In Rotation: cikho

You know how it is when an artist keeps feeding you appetizers and you're just sitting at the table waiting for the main course. That's exactly where I'm at with cikho right now. The man has been living off singles, building a catalog of bright, infectious grooves. His latest April 21 release is a two-pack—'Fell Again / Stranger What's Your Name?'—and it's been stuck in my rotation all week. Let's talk about the pocket he operates in. Back in February, he dropped 'Oh Yeah,' a track built on a relaxed tempo that somehow still forces you out of your seat. The bassline rolls heavy. You end up swaying your hips and rolling your shoulders before you even realize you're dancing. 'Fell Again' picks up right where that left off. The drums snap crisp, and his vocal sits tucked right inside the rhythm. Here is my one gripe, and maybe it's just the old head in me talking. The tracks are too damn short. We are living in a streaming era where a song wraps up in under two minutes, completely abandoning the art of a proper bridge or an outro vamp. Cikho is absolutely guilty of this. You get completely locked into the vibe, and then the track just evaporates. But maybe that's the genius of the hustle. You have no choice but to hit replay. The momentum is completely in his favor right now. 'Fell Again' just snatched the number one spot on Spotify's R&B UK playlist, while his track 'Rocky' is sitting right there on the same chart. The love isn't just overseas, either. Philly's WKDU has been spinning him on terrestrial radio, bridging that transatlantic gap. The numbers are climbing across YouTube and Spotify because the music just feels good. We need a full project soon, but for now, these singles will do the job. Check it out below.