crooked tongues magazine News Features

At Crooked Tongues, our hip-hop fandom borders on fanaticism, and while we can be stuck in our ways, there's plenty of next-gen acts bringing the ruckus. Now that dust has settled from the Rapidshare rap "movement" and the wheat's been sorted from the chaff, a new breed of varsity jacket clad producers and MCs are soundtracking our working environment. The Tom Waits sampling, college-age Chiddy Bang fall into that category.

Dance and hip-hop has converged in a slightly less jarring manner that the hip-house onslaught back in the day thanks to some guy called Kanye, plus the likes Just Blaze, Lupe and Theophilus London. Philadelphia's Chiddy Bang broke through with their 'The Swelly Express' mixtape, wielding a certain confidence that caught some major label buzz. Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin seem to have struck upon a winning formula, and while rappers gaining ground in the UK before they make it Stateside usually sets the alarm bells ringing, these guys are gaining ground there too—bear in mind that fellow Philly-dwellers The Roots created a following on these shores first before they went global.

Big things are being planned for early 2011, when the LP 'Swelly Life' drops, but seeing as it's 2010 and no project can drop without an appetiser, 'The Preview' gathers the first single, plus some newness with Pharrell assisting behind the board on 'Good Life' and Q-Tip cameoing on 'Here We Go' to generate their first album. Twinned with their mixtapes, it's a strong representation of the sound these irritatingly talented young 'uns are putting out. Indie kids, rap fans who aren't too mired in the murky old days and casual listeners alike should lend them their ears. Guess what? Our buddies at Parlophone have given us an Apple iPad to give away to one of you lucky folk out there who signs up here:

www.chiddy-bang.com/crookedtongues

The 16gb Wf-Fi enabled iPad comes with Chiddy Bang content on CD and DVD, and given the sheer volume of folk around us who've been deliberating over a purchase, we think you'll agree that it's a serious prize. Check here for the terms and conditions. The competition ends on November 11th, 2010. Chiddy Bang are currently touring the UK supporting Tinie Tempah until the end of the month and 'The Preview' goes on sale today. You can preview it on iTunes right here.