Chasing Euphoria

“When life drowns you out, it helps to remember that everything is in your own hands,” M Huncho tells Apple Music. “I’ve been guilty of thinking that happiness lies somewhere else, or with someone else—so from start to finish, this album is about that journey: finding myself.” The animated cover of the masked rapper’s debut album captures the Londoner floating in a stream, discarding his old disguises, ready for the inevitable flow of change. When the road to his long-awaited debut was met with the reveal of a stunning mask—designed by UK pro skateboarder and artist Lucien Clarke—the stunt appeared to elevate Huncho’s supervillain persona. Instead, Chasing Euphoria soundtracks M Huncho’s deeply personal and ever-evolving views on life, emotion and circumstance—prompted by the pause of lockdown.

“I’m unappreciated, even when I do provide,” he declares on album opener “Unappreciated”, launching a 22-track course of introspection. An ethereal blend of big-time boasts and gritty street talk, delivered in spirited, half-sung verse, M Huncho’s trap wave sound pours over interracial relations (“S/O to My X”), the horrors of addiction (“CC”) and a heartfelt address to his unborn children (“Sincerely, Dad”) for his most all-sided offering yet. “I’m chasing euphoria throughout,” he says of the album. “There's a whole bunch of feelings within these songs that could possibly be my euphoria, the ultimate euphoria, but they're not. I had to figure out what life is about myself.” Here, Huncho takes us through his debut, one track at a time.

“Unappreciated”
“Sometimes the story starts and ends in the same place, or not too far away. This song represents moments that I've been in a bad place: in my early days and other times more recently. These are emotions I’ve felt—that come as harsh truths for anyone that loves me, and the people that I love.”

“S/O to My X”
“This track comes from a genuine place. And I feel these issues happen in many relationships because of cultural differences or stupid shit like that. And that was the case for me, a long time ago. There’s two sections to this track. The first part goes out to my ex: She couldn't take me home. She didn't have the guts to tell her family I was the one. And the second part, I shout out my wife. She really helped me grow.”

“Stainless”
“This was a fun song to make. [London producer] Chucks came to my house, played the beat, and that was literally it. Fifteen minutes later we had this song.”

“Who We Are” (feat. Yung Bleu)
“This song was co-produced by Benjamin Lasnier, and Pilfinger. And I enjoyed working with those guys—they came over from Europe and bodied this session.”

“Warzone” (feat. Headie One)
“I don't really jump on the drill genre because I feel like it's not the music that I’ll be making in the long run. But me and Quincy, we don't slack. I can't even describe it to you, but the chemistry is like [former Spain international footballers] Xavi and Iniesta, whenever we get together.”

“Let It Burn”
“You can have all the money in the world, but when you ain't got someone that loves you back, then money won’t really do much for you. That’s where I’m coming from on this song. My emotions and music are very much connected—this is where you’ll find me expressing myself. This is for all the men, and women, that have been in this position.”

“Doomsday”
“No one can tell me that this not some real shit. Whether they like me or not, if you’re from where I've come from, then you can relate to this. This track’s also dedicated to MF DOOM. For me, it's about taking a leaf out of his book. He’s a legend in the game, a true original, and I’ve got his albums on vinyl.”

“Pray 2 the East” (feat. BNXN fka Buju)
“Firstly, I’d like to big up Buju, he's a stand-up guy. When I linked him he told me, ‘I used to listen to your [2017 freestyle] 'Mad About Bars' before I even started making music.’ And it was so genuine. I can also be a fan of someone that I rate, openly, and not feel a type of way about it, but I guess others in this industry aren’t like that.”

“CBA (Interlude)”
“This section of the album is music that means a lot to me. I wrote this track during the lockdown, when my brothers would ask, ‘Bro, why are you not coming out your house?’ It sums up exactly how I was feeling. Also, it’s a turning point in the album: a new sound for me, and a new sound coming out of the UK. That's my personal opinion—correct me if I'm wrong, but you won’t find anyone making music like this here, not on this green island.”

“Gone”
“I sat with this song for two weeks before finishing it. When I don't finish a song, I'll leave it halfway, with some mumbled melodies—or a space for verses and features. But this is such a complex song, I purposely took my time with it, to make sure that it's perfect.”

“New Era”
“This song is an ‘F you’ to all those people that don't remember when the ship was sinking. I was the one with a little paddleboat on the side, waiting for everyone to get in, knowing that we still might sink, but I kept us afloat. ‘Rappers to cappers/I guess we're all in a New Era’.”

“Adam From Willesden Green”
“We paint the picture in our heads that money is always a positive, helpful thing. But that picture is rough—and when a picture's rough, you don't know what the end product is going to be. That’s the sentiment here. Don't get me wrong: I flex, I've got dough, I like buying nice things and living my life. But at the same time, I’m investing my money, as everyone should.”

“Slight More Rain”
“This was my first time working with [US producer] Harry Fraud, who I’m a big fan of. He's a studio guy, always working, and is sick with sample-flipping. I still listen to his old Coke Boys mixtapes with French Montana—he’s just a legendary dude, and he had the right beat for me here. He played it for me [on FaceTime]—and I called him back, a few hours later, with this song completed.”

“CC” (feat. Maria Drea)
“Wanna know a secret? Maria Drea, the vocal on this track, is actually my assistant manager. She's part of a choir, and has the most beautiful voice. Which comes back to my concept of keeping everything in house, and helping the people around you to become more successful, whilst you’re doing it. I’ll let you in on another secret: Maria is also sampled on ‘Unappreciated’, in the first half.”

“Me & My Conscience” (feat. Potter Payper)
“This song is one of my favourites. Conceptually it’s sick, and captures perspective so well. When I link Potter, we sit down and speak because he's the type that will pick your brain, and you've got to do likewise, because there's a lot of wisdom in him. This time, I told him, 'Here’s my idea: I want you to be my mask, in essence. Let's talk about things with you as my conscience, I’ll be me, and let’s have a conversation.'”

“VIBE (Interlude)”
“Right now, I’m vibing—through my career, doing things that I enjoy. I've achieved a lot, and I really had to get my head right after 10 summers on the roads. This track reflects on that journey, but acknowledges that I still need to go harder.”

“38” (feat. D-Block Europe)
“I call DBE the rapid response unit. I sent this to [Dirtbike] LB, and it came right back. And Adz dumped on it soon after. I fuck with D-Block [Europe], and they fuck with me, that's the mandem.”

“Lean” (feat. Giggs)
“I really wanted to get something done with Giggs before he hangs up his boots. I first heard him on [Danny Weed’s 2007 single] 'Up in the Shoobz', and one of my cousins loved his music, so I’ve been tapped in from early—he's an OG in this thing, and I’ve got a lot of love and respect for him. He came out and performed at my Brixton show, and he's never performed in Brixton himself. I massively respect that. And I've told him this already: In a game full of clowns, he’s a man that is very, very much himself.”

“Vivid” (feat. Wretch 32 & Ghetts)
“I’ve got Wretch 32 and Ghetts on the same song. When did you last hear that? And I won’t lie, I don’t know who went harder. I can see this song, and ‘CC', synced on something like [FX drama series] Snowfall or [Starz drama series] BMF. I love this, and I love everything they’ve done with it.”

“The Worst”
“This track is literally a confession. I'm not a Christian or a Catholic, so sorry, I don’t actually know how it all works. But that's just what this feels like: going to confession.”

“Stars in the Wraith”
“This is my love song for the ladies. Behind this mask, I'm a lover man. I appreciate all my fans, but this one is dedicated to my female fanbase. I didn’t really understand when it started to switch up, but it has, and it’s one of those things you understand as you grow too.”

“Sincerely, Dad”
“This is a letter to my unborn children. I’m giving them the insight on how life is, and what their dad has done—both wrong and right. But they won’t know that I'm Huncho for a very long time. That's a fact.”