“Nekwam” implies another significant step in the bigger picture for Cheta Obodo.
Not very many artists can boast of putting their cities on the map like Cheta Obodo does. Ever since his bold debut “Akpaka” in 2023; a captivating release that showcased Cheta’s unique sound, as a fusion of cultural and traditional instrumentation with rap and modern production, Cheta Obodo has continued with his passion for creating and executing ideas, concepts and music projects to the highest level of excellence.
Born and raised in Enugu, Cheta Obodo draws inspiration from his African heritage, crafting lyrics that explore themes of identity, social justice, and self-expression. He has also done well to embrace the act of being multifaceted as he makes a blend of hip hop and the Igbo cultural music. Cheta Obodo likes to call his sound the Akpaka sound because it is conscious and at the same time entertaining.
2024 particularly has been a prolific year for Cheta Obodo with eight singles released across the year, and sometimes two singles in a month’s span. This productivity has help to skyrocket him to top positions amongst his peers and position him for regional dominance and nationwide penetration. His latest single “Nekwam” is out now and it is a step forward in building his discography.
Yes, so just like the name implies “Nekwam” is “Look at me” in Igbo language. After the success of “Ifeoma” a lot of people wanted to know who I am so that prompted the song “Nekwam”.
Cheta Obodo on how “Nekwam” came about.
On “Nekwam“, Cheta Obodo brings his signature Ibo boys rap energy to the fore. He attacks the beat from the onset, rapping in his native language and switching in between to accommodate English between in order to increase appeal. Cheta Obodo manages his flows and cadence on the bouncy production that is influenced by Hip-Hop but also very much traditional in its elements and patterns. He crafts a simple hook to knit both verses together and pulls a masterclass as he does this without losing artistic essence.
This is one of those records that typify everything Cheta Obodo has been trying to achieve; a sound that is Hip-Hop in its core but also carries the allure of cultural rhythms from the vibrations of his city. While this has truly been his unique sonic difference, he keeps polishing it constantly on every release in order to increase the geographical spread of listeners.
In what is his eight single of the year, as mentioned earlier, Cheta Obodo keeps thrilling his audience and locks them in to himself with a new record that brings him as one of the forces to reckon from the recent rise of Hip-Hop artists from the East. He’s made a statement for himself this year, and there’s even much more time left to make one more. Eyes will be fixed on him now.
Cheta Obodo Drops New Single “Nekwam”
