10Apr
19 year old Towson University student Stephon Smith isn’t a hipster. He isn’t a music nerd either. He’s a college student who happens to listen to the radio and follow popular trends. He’s the average “uninformed” listener who likely up until Pitbull began rapping over electro only knew Bmore club as the stuff they played on Friday night on 92Q in Bmore, and certainly had no idea who David Guetta was or even how to spell his name. Truth is, Smith represents the average American musical consumer, someone just not covered by the blogosphere, until now. TGRIOnline.com has decided to loose Smith, and his “uninformed” opinions on popular artists and musical styles that are all the rage in the underground we know and love. Today’s victim, Philadelphia’s Chiddy Bang, who, much like last week’s victim Yelawolf, fresh out of Austin’s SXSW conference may be the most buzzed about rapper in the universe. Is his buzz warranted? Keep reading to see what Stephon has to say…
When listening to any new rap artist, the initial expectation is that they’ll talk about the money, cars, and jewelry they don’t have. Yes, all of the things they don’t have and yearn for. When listening to Chiddy Bang for the first time I had to “guess again” as their mixtape “The Swelly Express” took me on a journey that tells the story of how they want to be successful in the rap game and the steps they’re taking to acquire that success. The twosome of Xaphoon Jones (real name Noah Beresin) and Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege met at Drexel University and since then have combined their talents to create slick songs that’ll leave you nodding. Xaphoon makes the beats and Chidera spits the rhymes, just so you won’t be confused when you listen.
“The Swelly Express” as stated on the cover art is music based on a true story and it’s an excellently told story that keeps you hooked until the very end. It’s the story of how Chiddy and Xaphoon made their way from Philly to New York in hopes of making it only to be disappointed but by the end their spirits are back up and they’re still on their grind. At one point the story details how the group meets with a record label called “Major Label Inc” on the “Meet Mike Hoffman Skit” which I can only assume is Interscope Records which is mentioned in the outro of the mixtape. It’s also interesting to note that many other messages from other supposed management names are mentioned but deleted which could be an indicator of how many times Chiddy Bang’s vision has been rejected. To be honest it’ll be no surprise if the group becomes popular for their musical talents because Xaphoon has an ear for making beats different by combining electronic and traditional hip hop elements as well as sampling Notorious B.I.G’s “Juicy”, Ellie Gouldings “Under The Sheets”, and MGMT’s “Kids”. Chiddy spits rhymes relevant to popular culture by making reference to the OJ Simpson break in, Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face”, Myspace, and even Godiva chocolate. He manages to do this all in a manner that is just as fresh to the ears as it is exciting to your imagination.
If you want to compare Chiddy to another artist then you can go as far as to say some of his rhymes are straight out of the Young Money Entertainment playbook at times. For example, in “Never” he says “I never do what I’m supposed to/Give Me the Light, Sean Paul, O2” and in “Truth” he spits “Periodically I’m in my element, phosphorous”. It’s for those reasons I’m surprised Chiddy Bang wasn’t picked up by Young Money Entertainment but they have been picked up by British record label “EMI” which would explain the song “Hey London” which details how they don’t want this opportunity to be a one night stand. Another comparison one could make is that the writings of Chiddy about determination and wanting to become successful are similar to those of Kanye West on his debut album “The College Dropout”.
Chiddy Bang is definitely a solid group and I have yet to hear one of their songs that are a lemon. Even when listening to “The Swelly Express” again, I have no choice but to listen to the entire mixtape all the way through. As I said it’s an excellently told story through and through. If you want a proper showcase of Chiddy Bangs talent I recommend you check out their lead single “The Opposite of Adults” which is a remix of MGMT’s “Kids” as well as “Never”, “Now U Know”, “Truth”, “Hey London”, their remix of the popular UK song “Pass Out” by Tinie Tempah, and “Breakfast”. They also have a mini mixtape entitled “Air Swell” which is available for free on their Myspace.
One criticism I have is that while the group has amazing songs, their live performances fail to capture the energy the studio tracks have. I would hope this doesn’t develop as a long term hinderance of Chiddy Bang because they are really talented and the best thing for them is to grow and mature with the bigger crowds they work. This is a group that won’t die when thrown into the fire but will only look to succeed. It’s evident on “The Swelly Express” that they have no intention of slowing down what they’re doing. This is a group that is destined for success in the future and that’s the truth. If you don’t start listening to them then you’ll realize….hold on better yet, you’ll realize just as Chiddy says the “Truth hurts/all I do is ease the pain for you”.
Don’t sleep on Chiddy Bang. If you want to see them live then check their tour dates on their Myspace.
If you didn’t know now you know. You’ve just been informed.
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