Q&A: Tinchy Stryder on Grime, crime and guilty pleasures…
Grime artist Tinchy Stryder has topped the charts this year with singles Never Leave You and the aptly-titled Number One.
The songs, collaborations with Amelle Berrabah of the Sugababes and N-Dubz, feature on his debut album Catch 22 – which reached No 2 in the charts.
Real name Kwasi Danquah, the 22-year-old hails from East London.
DOES THE ALBUM CATER FOR DIFFERENT MOODS?
I didn’t really structure them with that in mind, but what I was going through at the time. There are downtempo tunes and then the ones which are going to get you hyped up, so there’s a nice mix on there.
YOU PERFORMED AT THE LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM FESTIVAL THIS YEAR – IS IT AN ISSUE CLOSE TO YOUR HEART?
Yeah, they reached out to me and explained exactly what the organisation’s about. Anything I believe in and can be a part of – I’m down for that, man. I’m not really into politics but when I heard the BNP had won some seats, it highlighted that racism is something that needs to be blocked out. The great thing about music is that everyone understands it – it’s the universal language.
DO YOU STILL LIVE IN EAST LONDON?
Yeah, I still live in East London. When I was growing up in Bow, the main thing everyone wanted to do was music. There are a lot of people making good music from a young age. There are some things that go on which are not quite so positive, but you get that in every area. In Bow a lot of people stuck together so there weren’t a lot of enemies growing up, which helped make it feel like a community.
DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN?
No, initially I wanted to be a footballer and that was my main thing. I used to play for the Wimbledon youth team and Leyton Orient. Now I support Manchester United – I know it’s strange coming from East London.
YOU’VE BEEN LABELLED A GRIME ARTIST. ARE YOU WORRIED THE GENRE MIGHT BE A FLASH IN THE PAN LIKE UK GARAGE WAS?
I think that it might be a concern if you’re the type of artist who can only make grime. Old-school garage evolved into grime. No actual artists from the scene named it grime. It just got labelled. I wouldn’t say I’m concerned because that’s just where I’ve come from, it’s just something that’s a part of me. I don’t feel like it’s the only type of music I can make, so I’m feeling comfortable.
YOU’RE ALSO A MEMBER OF THE GROUP THE RUFF SQWAD AREN’T YOU?
Yeah, we all grew up together and it all just started in my bedroom, really. We were just making tapes. Because we were friends before the music, we can work well together. A couple of the members are producers on my record, too. We’ve always had a different sound to the rest out there on the scene. We are unique. At times our focus will shift onto different things, but we’ll always come back and do projects together.
DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT YOUR MUSIC SENDS OUT A POSITIVE MESSAGE?
Some people may choose to become role models, but I didn’t. It’s new to me – I’m still becoming aware of the fact that a lot of people might listen to my music. At the same time, though, I’ve got to be real and talk about the things which are going on around me. I think you can’t really hold back on the things that are coming from your heart.
PEOPLE ASSOCIATE GRIME WITH GUN/KNIFE CRIME – IS IT A LAZY COMPARISON?
I think so. Knife crime runs much deeper than any music people listen to. You can watch a film and see more violence than what you will hear on a grime track, so people use music as an excuse.
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE?
My first choice, I have to say, is hip-hop. But I’m open-minded and into different types of music. Especially now – I hear so many things. I think I listen to music differently now and understand music better, but my first love is hip-hop because that’s what I grew up on. I do like some British hip-hop but I came up on Biggie and Jay Z.
DO YOU HAVE ANY GUILTY PLEASURES?
To tell you the truth, I actually haven’t. There’s nothing I can think of.
DOES THAT MEAN YOU’RE VERY COOL OR JUST TOO ASHAMED TO MENTION THEM?
Ha ha! I am ridiculously cool! When I was younger I’d like Spice Girls and things like that, but then everyone did so I’m not ashamed. Now pop music is credible again anyway, so I’m still a winner!
TINCHY STRYDER TOUR DATES
:: September 17, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
:: September 18, Junction, Cambridge
:: September 19, Academy, Liverpool
:: September 20, Academy, Newcastle
:: September 22, ABC 2, Glasgow
:: September 23, Academy 2, Birmingham
:: September 24, Academy, Oxford
:: September 25, Shepherds Bush Empire, London
:: September 27, UEA, Norwich
:: September 28, Southampton University
:: September 29, Academy 2, Manchester
:: October 1, Solus, Cardiff
:: October 2, Concorde 2, Brighton
:: October 5, Academy 2, Bristol
:: October 6, Warwick University
:: October 7, 53 Degrees, Preston
:: October 8, Academy 2, Sheffield
