- The Manchester producer-MC transcends his roots in the city's bass music scene, deconstructing grime and rap rhythms and laying down pensive, personal lyrics.
- A versatile rapper, DJ and producer known for stints as the resident MC for Swamp 81 and Hessle Audio parties, Chunky is a mainstay of the Manchester club scene. He's spent years skipping around the city, working closely with artists like Zed Bias and the Levelz crew to push forward-thinking mash-ups of grime, hip-hop, dubstep, dancehall and more. Having "grown up in raves" and solidified his name within the UK's underground bass music scene, he spent much of lockdown tending vegetables at his South Manchester allotment plot and mellowing out a little in the process. A shift from the vicious, bassline-influenced Threats EP from 2017, his spacious, introspective debut album Somebody's Child reflects a major change in his life and art.
A thoughtful 11-track LP that fuses minimalist deconstructed grime and rap with a variety of Afro-diasporic sounds—from dancehall to dubstep—Somebody's Child reflects Chunky's sentiment about how stepping away from the rave "has given some opportunity for a different kind of expression," one that's not "specifically for the purpose of mixing into another groove." His typical approach of making tunes, dropping them on SoundCloud and watching them hit the raves almost straight away, is a thing of the past. Somebody's Child, written and produced entirely by Chunky himself—with some extra finessing from Manny producer Metrodome—is still rooted in the 0161 bass music scene that shaped Chunky, but it's guided by a patient, reflective approach that allows him to showcase a little more vulnerability.
On "Giv U," a collaboration with fellow Mancunian vocalist Jermaine Peterson, Chunky speaks directly to his mum, ruminating on the vital role she played in his upbringing in touching lyrics like, "You delivered the most against costing odds / I can thank but God / That you shared your love," as filtered saxophone loops hover in the background. The sense of identity he communicates is plain in opening track "YES I," which hinges on the strident hook, "From Central South on the Westside," his ode to his roots underlined by his crisp Manc vocal delivery. Elsewhere, Chunky pays tribute to the influence his Zimbabwean background has on his sense of character in bars like, "Weren't no big doe / Weren't no samples / Just one Zimbo going on Django."
That reference is backed up by a broader interest in sounds of the African diaspora. In lead single "Dancing On Tables," there are elements of Baile funk, a vibrant, samba-specked percussion-centric sound birthed in Brazil's favela parties. "@Me" leans on swinging Afrobeats influences and melodic vocals, while retaining Chunky's clear, no-nonsense style of spitting. At times, this voice isn't a million miles from the cheeky chappy tones of fellow Mancunian rappers like Geko or Aitch. By intertwining boisterous bars with stripped-back, minimalist grime, rap and dubstep-tinged rhythms, but keeping his firm regional voice at its heart, Chunky has created a fascinating sound on Somebody's Child. It eases away from the heavy basslines of Manchester's underground rave scene and looks inwards while retaining the sense of rave culture-driven invention that has defined this multi-hyphenate artist's impressive career so far.
Tracklist01. Yes I
02. Daylite
03. RNS
04. Ballin
05. GNG
06. Meh feat. Rolla
07. Long N Strong
08. Dancin On Tables
09. @Me feat. Not4Many
10. Giv U
11. Spare The Rod