Chiddy Bang are shameless. As sticky-fingered beat borrowers go, they’ve gone right in there aged just 19 and pulled off a bank heist: sampling the entire MGMT Kids melody for their debut hit single. It’s been a big hit, giving the hip hop duo ‘record of the week’ on Radio 1 and 80,000 downloads in a month for their mixtape Swelly Express. These guys are jet set to the extent that they’re actually writing their next EP based on a plane.
It all came about in Philadelphia, where rapper Chiddy [Chidera] Anamege met fledgling producer Xaphoon [Noah] Jones at Drexler University in Philly. Chidera was studying business, while Xaphoon was taking music industry studies. So for a man who’s examined the game at at an academic level, it’s unsurprising when Xaphoon tells me: “I could make a million soul-sampling records every day, but that’s not what Chiddy Bang are about. We’re about the science of a hit, the science of pop.”
To all those who are reaching sneeringly for that £200 Wild Style Breaks record, get their Opposite of Adults EP, out last month. Their tunes are embarrassingly catchy – Chiddy’s rhymes ‘Got more gigs than an Apple store’ and ‘Get attention like a soldier in the military’ are pithy enough to make you smile, and although ‘I wish I had time to address challenges, but there’s not enough space on my calendar” is a straight Jay-Z Moment of Clarity rip-off, it’s a clear statement of intent.
Other artists they sample include Radiohead [The Reckoner], Sufjan Stevens, Passion Pit and Tom Waits, which has also recently been sampled by indie rap’s Atmosphere.
Chiddy Bang were in London when we spoke to them, mainly, we suspect, to take advantage of the drinking laws, something they confirmed: “The first day we went to the bar – we’re definitely taking advantage of the drinking age…they had some great stuff on offer, however I’m feeling ok today. But tonight’s a new night! I got a bit of UK slang I’m picking it up, saying cheers, togs instead of clothes, brilliant and innit – in fact I might put it in a song.”
Xaphoon is making the right connections as a producer – he has put beats to a track by Black Thought from the Roots, exchanges production values with ?uestlove and was on the point of giving his puppy to Major Lazer, but his room mates got too attached. He’s not averse to putting some grime and dubstep into his music, and was working on a Rihanna and Cutty Ranks remix recently. He’s also a pretty handy MC himself: “After hours I have been known to end people’s careers as a freestyle assassin” he confides in me.
Chiddy puts it best: “I admire people like Kanye West. However – I don’t want to sound snobby, but it’s not about them, it’s about us. I’m a hustler like Jay-Z.” Big chat, but there’s no doubt about what these guys want to do. Precision-guided munition for the billboard position.
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