NFTR finally managed to get Chip on the show for a monumental interview. He has been in the industry for over a decade and has seen and done pretty much everything you can imagine, and is still only 25.
Chip has kept quiet from doing interviews recently, but in this NFTR interview he takes us on his journey in the industry, signing his deal, grime beef’s and so much more.
This interview smashes previous records at a whopping two hours long. For those that didn’t watch, here we have the top 11 things we learnt from Chip’s NFTR. Make sure you catch up on the full thing here.
1. Griminal was the best young MC before his Westwood freestyle.
Prior to his Westwood freestyle Chip (then Chipmunk) felt that Griminal was the best 90’s baby. Chipmunk and Griminal went on to clash at Axe FM before the pair of rappers went their separate paths.
2. He feels that Wiley prefers Ice Kid as an MC
Chip said that he feels Wiley prefers Ice Kid as a grime MC. However, Chip does not take this personal and puts it down to personal preference. We have all seen how highly Wiley speaks of Ice Kid to this day and it doesn’t surprise us that Chip holds this opinion.
3. “Chip Diddy Chip” went to number 21 independently
Before Chip signed his deal with Sony, he was already charting. His debut in the Top 40 came from his single “Chip Diddy Chip” which charted at number 21 before he received any label support.
4. I Am Chipmunk shipped a platinum amount of copies
The debut album by Chip, entitled I Am Chipmunk shipped a platinum amount of copies, and the last time he checked it had sold 250,000. For those who don’t know, and as Vis so kindly explained, “shipped” means how many units the label literally shipped out to shops. That number is based on what the album is expected to sell which means that I Am Chipmunk most likely did go platinum. We can only imagine how much Chipmunk made off that album!
5. The Chris Brown feature wasn’t through his label
Despite being signed to a label, the Chris Brown feature on “Champion” was orchestrated by his own team. Eric Bellinger, one of the co-writers of “Champion” and music producer Harmony contacted Breezy’s people and he received a call from breezy saying he loved the track and would do the feature.
However it wasn’t smooth sailing from this point. Chip’s label didn’t want to put out the record because of Chris Brown’s issues at the time. Certain radio stations also said they wouldn’t support Chip if he put it out. The single eventually leaked and the song was released, doing well with sales.
6. He didn’t get dropped
Despite popular perception, according to Chip he wasn’t dropped by Sony. The real story was that Sony wanted to renegotiate the money due to Chip for the follow up album to Transition, which never materialised. The suggestion from Sony to reduce the money owed to Chip was due to Transition not doing as well as predicted. Chip who wasn’t feeling the record deal he was in used this as an excuse to leave.
7. Chip paid for the “Every Gyal” video, not the label
As previously mentioned, Chip had issues with his label deal at Sony. They didn’t want to support “Champion” and also didn’t want to support his bashment hit “Every Gyal” which featured Mavado. Due to the label resistance, Chip and his team ended up funding the video themselves.
8. He almost signed to YMCMB
It’s common knowledge that Chip spent some time out in Atlanta, signing to T.I.’s label Grand Hustle, for a short lived period of time. He admitted in the NFTR that it was between signing for Grand Hustle and YMCMB, but circumstances made the latter fall through. He met Birdman and Slim in a night club, but never met Lil Wayne.
9. He admitted to being robbed for a £10,000 chain
Rumours have circulated for years that Chip has been robbed for jewelry in the past, and in this NFTR interview he admits to it and also accepts some of the responsibility for it. He explains how he should not have been walking around deprived areas and wearing £10,000 when some people don’t know where their next meal was coming from.
10. He won’t call it this himself, but Chip essentially feels League Of My Own is his own classic
Chip named some of his favourite projects, which included Dizzee Rascal’s Boy in Da Corner, Kano’s Home Sweet Home, Giggs and Dubz’s Ard Bodied and more. He also mentioned that League Of My Own is the a classic (He wouldn’t say it outright but we know what he meant!)
11. Frisco and Sincere are the only MC’s in the industry who have rode with him the whole way
When asked if there were any rappers in the UK who have shown unwavering support for him throughout his career, Chip mentioned the legendary Boy Better Know MC Frisco and rapper/businessman Sincere.
He credits Frisco with introducing him to Alwayz Recording, who helped parlay his talent into a record deal, introduced him to Wiley and even named Frisco as one of his guardian angels in the industry. Chip also said that Sincere has always looked out for him and that Sincere’s old football coach was his dad!
Chip’s new EP Power Up is out now and available here.