New friendships in college are a normal occurrence, but when producer Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin and rapper Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege met each other in 2008 at Drexel University, they didn't know just how far that friendship would take them.
This Saturday, the 21-year-olds – who now perform under the moniker Chiddy Bang – will find themselves back in the college scene as they performs at the SA Small Concert.
According to SA President JoAnna Datz, when students filled out the Spring Fest survey to choose which acts they would like to see at this year's concert, Chiddy Bang received a large response in the Support Act section. The duo was also considered as a headlining act.
Out of the 4,531 respondents who voted via paper or online with Survey Monkey, Chiddy Bang received a whopping 1,102 votes, according to SA Entertainment Director Monique Mattes.
"We are the most excited [to perform at UB]," Beresin said. "We have not played a college show in a while. Those are where we get to really relax, have fun, and do whatever we want. So we're very excited."
UB will serve as the latest of almost 400 colleges at which the pair has performed. Beresin, producer of Chiddy Bang, stated that the duo enjoyed performing for the college demographic.
Chiddy Bang's signature style is a blend of the club and urban dance music that Beresin grew up around and conventional hip-hop.
Beresin infuses energy into his songs, merging two or more scenes in the process. Several tracks used to produce the duo's songs were samples from alternative artists like MGMT, Passion Pit, and Radiohead, giving Chiddy Bang's music a feeling that Beresin calls "future, alternative, rap from space."
Although Chiddy Bang has gained national recognition with its multiple mixtapes, radio hits, and performances all over the country, the duo never expected the act to take off so spectacularly.
"People are so obsessed about getting noticed," Beresin said. "But, me and Chiddy never ever stressed about getting noticed. We literally just gave our music away for free."
Using only word of mouth and an Internet connection to spread its work, there was no definitive "breakout" moment for young group.
"[It is important to] be very content with not being successful in music and still doing it 24 hours a day," Beresin said. "Once you're okay with the fact that you may not be successful and you're still going to do it 24 hours a day, then it'll just happen for you."
The duo still enjoys the feeling of reaching a new summit or tackling a new experience in its musical career. Things like peer recognition or new fans learning to lyrics to Chiddy Bang songs are still humbling experiences for the up-and-comers.
With positive reception from friends, Chiddy Bang went on to release three mixtapes since 2009 – all of them produced by a laptop and a microphone.
Chiddy Bang's latest musical endeavor, Breakfast – which debuts Feb. 28 – the group appears to evolve from its previous work. The latest radio single, "Ray Charles," marks the group's foray into the use of piano and strings.
"We have a lot deeper layers and a lot more textures," Beresin said. "It sounds like a more updated, kind of mature version of us. As a producer, I get to be a lot more of a nerd and spend more time with the track."
The pair is eager for the album's release. Beresin hints that the show may contain some newer material that no one has heard before.
"Once you put out an album, you kind of have a torch raised in the air," Beresin said. "It's on fire, and you kind of have to run with the torches as quickly, as fast as you can go all over the country and the world before the torch goes out and people are bored with your album," Beresin said.
The SA Small Concert featuring Chiddy Bang and UB's own Bagginz will take place Saturday night at Alumni Arena, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Mhdariby / Wikimedia Commons
