Dallas based rapper C.h.a.m.p. released his new EP “YOLO” on July 23rd, 2021. If you haven’t heard of this brother its quiet all right, I’m here to break it all down like some crumble. C.h.a.m.p. which is an acronym for “Change Happens at My Pace” is a Dallas, Texas based musician who overcame being shot in the head, after his hospitalization he came up with his name and ran with it. This energy of change is also seen in his EP’s title, “YOLO” which for the uneducated stands for “You Only Live Once” as C.h.a.m.p got a second chance which is rare in any lifetime. Now we are here, the EP is 6 tracks long clocking in at 19 minutes, 7 seconds in length. One music video has also been released for the single “Baby Debo” which we will cover with the track, but with all this knowledge let us dive into the EP, this is “YOLO” by C.h.a.m.p.
We begin the EP with the self-titled track, “YOLO” which sees C.h.a.m.p speak about his struggles that helped bring him up into the man he is. His status as a “diamond in the rough” is true to form as C.h.a.m.p brings a conscious view of his street life that lead to him nearly losing his life but through the pain brings joy which is expressed on this poetic-trap track with excellent production. “Baby Debo” follows with some brass with a lot of bass. The tracks flow/production has a DaBaby vibe as C.h.a.m.p raps mainly about partying while controlling your girl with that 85′ Chicago Bear’s D. The music video has our brother dancing with a baddie at an automobile spot, the video defiantly has some fun to it as well which works wonderfully since this was the party anthem of the album Track 3 titled “Nights Like These” has a 90’s R&B feel as we see the only feature on the full EP from an artist named Vick. The theme is all about spending a moonlit night with your girl, C.h.a.m.p spends time breaking down how that ex ain’t nothing but a distant memory while expressing his love for you. Vick adds to the chorus with a deep, sexual voice that was made to make your drawers drop. Wonderful mix that marks the halfway point of “YOLO.” “With The Shits” has a Chopped N’ Screwed vibe, the beat is slower then the rest while C.h.a.m.p has a flow to match. The track breaks down the roots of C.h.a.m.p’s family, how real they are in the streets while also focusing on themselves but having time to help family if they ever needed it. “Beeper Freestyle” also has that DaBaby vibe, the title expresses how loose the theme is for this track as C.h.a.m.p is unchained, having fun with his bars while still dropping some heartful lines on haters. I really liked the carefree energy this track provided. The final track for the EP, “PTSD” is the rawest from the project as C.h.a.m.p fully speaks on the aftermath of his shooting, how it has affected his life while also preaching how we need to help the youth for a better future. This had the best storytelling but also leaves me wanting more, luckily C.h.a.m.p announced his first album titled “Therapy” will release October 15th, 2021.
Overall this is a solid EP with a great vibrancy, C.h.a.m.p mentioned his verity which was on display. The production was the standout for me as every beat has a nice mix too it, hands down the best part of “YOLO.” The rapping was also solid, I think C.h.a.m.p has something good with his flow/delivery but should touch it up a tad bit, his lyrics are good but “PTSD” is his best track due to the storytelling he presented. I would also like to recognize “Nights Like These” which was also really good, had a few repeats for that song because of the R&B melody the track had, I really enjoyed it’s vibe which left me wanting more songs like this. As mentioned before C.h.a.m.p has a full length album releasing in October titled “Therapy.” For now I recommend this EP to anyone looking for a fun experience, I am The Musical Hippie and these are my thoughts on “YOLO” by C.h.a.m.p.
The Musical Hippie 