Tinie Tempah Biography

Tinie Tempah is an English rapper and songwriter who gained fame in 2010 through his 2 number one singles Pass Out and Written in the Stars. The album containing these tracks went immediately Platinum and the artist won 2 Brit Awards. He is the rapper who got charted No. 1 in the UK the most times.

Debut & Disc-Overy (2010)

Tinie comes from Igbo parents and his real name, Chukwuemeka, means “God has done more”. He came up with his stage name at the young age of 12 .”Tempah” comes from “temper” and “Tinie” from “tiny”, hence being a softer version of “angry”. The rapper’s inspiration comes from the duality of lifestyle and architecture in London. Tinie began making music in 2005 and after only two years he opened his own record label – Disturbing London, in order to encourage the development of hip hop in England. In the present, the record also produces clothes.

Tinnie’s career went upwards in 2009, after performing at the Wireless Festival, due to being discovered by the president of Parlophone Records. The same year brought him a deal with Sony. One of his songs was featured on the new PlayStation Portable. Tinie’s first song produced at Parlophone, Pass Out, had an immense success. Therefore, it sold over 90k copies in the first week. Furthermore, he played his emblematic single on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, accompanied by Snoop Dogg. His next song, Frisky, features in a Bacardi commercial. His 3rd single, Written in the Stars, sold even better and thus, was used as a theme for Wrestlemania XXVII. He also collaborated with Ellie Goulding for the single Wonderman. The hit song is about his ascension to fame and money.

Demonstration (2013) and Youth (2015)

Tinie Tempah launched his second album in 2013, a project on which he worked along with heavy names in the industry – Labrinth, Dizzee Rascal, Ellie Goulding, Big Sean and Emeli Sandé. Its lead single, Trampoline, featuring 2 Chainz, reached number 3 on the UK Singles chart. In addition, in 2014, the rapper joined the judging panel at The X Factor. In 2015, the first single from the album Youth  – Not Letting Go – went straight to number 1 on the UK charts. Additionally, the second single, Girls Like – featuring Zara Larsson, peaked at number five and was certified Platinum.

Photo credit: Discogs