While recording his new EP, Boys & Girls, New York-based MC and producer Chuck Strangers came up with a mantra: “The journey is the reward.” It’s the sort of phrase that can disintegrate into cliché when performed disingenuously, but this philosophy permeates through Boys & Girls and helps Chuck showcase the ways in which he’s grown as an artist and a man. In fact, though it’s only 10 songs long, Strangers is certain this is his strongest work to date. Though the subject matter touches on scars from the past and memories that just won’t fade, Chuck’s ability on the mic helps communicate a joie de vivre; after all, his new mindset is based around the idea that spitting rhymes for a living is a damn good job. Moments of desolation come for everyone, but on Boys & Girls, Chuck Strangers wants to showcase the arresting beauty of expertly crafted rap music.