Chuck Strangers - Glory Of The King's Hand Chuck Strangers

On Chuck Strangers’ latest opus, Glory Of The King’s Hand, he raps, “I still rap from the perspective of my government name…” The stage name “Chuck Strangers” is, of course, an alias but it’s not necessarily an alter ego. For the man born Che Jessamy, his rap moniker isn’t some over-the-top rock star persona contrived for public consumpsome consumption, it’s just a name. What you hear on his records is really who he tion, is - a heavy-tongued griot from East Flatbush, Brooklyn with a gift for vivid stream-of-consciousness storytelling. His bars are imbued with the wisdom he’s gained in his lifetime - especially in the 14 years since he first made his debut with the Pro Era collective.

The elaborate title of his new album, Glory Of The King’s Hand, speaks to his gratitude for the hand that life’s dealt him, which is a pretty good one. At age 34, he does what he loves professionally and does it on his own terms. That’s something to be thankful for.

Glory Of The King’s Hand, not only represents Chuck’s matured attiGlory attitude but also his matured sound. Key to this refined approach was tude collaboration. Chuck is a proficient beatmaker in his own right as evidenced by his production for himself and artists like Joey Baevidenced Badass, and Boldy James. But this time around Chuck chose to be a dass, producer in the Quincy Jones sense of the word, bringing together vocalists, producers, and musicians instead of handling all of the beats and rhymes himself. d Up Reprise

The list of contributing producers is a who’s who of underground sound scientists including The Alchemist, Animoss, Theravada, Kensound Kenny Segal, Preservation, Child Actor, and Morriarchi.

ny And while …King’s Hand is in some ways a sample of what this secAnd section of the underground looks like in 2026, what Chuck brings to tion the table is uniquely Chuck Strangers. “I had to do my own thing!”“thing!”

His resolve is in part due to the influence of his legendary mentors like the late Ka and The Alchemist who each carved out their own distinct lanes. “There’s a lot of Roc Marci’s, there’s a lot of Earl Sweatdistinct Sweatshirts and you’ve got many Alchemists out here, but I have to do my shirts own thing that might look a little different from everybody else’s shit … I can just be myself.”