On the scale of relative unknown to outrageous superstar, I’m confused as to where Tottenham-born rapper Chipmunk falls. As I write, Great Britain is marvelling over two bizarre headlines bearing his name; ‘Chipmunk Teams Up With (Mayor Of London) Boris Johnson’ and ‘Chipmunk Declares Losing £20,000 Diamond Bracelet Is Nothing’. He’s also sold over one million singles in just a year and a half, not one of which I could hum for you (although two of them are allegedly called ‘Oopsy Daisy’ and ‘Chip Diddy Chip’).
Vocally, there’s nothing to distance Chipmunk, aka Jahmaal Noel Fyffe from Tinchy Stryder, and he’s nowhere near as fanciable as that dishy Tinie Tempah – yet on this, his second album Transition, he seems to think he’s got them both beat. “MCs on my level, there’s none/I don’t feel anyone”, he spits on ‘Follow My Lead’, before equally bombastic lines like “If Twitter had a Twitter, I bet it would follow me”.
The ‘transition’ he’s referring to in the title is undeniably the one he hopes to make from UK grime infant to International R&B star. With a slick new US-friendly sound, Mr. Munk (a self-given title) has clearly set his sights on Lil Wayne and Kanye’s magical cocktail of critical acclaim and street cred. For one, he’s cast away UK collaborators like N-Dubz and the aforementioned Tinchy in favor of Stateside heavyhitters like Keri Hilson and outrageous stage gyrator (and eh… singer) Trey Songz.
Hitmaker extraordinaire Chris Brown lends a syrupy couple of verses to charged-up coming of age tune ‘Champion’, and while the melody is a bit of a downer, Chip manages to hold his own. Elsewhere, ‘Every Gyal’ has an addictive flow, even if you have no idea what Jamaican Dancehall vocalist Mavado is saying, and the electronic whir and stomping bass on ‘White Lies’ make it a shoe-in for chart success.
But let’s not get carried away – egomaniacs with beat smarts are nothing new. What makes Chipmunk’s Transition worthwhile is a consistent smattering of dynamite one-liners like “I’m a shampoo above ya/Yeah, Head & Shoulders” and the intentionally hilarious “The best chat-up line I got now is my face”.
Grime anthem ‘Foul’ combines the best chinks in the Londoner’s arsenal, including a killer beat and a unashamedly pompous narrative (“This beat is foul/Deserves two yellow cards/Send it off, I’m gong hard/With each and every bar”), although you have to wonder if Chip’s souped-up RP accent would have made it to wax if it wasn’t for newcomer Nicki Minaj’s penchant for a wacky British imitation.
Chipmunk’s big hard man routine doesn’t always pay off, but then again, the lad’s only just turned 20. 53 minutes of punchy, intelligently-written floorfilling fare is nothing to be sniffed at. Let’s not forget that game-changer Kanye West, whom Chip clearly idolises, was pushing 30 when he released his debut.
There’s a groan-inducing moment on ‘Follow My Lead’ when Chipmunk probes, “Imagine my level when I’m 25”. All things considered though, the cocky fucker has a point.