Offie Mag

The Japanese sumo wrestlers have been making themselves right at home in London. They’ve been seeing all the sights, and the winner was even presented with a huge bottle of soy sauce. The top referees, or gyoji, carry with them a knife. This knife symbolises the weight of their decisions, and traditionally, if they were to make a mistake, they would commit seppuku. The magnitude of these matches was so high that only this could return honour to them if they were wrong. The stakes in day-to-day life are usually a little lower, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t excitement waiting to be revealed.

Andre Masters and Chewbeats release their collaborative project Think Twice Then Think Again, twelve tracks all produced by the Italian beatmaker, with Andre delivering thought-provoking bars. You might wonder what seppuku has to do with any of this, but one of the project’s gems shares the act’s name. ‘Seppuku’ features a guest verse from YUNGMORPHEUS, who contributes a dynamic, layered verse that, even when reading along, took me a minute to fully unpack.

The project’s lead single ‘Overnight Courier’ features UK hard hitter CLBRKS, who does not miss on his delivery. Like the rest of the project, Chewbeats’ production shines — it’s grainy, textured, and the sample has been tastefully arranged and manipulated into its final form.

Masters seamlessly switches between Greek and English throughout, bringing his heritage and identity into his music without hesitation. It adds a genuine uniqueness to his art.

Think Twice Then Think Again is excellent advice. So often we rush into situations without giving them the space to develop. In music too, we’re quick to judge an album or cherry-pick an outside opinion. And even though Think Twice Then Think Again was something I liked off the bat, it’s also a reminder to let things breathe, because you never know how it might make you feel down the line.

Listen to Think Twice Then Think Again here.