Release Date: February 28th, 2012
Chiddy Bang – amongst others – broke the boundary between indie rock and hip hop. Sampling from pop-infused acts like MGMT, Sufjan Stevens and Passion Pit, Chiddy Bang successfully attracted an audience that might normally not be into hip hop. In 2010, The Preview officially introduced duo Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege and Noah “Xaphoon” Jones Beresin. After an EP and mini-mixtape, Philadelphia natives concocted an album with enough pop personality for airplay without neglecting the Philly street style. The latest effort and first full-length album, Breakfast has the same intentions but falls short in the second half of the record.
Title song, “Breakfast” is energetic and showcases the clever lyricism of Anamege – also known as the “Longest Rap Freestyle” Guinness World Record holder. Flooded with afro-beats and hard-hitting electro loops, this track is the highest peak of the album. The infusion of Jazz and 1990s hip hop creates a gritty aftertaste, but Breakfast unfortunately dwindles from here.
Electro-pop beats smother “Handclaps & Guitars” in dance worthy rhythms. This is one of only a few tracks that Chiddy Bang tries to mimic their previous formula. Pulsating samples weave through bubbly distortion, and the its harsh contrast of Anamege’s vocals resemble tracks like “Truth.”
First single, “Ray Charles” features gospel back-up singers and an arguably offensive chorus line – “ooh boy open your eyes a girl like me ain’t waiting all night.” It’s catchy, though. It’s a snap the fingers type of tune, and the piano-lead instrumentals lend a jazzy undertone. It’s apparent the title and lyrics are used in an admirable tone, but the track ends without creativity and lacks the witticism seen in other songs – “you’re too blind to see it. Ray Charles.”
Similar to KiD CuDi’s transformation from “Pursuit of Happiness” to “Erase Me,” Chiddy Bang took their highly-infectious but widely marketable sound to a predictable top 40 level. Breakfast earnestly tries to defy odds again, but Anamege’s free styling has become minimized and replaced with looped beats and chant-worthy lines. Heavily processed tune “Whatever We Want” is likely to be a spring-break anthem to bikini clad partiers, but that seems to be the goal.
Where The Preview shines, Breakfast is lackluster. Chiddy Bang produced catchy tunes to attract an audience spanning between college and audiophile’s parties, but the substance has dissipated in Breakfast. A few glimmers of light peak through the otherwise decent tracks on this album in “Breakfast” and “Handclaps & Guitars,” but it’s unfortunate to see a step backwards in creative quality.
Chiddy Bang – Breakfast tracklist:
- “Intro”
- “Breakfast”
- “Handclaps & Guitars”
- “Mind Your Manners”
- “Ray Charles”
- “Does She Love Me?”
- “Run It Back”
- “Out 2 Space”
- “Whatever We Want”
- “Interlude”
- “Talking to Myself”
- “Happening”
- “Baby Roulette”
- “4th Quarter”
