18 things you may not know about the 1Xtra Live 2018 stars

By Emma Finamore, 20 September 2018

1Xtra Live 2018 takes place at London's O2 Arena on 22 September, featuring huge stars like Chance The Rapper, Pusha T, Jorja Smith and Stefflon Don, as well as promising upcomers like Ella Mai, Kojo Funds and more.

Many of the artists you’ll already be big fans of; others might become your favourite new act. But here are a few things you might not know about those taking to the stage at 1Xtra Live.

• How to watch and listen to 1Xtra Live 2018

1. Chance The Rapper's dad worked for Barack Obama

Most people know about the Chicago rapper's close ties with Kanye West (the pair even have a joint album on its way), but did you know that there's another famous face he's linked with connected to the Windy City? You see, Chance’s father worked for Barack Obama - first as an aide for the then-Illinois senator and then again for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, later working in the Department of Labor during the US President's first term.

This connection has lasted, too. The rapper volunteered for Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and took his daughter to meet the Obamas in 2017. Chance remains politically active in his hometown too, meeting Governor Bruce Rauner in 2017 and donating $1,000,000 to Chicago Public Schools.

Recalling the first time he met Obama when he was "13 or 14", Chance says that he told Barack of his rap aspirations, to which Obama replied simply: "word".

2. Pusha T may have written the McDonald's I’m Lovin' It jingle

It sounds absurd, but King Push may have played a role in creating the I'm Lovin' It McDonald's jingle, which has been in use since 2003. The origins are quite confusing but record executive Steve Stoute made headlines in 2016 when he claimed that Pusha was involved in the Justin Timberlake song that spawned the jingle.

Pusha T's involvement has been disputed, and the list of names attached to the track also include a German advertising agency, various writers and Pharrell Williams' The Neptunes, but the rapper appeared to confirm Stoute's side of the story when he himself tweeted that it was "my McD's jingle". So there you have it.

3. Jorja Smith once took Drake shopping in Walsall

She might be garnering an international fan base with her Mercury Prize-nominated jazz-tinged soul and high-profile collaborations, but Jorja Smith clearly stays true to her West Midlands roots. When Drake played at Birmingham in 2017, Smith took him on a little shopping trip to her hometown of Walsall – the pair (who worked together on on Drizzy's More Life project) surprising staff at a Co-Op by popping in to buy some sweets. As you do.

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4. Despite being from Tottenham, Chip is actually an Arsenal fan

Chip's love for footy runs so deep that the star grew up wanting to be a footballer before his musical talent became clear. While he may hail from Tottenham though, his football loyalty lies with the Gunners rather than Spurs. Chip even once said in an interview that his favourite building was Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

• Check out Chip’s live Maida Vale session

5. Nobody knows MIST’s real name

Birmingham rapper MIST may be making waves at the moment – he's won MOBO Awards and collaborating with the likes of Stormzy and J Hus - but his real name still remains a mystery. Or should that be mist-ery?

6. Mr. Eazi is quite the entrepreneur

Mr. Eazi combines his childhood in Nigeria with his young adulthood in Ghana to create what he calls ‘Banku’ music – a fusion of Nigerian Afrobeats with a slow, laid-back delivery inspired by the chilled-out vibe of Ghanaian living (and taking its name from a staple food of Ghana).

But it’s not the first time Eazi has founded something new: he says he started six businesses before entering the music world. His ventures supposedly included E-commerce, soft drinks importing, gold mining, food distribution and club promotion. Eazi also studied mechanical engineering at university in Ghana. A man of many talents, clearly.

7. Ella Mai tried out for X Factor once

South London RnB singer Ella Mai took the world by storm this summer with her track Boo’d Up (covered by Moss Kena for 1Xtra), becoming the first UK act to top the US R&B singles charts since 1992. Her hit ended up getting remixed by Nicki Minaj and winning a fan in Rihanna. It was even covered by Moss Kena for 1Xtra.

A brush with fame nearly came when she tried out for The X Factor 2014. Ella entered the TV talent contest as part of girl group Arize. After a successful first audition though, the group didn't progress any further, splitting soon after. This led Mai to go it alone, uploading covers to Instagram and eventually catching the attention of producer DJ Mustard. The rest is history.

8. Yxng Bane takes inspiration from Batman movies

Genre-hopping East Londoner Yxng Bane utilises elements of dancehall, Afropop, gospel, hip hop and RnB, but also draws influence from films. He took his stage name (pronounced “young bane”) from Tom Hardy’s masked Batman villain in The Dark Knight Rises.

Yxng Bane (real name Larry Kiala) says he felt some affinity with the character as he also preferred to conceal his identity. “When I first started making music I didn’t like to show my face,” he explained in a 2017 interview. “I really like the Bane mask. So that’s where Yxng Bane came from.”

9. Chance's brother is also a rapper

With tracks called Family and Family Matters, it’s clear what is important to Chance. It turns out that his family's rap prowess doesn't end with him either. Chance's brother – Taylor Bennett – started out as an MC around the same time as he did, and built up a rep off his own back: selling out shows in Chicago and opening for his idol Nas.

The two brothers have collaborated over the years too - on a track called Broad Shoulders in 2015 and Gimmie A Call for Bennett’s Throw Aways: Unmixed project in 2017. Bennett also made a track for Chance’s 24th birthday called Only Brother – a reimagining of Chance’s own D.R.A.M Sings Special from the Coloring Book mixtape.

10. Popcaan has some very famous fans

***Due to reasons beyond our control, Popcaan is unable to fly to the UK and will no longer be able to perform at 1Xtra Live***

Discovered by fellow dancehall star Vybz Kartel, Jamaica's Popcaan has gone on to amass an impressive roll call of fans. When Snoop Dogg was recording his Snoop Lion project in Kingston, the rapper-turned-reggae star headed straight to see Popcaan at his Shocking Vibes studio. The dancehall star's other famous fans include Kanye (who sampled Popcaan on Yeezus) and Drake (who has collaborated with Popcaan numerous times and oftens incorporates Jamaican slang into his bars). Fellow 1Xtra Live performer Pusha T is an admirer too, teaming up with Popcaan for Blocka back in 2012.

11. Kojo Funds credits prayer for his success

King of Afro-Swing, Kojo Funds can pinpoint the moment he got on the right track in terms of his career. The Dun Talking singer says praying helped him get his first breaks in music. He said in an interview earlier this year that he was praying for a different direction in life. A month or so later, Kojo was heard freestyling and earned himself an invitation to a studio.

"I wasn’t doing anything that day anyway, so went in, listened to the beat, wrote, laid down bars, and played it," Kojo recalls. "[It] sounded sick. That was the first time I recorded, ever."

12. Stefflon Don grew up with an American accent

The don of UK rap may have been born in Birmingham but moved to the Netherlands at the age of 4. In her decade spent in Rotterdam, the star was surrounded by different voices and languages (Dutch, Moroccan, Turkish, Antillean, Surinamese), but claims to have picked up an American accent during this time.

In an interview earlier this year, she said: "I had a weird accent. Dutch people speak American English and my parents were Jamaican, with their own broken English. American English mixed with broken English."

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13. Davido is breaking new ground for African artists

Nigeria's Davido is passionate about his homeland getting its props, and in a recent interview cited examples like Black Panther and the Nigerian football shirt as important moments of African culture finally getting its dues. He's spearheading things for musicians in the region too, last year becoming the first African act to perform at the MOBO Awards. At 1Xtra Live, Davido is one of many acts representing a diverse array of music from all around the world.

14. Chance The Rapper nearly lived with James Blake

For a brief moment in 2014, Chance and James Blake toyed with the idea of becoming roomies. Their friendship started with a Chance-aided remix of Blake's Life Round Here and peaked with selfies around a fire pit in their "new crib". Unfortunately though, the plans eventually fell through.

15. Amy Winehouse is Jorja Smith’s biggest inspiration

Smith isn't shy in speaking of her love for Amy Winehouse, citing the late star as her biggest inspiration, saying in an interview: "I loved Amy Winehouse. If I could duet with anyone it would be her. She was so honest, everything she sings about." The admiration makes sense, as Jorja is viewed by many as the heir to Amy’s neo-soul crown. Smith has also said that Winehouse’s debut LP Frank is the soundtrack to her life: “That album is amazing… I'm always in the mood for Frank.”

16. Chip has been recording music since he was 13

Chip – or Chipmunk, as he used to be known – started recording music when he was still in his early teens, renting out studios for 20 quid after being inspired to pursue music by hearing his heroes Wiley and Dizzee Rascal on pirate radio. He uploaded a video for Who Are You? at 16, racking up 3 million views on YouTube. Just before his 18th birthday, Chip signed a record deal for his debut album. Now at 27, his 1Xtra Live set will undoubtedly prove that he shows no signs of slowing down.

17. Stefflon Don and her pals make a surprise appearance on Drake’s new album

You might recognise one of 1Xtra Live’s biggest stars on Drake’s new record, Scorpion. Champagne Papi himself enlisted Steff and her crew to record themselves chatting, ultimately using the recording as the outro of his song Peak. Steff later shouted her mate's album feature on Instagram, joking that "all we did was chat about [men]".

18. Pusha T really loves football shirts

He may not be the biggest footy fan in the world (he's said in an interview that he watches games "sometimes" and doesn't follow any teams in particular), but Pusha is "heavily into" football shirts. He's spent an entire tour wearing just football tops night after night, calling it his "tour wardrobe" of the time.

"Football jerseys are a hybrid of leisure and luxury," Pusha has argued. "They're colourful, the material pops and the silhouette just really works." At 1Xtra Live then, you can guarantee that Pusha T will be looking - as well as sounding - great.

• How to watch and listen to 1Xtra Live 2018

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