The year 2020 saw Nigerian music teleport into a dimension where diverse, compelling sounds vied to dominate the industry and bypass the conventions of the mainstream soundscape. Singer and rapper Cheque took up residence there with the single “Zoom”, underscoring a new era of melodic rap in Nigerian music. In 2024, he haughtily poses the question What Would You Do Without Me. On the five-track EP, the artist born Akanbi Brett doesn’t stray too far from the formula that assured his earlier successes. His signature sing-rap flow masterfully fuses elements of trap with Afropop to create catchy tracks backed by ace producers Andyr and Sess. After all, why fix what’s not broken? But on What Would You Do Without Me, Cheque adopts a new persona with a firmer tone. Here, the boy looking to enjoy the spoils of his youth on “Way Too Young” off 2023’s Chequemate EP transitions into a man focused on securing a prosperous life on “Glory Days”, with an assist from Penthauze label mate Phyno. He swaps the lovelorn anthems for self-reflective meditations, like the stay-focused anthem “Skii”, featuring Bella Shmurda, and “Sorry, I Missed Your Call”, which sees him facing his demons head-on.