Cheque’s Debut Album is ‘Bravo’

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Talented Penthauze’s star, Akinbi Bamidele Brett known by stage name Cheque, last Thursday, 23rd of September, released his much anticipated debut album titled “Bravo”. The 13 track album consists of mostly love songs, all written by Cheque and mastered by Spax. This evocative love album has the 26 year old Ondo State native show how much he has evolved as an artiste.

The album features top music artistes including Ayra Starr on ‘Dangerous’, Olamide on ‘LOML’, Fireboy DML on the previously released hit song ‘History’, and American rapper, Jackboy on ‘No One Else’. Other songs on the album include Sweet Love, Anybody, Change, Call You Baby, Rockstar, Pray, Free and Blind.

This is his third body of work after 2020’s ‘Razor’ EP, his first EP on Penthauze and The ‘S.O.O.N EP, which he released under the moniker, Kyle B in 2015. Cheque gained massive popularity after releasing the hit track “Zoom” as part of his Razor EP project (his second body of work and his first under Penthauze) kast year.

The fast rising afrobeats star followed it up with a super collaboration featuring Fireboy in ‘History’. Cheque signed to Phyno’s Penthauze Music in February 2019. Before then, he was signed to Cruel Station alongside Fireboy [then DML]. The contract earned him and DML an apartment before it expired in the final months of 2017. DML and Cheque then moved in with a friend who owned recording equipment.

DML became Fireboy DML and then an YBNL artiste in 2019 and Cheque found his confidence before joining Penthauze. These days, he thinks that he’s also partly Igbo because he’s affiliated with the very Igbo Penthauze, but he’s Yoruba. He says, “I’ve been hearing it since I was attending OAU and I don’t really take it seriously – I never did. But I’m Yoruba.”

One day, in the middle of 2018, Cheque got a random DM from Phyno. His excitement waned after he didn’t hear from Phyno again for a couple of months. Phyno came back with more enthusiasm and vim, and Cheque signed to Penthauze in February 2019. “I wasn’t making Afro-pop – I was rapping – so I didn’t think someone of that magnitude was going to reach out. . . I felt validated,” he said.

The Nigeria singer-rapper had earlier, via his Instagram page, announced his debut album will be released on Friday September 24, 2021.