’s weaponized the most against me,” Chika said in the Rolling Stone interview.
SAMSON gives the world a well-crafted introduction to Chika, a strong individual who tends to find her strength in her vulnerable moments. This body of art perfectly encapsulates the rapper’s journey through her mind, especially regarding her career and the politics of the industry.
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