Sure, Riot Games makes good games, but have you heard its music? K/DA. Imagine Dragons. Linkin Park. Riot has collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world to create iconic anthems for both Valorant and League of Legends esports. But, while I’ll defend the likes of Star Walkin’ (and be lambasted in the comments for it), I often feel like LoL has taken too much of a step into the mainstream: I preferred the focus on homegrown talent over big names that look good in flashing lights. Valorant, by contrast, has retained that focus on grassroots talent: we kicked off the year with that spectacular Toxic cover, and now we’re heading to Masters London with Che Lingo.
Che Lingo, who has almost 98k listeners on Spotify, will be soundtracking Valorant Masters London. Based in the southwest of the city, he’s described as “one of the most significant and ‘culture-unique’ voices in contemporary Black British music.” He’s the only UK artist to have contributed to the Jujutsu Kaisen soundtrack, and gave us MSI 2023’s Rules (Are Meant to Break). Not a bad slate, then.
This time, he’s back with Chaos in the House – his first single in two years. With a focus on mirroring the unpredictability of Valorant esports (where’s Fnatic?), he calls it “a song about the inner conflict that comes with growth,” and encourages fans to “bring that mindset back into real life and hopefully spark something positive for others.”
Chaos in the House is certainly a banger; musically, it’s doing a lot of cool things, and the flicking between cartoon visuals and real-life clips from previous tournaments is genuinely amazing. I’m obsessed with the sequences where we cut to someone’s phone and watch along – aesthetically, it’s cool as hell; I feel like I’m part of the action.
It’s also so beautifully London. Lingo’s vocals are unique and gritty; I could easily see this playing in underground clubs and bars. While, for me it doesn’t quite reach the peak of Ticking Away or the OG Die For You, it’s a beautiful representation of the city’s rap scene, with a message that I’m sure we can all get behind.
Chaos in the House is available via the official Valorant YouTube channel, and is streaming wherever you listen to music.
VCT Masters London will run from Saturday June 6 through Sunday June 21, with heavy hitters like G2 Esports, Paper Rex, and Team Heretics duking it out for the title. As a Fnatic fan, I’m gutted I won’t get to see them play this time around (they crashed out relatively early this season), but it’s a great excuse to finally wear my Paper Rex jersey. Look for me in the crowd: with that blue and pink, you can’t miss me.
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