$cholah – born to two Congolese parents, one of which is part Angolese – is a Montreal-born artist who grew up in New Brunswick. The African-Canadian artist was a varsity soccer player during his time at Acadia University in Nova Scotia and is now pursuing further education – hence the name, $cholah.
$cholah’s family put him onto music from all over the world, which he takes inspiration from now. His parents taught him about traditional African music, his older brought taught him about the golden age of East Coast hip hop, and his younger brother put him onto the classics of the West Coast. $cholah himself had always been a fan of music out of the Midwest, and his recent efforts show that he is able to channel all these influences into one.
His latest 2-track EP is entirely produced by the underground legend Dom Banks and features the single “No Pressure”, for which he released the popular music video linked above.
On “No Pressure”, $cholah, who is currently balancing a music career with the pursuit of a Masters degree in Biomedical Science, told us that the song speaks on life’s societal pressures and the importance of persevering through obstacles – using “2-4”, the legend, Kobe Bryant, as his motivation.
With “More”, the second track of the EP, $cholah continues his experimentation with Dom’s diverse production, proving to listeners that he cannot be boxed in.
Check out the EP below and show $cholah some love!