Grammy-nominated musician and activist Chika wraps up 2020 with an early Christmas gift: her newest cuffing season single, “FWB.” As a 23-year-old triple-threat rapper, singer, and actress from Alabama, Chika has already made waves scoring a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist following her 2020 debut EP Industry Games.
While the backing tune to “FWB” hints at the single’s seductive undertones, the star of the song is the candid, poetic lyricism present in Chika’s verses. The sultry, honest track switches between smooth melodies and polished raps as Chika delves into the tangled intimacy of a friends-with-benefits relationship. “I don’t want your love, I just need your touch. Yeah, I wanna feel but I ain’t trying to trust,” the rapper sings over the track’s refrain. Chika battles between vulnerability and power as she works out the vacillation between intimacy and detachment that comes with being friends with benefits.
“FWB” doesn’t mince words when it comes to the nature of the song’s manifest relationship: “Please don't get ahead of it, I'm here for the benefits [...] I just need a lover and a friend to pass the time, a bed to crash tonight.” Even so, as the song progresses the lyrics are tinged with a poignant uncertainty about whether or not its sexual relationship can remain as platonic as it claims. The conflict between the sensual, bedroom-esque backing track and Chika’s fond reflection on her no-strings-attached entanglement furthers the song’s provocative ambivalence. One thing’s for certain: “FWB” is for anyone looking for intimacy without the messy attachment.
After her debut EP Industry Games, summer single “My Power” featured in Netflix’s Project Power film, and her latest release “FWB,” Chika plans to maintain her forward momentum with a new project dropping in early 2021. Stay tuned for more to come, and listen to “FWB” below.
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