So one thing I had a lot of time to do in India was listen to music. Unfortunately, I had a terrible internet connection and zero access to my full music library – which led me to listening to a lot of stuff I had played out already. Fortunately, I had just added Chiddy Bang’s first mixtape Swelly Express to my iPod two weeks before I had left. I loaded up the album in anticipation of seeing them open for Mike Posner’s show at Cat’s Cradle (a great show, but Chiddy only had a 20 minute set). I had given it significant play during exam week, but having it on repeat for about 7 straight days allowed me to really appreciate it.
Chiddy Bang – “Kids (Remix)”
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I had first heard of Chiddy over the summer when they released a remix of MGMT’s “Kids” to much critical acclaim. I withheld judgement until they had a catalog bigger than 3 songs, and since then the group has recorded a very successful premier mixtape in Swelly Express. The duo from Philly – Xaphoon, the producer, and Pro the emcee, are both highly talented, and it shows on tape. Xaphoon producing the majority of the material is a highly refreshing deviant from the prototypical Lil Wayne style mixtape. Swelly chronicles -through music and skits – the group’s journey from Philly to New York, as they meet with record labels and prepare for their future. For me, the most annoying part of the album are the numerous skits that often come at the beginning of tracks and diminish the replay value of some of my favorite songs.
Chiddy Bang – “Pro’s Freestyle”
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The first song to make me say, ‘wait a sec, this group is pretty good’ was “Pro’s Freestyle”. Pro just goes in on a verbal exercise, unleashing a wide array of metaphors, similes and creative lines – my favorite of the bunch being, “People ask me how you make the world feel it, I say it’s DNA – it’s just in my double helix”. The line isn’t too spectacular or flashy, but for some reason – the way its set up or something – its my favorite line on the album.
Chiddy Bang – “Slow Down”
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The next song that particularly stuck out to me was “Slow Down” featuring Black Thought. Black Thought, a fellow Philadelphia native, – though never discussed here – is one of my favorite emcees in the game and easily one of the most underrated. He delivers the most memorable verse on the album (understandable, he’s been doing this for over two decades) giving advice to the young group.
I know it now, wish I knew it then
Diminished returns, I burned through a few a them
Remember when I was in the position you were in
Shit’d be different if I had it all to do again – oh to be new again
There is something about the way BT rhymes – its so effortless but packs more meaningful content into the lines, its just remarkable.
Chiddy Bang – “Truth”
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I can’t get this far without mentioning “Truth” – a type of track I see Chiddy being highly successful with. In a style very similar to their “Kids (Remix)” – has a dance/electronica vibe – “Truth” is catchy but doesn’t cause Pro to step down his game lyrically either.
Chiddy Bang – “Never”
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Just another favorite track of mine (but you get the idea regarding skits…) I highly encourage you download the tape here.
BT X Clipse:
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/videos/id.4610/title.clipse-f-the-roots-grindin-live
http://nahright.com/news/2010/01/07/video-clipse-feat-the-roots-popular-demand/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nah_right+%28Nah+Right%29&utm_content=Google+Reader