Chase Shakur

Specializing in atmospheric progressive R&B, Chase Shakur combines slinking vocals with ruminative songwriting. The Atlantan singer made his recorded debut in 2018 and issued a succession of singles into 2022, the year he released his independent first EP, It'll Be Fine. He returned the next year on Def Jam with the naturally slicker It’s Not You, It’s Me. Shakur got his start in East Atlanta ciphers before switching from rap to R&B near the end of the 2010s. Fully dedicated to music, he honed his talent while establishing a collective of musicians and producers called Forever N September. Debuting on his independent label of the same name, his first commercial singles were issued in 2018 and 2019. After his output more than doubled in 2020, Shakur hit another gear in 2021 with the moody slow jams “Pray Slow,” “Want Me,” and “Comes with the Damage” all among his most popular tracks to that point. They were eclipsed the next year by the majority of It'll Be Fine, a nine-track EP that arrived that June. The success led to a deal with major-label Def Jam, commenced the following April with “Sink or Swim,” and continued a couple months later with It’s Not You, It’s Me, featuring second single “x’s n o’s.” In September 2023, It’s Not You, It’s Me…It’s Love expanded the set with three additional tracks. ~ Andy Kellman