10
Bebe Cool Break the Chains Afro-pop
1 Jun 2025
At this stage in his career, Bebe Cool could easily coast on legacy alone. Instead, Break the Chains finds him tightening his grip on Afro-pop, blending its breezy melodies with reggae and dancehall undertones, and proving he’s still a master at crafting hooks that feel inevitable. The album’s 16 tracks are a confident mix of flirtatious grooves and reflective storytelling, stitched together with clean, unfussy production that favors rhythm over spectacle.
Opening cut “Boy Like Me” sets the tone with playful swagger, while “Zero Omission” layers laid-back guitar riffs over a bassline that feels sun-warmed and unhurried. But the album’s emotional centerpiece is “Cheque,” a sublime duet with Joshua Baraka. At just 1:44, it’s an understated triumph: Baraka’s soft, airy delivery contrasts with Bebe’s baritone presence, creating a fleeting yet intimate exchange that lingers long after it ends.
Tracks like “Games” (featuring DJ Edu) and “Body Bounce” push deeper into club territory, while “Circumference” and “Motivation” are compact bursts of energy that keep the record from ever feeling stagnant. Bebe also stretches his artistic muscle on “Hips Don’t Lie,” a nearly six-minute slow-burn that feels like a throwback to classic reggae ballads, showing a willingness to let the music breathe in an otherwise tightly curated set.
Not every song is essential—late-album cuts like “Rectangle Love” and “Alright” could use sharper editing—but the sequencing overall feels like a carefully plotted arc: high-energy bangers frontloaded, introspective moments toward the end, and collaborations sprinkled in like stylistic punctuation marks.
With Break the Chains, Bebe Cool proves himself not just a veteran but a curator of sound, balancing pop accessibility with depth. Afro-pop’s younger stars may be dominating global playlists, but Bebe’s command of groove and storytelling shows he’s still a step ahead, and more importantly, still evolving.
Standout Tracks: “Cheque” (feat. Joshua Baraka), “Circumference,” “Motivation,” “Hips Don’t Lie”
