Chiddy Bang are famous for having an original, quirky lyrical sound, so I was intrigued to see what they had to offer for their live performance at the O2 Academy in Leeds.
Whilst I enjoyed their hit single ‘Opposite of Adults’, their recent performance lacked a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’.
Undoubtedly, the duo exhibited a fun and very energetic stage presence, but unfortunately they failed to get most of the audience involved as some of their more unfamiliar pieces tried to successfully combine hip hop, indie and soul, but fell slightly wide of the mark.
It goes without saying that the hip hop industry is a difficult one to survive in without constantly providing a new sound which is liked by the masses. However, it is apparent that Chiddy Bang haven’t quite yet figured out what is the balance between innovation and satisfying the mainstream audience just yet.
Unsurprisingly, the duo’s performance of ‘Ray Charles’ had nearly every head bopping along; the smooth jazzy sound mixed with hip hop seemed to be a crowd pleaser and was easy listening. I’d say that their performance of this song was a highlight of the evening.
Chiddy Bang, for the most part, are certainly bringing a new meaning to the genre of hip hop and their music is certainly out of the box. Although they don’t always get it right, they certainly release stronger singles every time they return to the scene.
Their fresh and upbeat sound can only be described as addictive and if you haven’t already heard of the band I recommend you listen to ‘Ray Charles’, ‘Dream Chasing’ and, what I believe to be one of the best hip hop songs of the last few years, ‘Opposite of Adults.’