Chipmunk – For The Fun Of It (Mixtape Review)

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For many UK emcees, making the jump from the subterranean Grime scene to the glitzy mainstream is always done with much hesitance. But for North London’s Chipmunk, the cautious leap was replaced with a confident stroll. Embracing a daytime radio format of music led to a number one single, a debut album, a MOBO Award and many live performances for Mr Munk. Returning to the mixtape circuit which bore his early success, For The Fun of It aims to solidify his success story and reduce the forum critics who refuse to be convinced of Chipmunk’s superstar status.

With no sign of any “Oopsie Daisy” or “Chip Diddy Chip” on the mixtape, Chippy returns to the Grime format which helped elevate him into the current phenomena position. His ability to venomously attack beats has always been his greatest asset and displays this when featuring on the all-star cast for “She Likes To”. Collaborations with Double S on “Jumeirah” and the Grimefather Wiley on “2010” shows Chipmunk is still capable of producing great material over 140 bpm, whilst freestyles from appearances on BBC 1Xtra and Kiss 100 show that he hasn’t fully deserted the Grime genre.

But it’s his chosen subject matter which is the setback on this latest release. A good majority of For The Fun of It revolves around delivering aggressive barbs at unnamed emcees and ‘haters’. Although it’s common for artists to vent their frustrations, allowing his annoyance to dominate the mixtape gets repetitive and tedious after a very short time.

Whilst the radio-friendly Chipmunk continues to dominate the singles and album charts, For The Fun of It displays the great traits which the North London emcee displayed on the underground before his implosion. Sounding right at home alongside many of the best in Grime, Chipmunk still stands as one of the best to come out in a few years. But should he continue to let his doubters be a thorn in his side, unfortunately his output will seemingly be directed at them rather than those who appreciate his talents.

–Henry Yanney

DOWNLOAD: Chipmunk – For The Fun Of It [Right Click + Save As]

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