Chiddy Bang

Sample-happy Philly duo Chiddy Bang—Xaphoon Jones and Chidera “Proto”Anamege (aka Chiddy)—might be this generation’s answer to A Tribe Called Quest. The duo’s eclectic samples range from Yelle, a French pop band; to Passion Pit, a synthpop group from Cambridge, Mass.; to the soundtrack for Mary Poppins, and, most famously, to indie superstars MGMT, whose song “Kids” provided the sample basis for “Opposite of Adults,” the track that put Chiddy Bang on the map. Recognizing the samples and the songs from where they come is part of the fun. It ignites those same happy feelings you get walking into a party and seeing good friends who have been gone far too long. The mixes are complemented here by Chiddy’s clever raps, such as these lines from “Dream Chasin’: “Because you can get/ notoriety and still ride the train/ Make it in it’s entirety and search for the fame/ But I’m still Michael Phelps swimmin’ in my lane/ Where’s Lois?/ Me, I’m superman Here to save the day.” The Swelly Express actually came out as a mixtape last year, but the spring/summer release/success of the single “Opposite of Adults” has made for a kind of extended introduction to the duo’s fresh mix of hip-hop and electronica.