Che, otherwise known as cheRomani+ or even his new unofficial moniker Sayso, is the most established rapper to come out of the underground community as of late. Emerging from the now-defunct experimental trap collective 4ersona, Che has only been creating a solo discography for a couple of years. In that time he has scored accolades like a Lyrical Lemonade video and signing with popular rap label 10K Projects late last year. Not to mention, the Atlanta native is only 18 years old and is dominating the scene.
Che’s album “Sayso Says” is a must-listen if you want to add some new flare to your party mix. Tracks like “SASKA YOU MADE IT” featuring up-and-coming house singer Saska, and “CUT OFF YOUR HANDS” feature rage-inspired melodies and off-the-wall lyrics that will have you wondering what goes on in Che’s head. The album’s opener, “I Rot, I Rot” wears a beat that sounds like if you put the Rage movement, popularized by acts like Yeat and Ken Carson, and bit-crushed effects over those instrumentals. It makes this Rage beat transform into a digicore song.
The sixth track, “Been There, Done That” is produced by a longtime Che collaborator, natecxo. Nate is essentially the other half of the past Che projects, producing most of Che’s last EP “Crueger” and executively producing his debut mixtape “closed captions.” The track is a hard hypertrap ballad with classic trap snares and chord progressions. To my surprise, natecxo is only present on five tracks out of 17. This is due to che self-producing a great majority of tracks on this album. I think that is for the best. If you are an artist with an idea, nobody can replicate that idea better than you. Che took this idea and made something special with it.
The interlude of “Sayso Says” brings a crazy digiclash beat that is perfect for a 2010s goth rave. There are no vocals from Che on this one, but there are faint audio samples of someone singing, cutting in and out with every measure. This interlude transitions into the tenth track, “It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To.” Che raps about how he doesn’t care about peace anymore and just wants the smoke with everyone. The structure of the beat on this track switches between a four-on-the-floor pattern and a fast trap pattern, keeping you on your toes and wondering when it will switch again.
All this talk about trap makes the album sound like it is just another trap album, but as Che fans know, it’s not a Che project without a little experimentation. The second half of the album shows this side of Che well, starting with track 12, “NUNCA HACER COCAINA” which features a nice dance beat with high-pitched chord progressions and beefy bass. This song, which you could probably tell by the title, has Che telling the kids not to do drugs like cocaine. There are very few rappers that could make a topic that is so unsettling to talk about so catchy.
Track 15, “Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things” is also a highlight of the experimental side of Sayso Says. The track fills your eardrums with a boastful stack of synths that overpower the mix of the R&B drums that sound like a late 2010s Drake song. Che sings about how this girl he is longing for still doesn’t know how he feels about her after all this time. This track is one of my favorites of the album because it shows that Che can really slow down and get away from the high-tempo, schizophrenic-like beats he usually gets on. The closer track of the album has caught the attention of a lot of people since it samples Crystal Castles’ 2008 track “Untrust Us.” The verse of that song is taken and placed in the outro of the track, giving it a new light. It seems like Crystal Castles is an inspiration for Che surrounding this project, so I was not surprised when I heard this.
The thing about Che is that he is so young, and his career as an artist is too. It takes some artists years to make something unique and inspiring to others. This is his debut album, mind you, and it feels like he’s been around for a way longer time than that. But that is not the case at all. With Che, we are just getting started.
