They Bang, They Bang!
Chiddy Bang is your new favorite party band
By JOZEN CUMMINGS // PHOTOGRAPHED BY JEFFREY KILMER
At first glance, it's hard to know what to expect from the Philadelphia-based duo Chiddy Bang. The MC half of the group Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege is black, producer/DJ Xaphoon Jones is white, and together the 19-year-olds look like two slouchy college kids. Then they start to perform songs like "Opposite of Adults," their hit single that samples the MGMT hit "Kids," and it becomes clear: All Chiddy Bang wants is for everyone to shut up and party.
"We're keeping a very relatable feel, to the point where people who don't like hip-hop can like it," says Jones. "And we've seen a lot of hip-hop bloggers who say they don't listen to indie rock but they think our songs are cool. That's what we aim for."
Rooted in hip-hop, electronica and pop, Chiddy Bang's debut album, The Swelly Life, is filled with the kind of feel-good tracks that earned them the title "kings of the basement party jam." "That's the energy we're trying to give because that's the energy we came from," says Anamege, recalling the group's early years playing dorm parties at Drexel University. "Xaphoon would do an hour set, then I would come down and freestyle, and we would be pretty much just jamming."
These days, those tracks are being heard above the basement, on stages around the world.
"We can open for anybody," says Jones. "We can open for Snoop Dogg. We can open for Passion Pit. We can open for so many different kinds of genres." And purists better get used to it.
The Swelly Life is out September 14th.
"We're keeping a very relatable feel, to the point where people who don't like hip-hop can like it," says Jones. "And we've seen a lot of hip-hop bloggers who say they don't listen to indie rock but they think our songs are cool. That's what we aim for."
Rooted in hip-hop, electronica and pop, Chiddy Bang's debut album, The Swelly Life, is filled with the kind of feel-good tracks that earned them the title "kings of the basement party jam." "That's the energy we're trying to give because that's the energy we came from," says Anamege, recalling the group's early years playing dorm parties at Drexel University. "Xaphoon would do an hour set, then I would come down and freestyle, and we would be pretty much just jamming."
These days, those tracks are being heard above the basement, on stages around the world.
"We can open for anybody," says Jones. "We can open for Snoop Dogg. We can open for Passion Pit. We can open for so many different kinds of genres." And purists better get used to it.
The Swelly Life is out September 14th.
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