Eastside Chedda Boyz

A family crew from the East Side

Eastside Chedda Boyz were a rap collective from the Jefferson/Conner area of Detroit’s East Side, and many of the members were related. Metro Times reported in 2003 that they had started rapping in the early 1990s. The crew was a group of solo artists working together. The roster named in the paper included Anguish (Malik), Permanent Frown (P. Frown), Lil’ Cheezy, Lil’ Baby, Lil’ Dre, Chedda Boy Rell, Tuff Tone, Bucho, Mall and Lil’ Joe, with Wipeout, Big Dee and Sticky Stan in executive and A&R roles.

Please Believe It! and the records

Wipeout, whose real name was Antonio Caddell Jr., led the group and was building Please Believe It! Records into a Detroit hip-hop company. He was executive producer on both of the crew’s albums. Makin Chedda On The Eastside came out on CD in 2000 and was followed by a cassette edition in 2002. Chedda Make It Betta! arrived in July 2003, with most of its production by Mall. The single “I’m a Chedda Boy” was played on WDTJ 105.9 and WJLB 97.9.

Street-level promotion

The crew promoted its music by networking across the city and handing out CDs. They also tested songs in strip clubs, which Metro Times called key proving grounds for Detroit hits. Early on they approached local bootleggers directly and asked them not to copy their CDs. Metro Times reported in 2004 that tens of thousands of their records were said to have been sold. Wikipedia’s overview of Michigan rap groups them with the Street Lord’z as acts with a straightforward street style.

Loss of Wipeout

On September 18, 2004, Wipeout was shot and killed outside the Candy Bar nightclub at Woodward and John R in downtown Detroit. Metro Times covered his death together with other shootings that shook the city’s rap scene that month. The group’s albums have since been made available on streaming services.