A FORMIDABLE FORCE OF RAP: CHE3KZ IS REPRESENTING THE WOMEN AND HER CITY

Amidst a grime reawakening, the Mancunian rapper’s presence is inescapable - gracing social feeds, cyphers and stages, right now, the sky’s her limit.

Words by Jessica Rogers

Photography by Kit McCutcheon (@kitwaah)

Che3kz is booked and busy. We’re battling a dodgy signal connection as she makes time for this interview amidst a jigsaw day of meetings and shoots, which is now the norm for the burgeoning superstar. From the jump, it’s glaring how she came to adopt the name Che3kz - charismatic, energetic, and indisputably cheeky. The Old Trafford-raised rapper rocketed to viral acclaim in 2024 with ‘seven sizzling sausages’, and has been non-stop ever since. Animated as ever, Che3kz shares her story so far with CROP.

The journey with music began in the youth club she attended as a kid. Run by her dad, attending the club was part of her childhood, and it’s where she got a glimpse into the world of rap. “That’s where I first started rapping in front of people, I remember my first reload was in that youth club. There was about 80 boys in there, probably about three girls, you had to fight to get the mic,” she shares.

The adrenaline of getting her first reload triggered her hunger to become a fierce lyricist and performer. But even prior to performances at the youth club, she was already penning bars, using writing as a therapeutic tool, reminiscing, “I used to have a journal, one time my mum found it and read it and I was furious, I was like, ‘I'm never writing again!’” The reflective practice of journaling remains important to her to this day - as a process to navigate the highs and lows of life, her dreams and aspirations, conflicts and doubts.

For as long as Che3kz can remember, music has always been the dream. Pursuing opportunities that presented themselves led her to join a girl band managed by JLS’ Oritse Williams, where she toured arenas supporting the X Factor founded boyband to colossal crowds of up to 20,000. After three years of being moulded into a pop star that didn’t reflect who she really was, nor the artist she wanted to be, she was ready to exit music and charge her energy into her other passion - youth work.

“Pretty quickly, I got to the top of my game in youth work, and then looked around and was like, ‘Okay, now what? What are we doing?’ Something was just missing, and it was not having music and expressing my creativity.” 2024 was the year Che3kz decided to bet on herself, “I said you know what, for a year, I'm just gonna do everything that scares me, really push myself, do things out of the box.” Through support from her good friend and frequent collaborator Darrius of Studio 88, it was that year she took a shot at battle rap - a big grin on her face, she proclaims, “Boom, second battle, the world went mental for some damn sausages.”

Her life’s commitment to music was finally placed under the spotlight when her PenGame battle against Marcel went viral, racking up millions upon millions of views across the spectrum of the internet. At its core, the platform champions clashing - a fire fuelled rap battle that requires a refined arsenal of composure, stamina, and wit. When probed on how she knew she was made for this calibre of rap, she asserts, “I'm quite humorous, so I always go in with the mindset of ‘I'm gonna absolutely take the piss’. I've never really gone in with a ‘I'm gonna destroy you and ruin you’ mentality, I’m more like, ‘I'm gonna murk you and make it funny.’”

Not one to overthink it, the ability to tease her opponent feels second nature. Her advice when it comes to clashing? “Don’t take things personally. Treat it like a sport, like boxing, where if you lose your head and show that something’s got to you, then you’ve already lost.”

Grime - the UK’s defining soundscape across the 2000s and early 2010s that sculpted today’s new gen rappers - is currently undergoing a resurgence. And Che3kz stands tall as one of the Mancunians at the fore of it. She urges, “Manchester came up on grime, and we are grime.” Loud and proud of her Mancunian roots, she believes the reignited momentum in the scene right now is not just important, but essential: “Grime is part of our culture and identity, it’s how we tell our stories, it’s how we express ourselves.” In this sense, representation is an innate characteristic of grime, ensuring the culture lives on is bigger than just the music.

Speaking on the intensity of a viral come up, she confesses of the anxiety that ran parallel to the excitement; admitting the experience was surreal, as you can never expect or fully prepare to go viral. On one side of the coin, it’s great to build a fanbase and your platform, but then it’s also very daunting that all these people you don’t know suddenly have such an opinion on you. “Mental health is real!” she laments, and for her, it’s an overwhelming jump to suddenly be recognised in public. On navigating the pressure, her approach is now guided by the mantras of ‘what’s meant to be will be, we never miss anything that’s meant for us, and simply trust the process’.

2025 was a whirlwind that saw Che3kz take to the stage with Wiley and DJ MAK 10 at Sidewinder Festival, Chip at Clints Fest, spit bar for bar with Big Narstie on a Red Bull cypher, perform on Sir Spyro and DJ Target’s BBC 1Xtra shows, as well as sets at Reading & Leeds Festival and Wireless. When asked how it feels to not only be co-signed by grime legends, but have the opportunity to perform alongside the very people who inspired her own artistry, never one to be coy, she declares, “I just look around the room sometimes and I’m like, ‘Yo this is mad’, but I’m honestly just so happy to be here.” As for imposter syndrome that fleetingly creeps up, she reminds herself - ‘you’re meant for it, you’re great at it, just do it’.

A self-professed girlie, Che3kz is also on a mission to advocate for more girls in the scene, “I’m always an advocate for the girlies, I want to collaborate and show up for the girls, sometimes it’s not reciprocated but that’s ok.” To her, collaboration is central for the progression and legacy of Manchester’s grime scene. 25 Years of Sidewinder saw her bring out fellow Mancunian MCs - P1Caps, K.I.M.E, Larboonz and Fitz – to share the stage with her, reminiscing that the energy that comes with performing with your people is truly something special.

On ambitions for her city, she hopes to see Manchester continue to grow and flourish, and for people to stand firm in being Mancunian, with an assurance that you don’t have to relocate to find success. On ambitions for herself? Remaining authentic and staying true to herself is her priority, “You know, I'm a little bit nuts, I'm a lesbian, I love women, I'm rowdy, I'm up and down and emotional sometimes, but I'm good vibes, and I want all that to come through my music. I want it to be a true representation of me.”

Longevity is harder than ever in the music industry now, but Che3kz has mapped out what she wants for her future, and with her infectious optimism and determination, it’s easy to believe in her self-assured conviction. This year is already looking as bright as the last - opening up for Big Narstie, performing as part of the MOBO Fringe in her hometown, and her first international shows at Outlook in Croatia and Sidewinder in Malta are all locked in.

Aside from touring, an EP is on the way this spring/summer, a project that will encapsulate all facets of Che3kz as a person and the sounds that resonate with her. ‘Fun, vibrant and raw’ is what she hints of the project, “I just wanna see people dancing and having a good time.” And for certain, that much is guaranteed from the indisputably cheeky Mancunian MC.