Trayce Chapman is putting on a clinic this year — period. The Denver staple hasn’t taken his foot off the gas pedal since returning to airwaves in late January with “Nasa,” a high-energy galactic ballad. He finished Top 10 in BETs “Amplifind” showcase, launched Strange Lights (his own live sessions) and played a number of shows, including two this past week: “Future Island II” with Kid Astronaut and “Off The Record Block Party” at Larimer Lounge. This Friday, he continued his tour-de-force with another release — the bouncy, hypnotizing “The Winds” — a pre-album single off his upcoming project, Contraband 3.
Chapman’s versatility is stamped and certified — “The Winds” further cements his ability to shift cadences in rapid succession. You can’t count the number of flow patterns on one hand, and halfway through the record, Chapman turns his intensity up — it remains electric till the song’s conclusion. Thrown on the front end of “The Winds” is an instantly recognizable, but wholly fitting sample of Fousheé’s “Deep End.” The music video for this single is as gleaming and other-worldly as the artwork that dons the song’s cover. Everything about “The Winds” is fluid — which, in essence, is the point. Chapman knows change is inevitable and continuous, and he makes it clear he’s embracing the moment — “I can’t hide from the life I made.” It seems Denver’s hottest MC has attacked every opportunity he’s been presented with this year, and with the rollout of Contraband 3 around the corner, his ascent will only gain speed.