Chiedu Oraka is a rapper, producer and artist from Hull. The past few years have seen Chiedu develop a unique sound and style. He has taken Grime, often portrayed as a primarily Londoncentric scene, and BritHop and infused both with a sound that is unmistakably Northern both in terms of his engaging accent and the accompanying dialect; even down to the recording of him asking a local for directions at the start of “21st Kid”. He has humour too. The same track offsets the intensity of the ensuing fight scenario with his regret that he will have to throw away the takeaway Pizza he has just bought in order to take on his adversaries! That same humour, harsh on the one hand but funny too, is also an important trademark. Chiedu has a lot to say but he doesn’t take himself ridiculously seriously and that’s part of his overall appeal.
Before you read on, Chiedu Oraka is giving a FREE download of “Darcy”, a special edition single mixed for Angry Baby readers. If you’re not already subscribed to Angry Baby, just pop the email address that you’d like it delivered to here and it will be on its way to you straight away, together with a bumper collection of music that has been shared by Angry Baby. The music comes from outstanding artists that you may not have heard before. With a mix of rock, pop, folk…you name it…there’s bound to be something new that floats your musical boat, and all for free! What’s not to like about that?!
A key element of Chiedu’s unique sound is his work with producer and sometimes fellow rapper Deez Kid. The nuances they bring to the recordings make a significant difference. The semi-rock guitar ambience that offsets the synth and the echoing shouts of too grown up on the excellent “Grown Up” (credited to Life v Chiedu Oraka) are perfect examples of this element.
That harsh but humorous approach is coupled with Chiedu’s unquestionable ability to come up with a great hook on “Won’t Get Along”. Who could resist a line like:
“If you buy clothes to seek acceptance and you’re not in school, we won’t get along”
This is Northern Grime epitomised. In this respect he shares a commonality with Nottingham’s Elmz XIX who is pursuing a similar path from an East Midlands perspective.
Chiedu Oraka is certainly one of several exciting artists emerging from Hull, the UK’s City of Culture, and thriving on the support and enthusiasm for new music in the City. What’s needed now is a bigger wider platform from which to broadcast Chiedu’s fantastic work to a larger audience. Hopefully this feature on Angry Baby can help. So spread the word, folks. We love uniqueness at Angry Baby and this guy has it in spades.
Chiedu Oraka’s advice to anyone just starting out with their music focuses on craft and creativity:
My advice would be spend a lot of time working on your craft. Practice makes perfect. Try not listen to other people’s opinions too much concentrate on yourself and if you really love what you do the people will resonate anyway
Chiedu Oraka’s music is available on itunes. Get your copy here
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