There are few who possess the tenacity and talent of Chipmunk. Despite being just 18 years-old, the Tottenham teenager has already achieved more than most could dream of. A MOBO Award winner at 17, a permanent fixtures at the top of the charts, he’s had millions of hits on YouTube and MySpace, and is now one of UK’s biggest breakthrough artists of 2009.

And as if that wasn’t enough….Chipmunk has now announced that he will play an all ages show at the Academy next March 2010. This will be his first Irish solo show. Tickets for Chipmunk live at the Academy go on sale this Friday November 27th at 9.00am priced €14.50 including booking fee.

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What makes this engaging MC’s accomplishments all the more incredible is that while he was busy self-releasing singles and mixtapes, touring with N-Dubz and recording with Basement Jaxx, Chipmunk was resolute about completing his education. The owner of 9 GCSE’s at A and B grades and three A’ levels in Sociology, Drama and Critical Thinking. “I’ve just done what the average kid has done,” insists the N4 resident and gifted footballer that used to play for QPR’s youth team. “You have to have a Plan B in life, so I knew I had to see my schooling through.“ Far from your average teenager, this intelligent and motivated MC is truly unique in every sense of the word. “I’m about representing youth culture through music and I’m trying to bring the value of good music back. I want to take the scene further than any UK rapper has taken it before, and I’m very hopeful that I will do that.”

With UK urban music achieving huge commercial success, the stage is set for the leader of the new school to step into the spotlight. Already a staple on MTV, Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Chipmunk has been championed in GQ magazine and The Guardian who called him “the wunderkid of urban music.” His appearances on Tim Westwood’s YouTube channel have received combined viewing figures of over 2m, while his own videos for Diamond Rings, Chip Diddy Chip and Oopsy Daisy, have clocked up 1.6m, 1.7m and 3.1m views respectively. Following a successful support slot with N-Dubz on their sold-out tour this year, Mr. ‘Munk has had a busy summer playing festivals ranging from Glastonbury to Wireless. He even performed a one-off show at The Royal Opera House in September.

On top of all that, he recently recorded Scars with Kelis for Basement Jaxx’s new album, and a track with the chart-topping Bodyrox.

Like many young people, Jahmaal Noel Fyffe grew up listening to the sounds of UK grime stars like Wiley, Kano and Dizzee. At the age of 14, encouraged by his local youth club, The Laundry, Fyffe began crafting his own compositions. Growing up on St. Anne’s estate in Tottenham wasn’t – and still isn’t – easy, but the aspiring artist was determined to choose a legitimate career path over the criminal one he saw some of his peers taking. Buying blank CD’s in bulk, he regularly ran his mum’s ink cartridges dry by printing off cover art for his mixtapes. He took the end product to school, where he sold them to his classmates, and, within a matter of months, he progressed from a homemade hopeful to an acclaimed semi-pro. His second mixtape, Whatever The Weather: Volume 2 caught the attention of Wiley and he soon began working with the Godfather of Grime. 2008’s album A League Of My Own solidified Chipmunk as one of the grime scene’s most skilled songwriters, with Who Are You, Mohammed Ali and Fire Alie ringing from mobile phones up and down the country. An ability to combine pop hooks with street-smart savvy saw, the engaging lyricist quickly captured the attention of kids all over the UK.

Towards the end of 2008, Chipmunk’s rising celebrity status was irrefutable. Earlier this year, Chip and the label he has worked with throughout his career, Haringey based Alwayz Recordings, released Chip Diddy Chip. Despite a lack of major distribution or a mainstream marketing machine behind them, the single charted at No.21, which is an incredible result for an independent set-up. The video also featured Tim Westwood, N-Dubz and Chipmunk’s friends, Flawless, who were runners-up in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent. In April, Chipmunk featured on the Elton John sampling Tiny Dancers, with DJ Ironik. The single shot straight into the charts where it landed at No.3.

Fast forward to June 2009, and attention moved to Chipmunk's own musical gem following his signing to Jive Records. Diamond Rings produced by Naughty Boy and featuring the vocal talents of newcomer Emile Sande smashed into the charts giving Chipmunk his debut top ten single. Based around a ska sample, the infectiously confident uptempo track saw a fast-flowing Chipmunk reflecting on his state of mind. “It’s not about buying diamond rings,” he points out. “It’s a credit crunch right now, no one wants to hear that. It’s more about feeling like a diamond, acknowledging and maintaining your value as a person.” The single took Chipmunk to a whole new audience.

But it was this autumn that really saw Chipmunk go supernova. In September he walked away with the Best Hip Hop Act at the Mobo’s beating the likes of Eminem and Kanye West. And if things couldn’t get any better,Chipmunk’s single Oopsy Daisy, a brilliant upbeat ballad about a break-up became his first #1 single.

On his debut album, I Am… Chipmunk, which recently debuted at #2,Chipmunk switches from talking about the break-up of his parent’s marriage, the realities of life in inner-city London to his all-consuming love of music, the diverse and imaginative debut features collaborations with N-Dubz and production from renowned underground beatmakers Maniac and StarzBeatz. Expect an array of sounds; from gritty grime to pop-tinted R&B. The soaring synths of Lose My Life, co-starring Tulisa from N-Dubz, is a metaphor for Chipmunk’s approach to music-making. “The album is a representation of me and the first 18 years of my life. I hope that people will see that as well as being commercial, it is also deep and well thought out.”

Given his self-made success so far, it’s impossible to predict what is next for the teenage sensation. And yet, you can be assured that his achievements thus far are just the tip of the Chip iceberg. Recently turning down a drama scholarship to concentrate on his music career, the future is looking incredible for the driven and determined rapper. There’s never been doubt that Chipmunk would blow up; it was just a question of when and how big.

“There’s a lyric on my album that goes, ‘I won’t stop until I’m under/ Signing a deal never took away my hunger’,” points out Chipmunk. “I want this and I’m not going to stop until I get it. Signing to a major label isn’t going to slow me down; I’m going harder now. The work I’ve put in and 2007 and 2008, I will quadruple in 2009 and 2010.”

Links
www.youtube.com/user/chiptubeofficial
www.ticketmaster.ie
www.theacademydublin.com

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