Cousins Owura Nyanin and Kofi Hanson formed the South London hip-hop duo the Mitchell Brothers, taking their name from the notorious hardman siblings featured in the British soap opera EastEnders. Early on, Nyanin and Hanson drew influence from OutKast, Jay-Z, and the Notorious B.I.G. while recording tracks in their bedrooms. Performing as Tony and Teddy Mitchell, they manufactured more than 1,000 copies of their debut mixtape, Sorted. After spotting the Streets’ Mike Skinner inside a Brixton bank, they tucked a demo CD into his bag; Skinner, struck by their audacity, signed them as the first act to his label, The Beats. Hanson appeared on the Streets’ 2004 Top Three single “Fit But You Know It,” and the following year the duo issued their debut album, A Breath of Fresh Attire, which spawned three minor hit singles. After opening for 50 Cent across the U.K., they delivered a Calvin Harris-produced tribute to Michael Jackson. Disappointing sales for the 2007 follow-up Dressed for the Occasion ultimately led them to part ways.
