The Mitchell Brothers

Named after the iconic hardmen siblings of British soap opera EastEnders, South London hip-hop duo the Mitchell Brothers are cousins Owura Nyanin and Kofi Hanson. Inspired by the likes of OutKast, Jay-Z, and the Notorious B.I.G., Nyanin and Hanson began making music in their bedrooms at an early age and, under the guise of Tony and Teddy Mitchell, pressed up over 1,000 copies of their first mixtape, Sorted. Spotting the Streets' Mike Skinner at a bank in Brixton, they slipped a copy of their demo CD into his bag and, with Skinner impressed by their initiative, they became the first act to sign to his The Beats record label. In 2004, Hanson provided guest vocals for the Streets' Top Three hit "Fit But You Know It," and a year later they released their debut album, A Breath of Fresh Attire, which produced three minor hit singles. After supporting 50 Cent on his U.K. tour, they released a Calvin Harris-produced homage to Michael Jackson, but following the disappointing sales of 2007 follow-up Dressed for the Occasion, they decided to go their separate ways. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi