Stryder started at the age of 14 on pirate radio sets in East London with other well known grime MCs such as Wiley and Dizzee Rascal. His stage name derives from the video game Strider which he played when he was young and from the nickname "Tinchy" given to him due to his short stature: his height at 5'1" (1.55m) making him the shortest male artist ever to top the UK Top 40. Tinchy made a number of appearances on Sky's Channel U and especially their 1Xtanra radio show taking part in freestyles, sometimes joined by his crew Ruff Sqwad. Tinchy Stryder was part of a spectacular line up at The O2 arena 3D ELEKTRO RAVE alongside Caspa and Rusko, Frankmusik, High Contrast and Dancing Robot Music.[7] Tinchy Stryder was part of well-known grime crew Roll Deep for a while, featuring on some songs including 'U Were Always', which was released years later on Roll Deep's compilations album, Street Anthems.
Many before him have tried and failed; in April 2009 Tinchy Stryder became the first artist ever to reach number 1 in the official national singles charts with a song title featuring the phrase ‘number one’. A self-fulfilling prophecy personified? Well, he’s certainly living up to his music moniker ‘Star in the Hood’.
Over the past six months, 23 year-old Tinchy has signed a recording deal with Island Records and has racked up three consecutive top 3 hits, ‘Take Me Back’ feat. Taio Cruz, released in January debuted at no 39 on downloads alone, the following week on it’s official release the single climbed 36 places to number 3, and maintained a Top 5 position for four weeks. In April, ‘Number 1’ feat. N-Dubz debuted at Number 1 and topped the UK charts for a whopping three weeks, this was followed in August by Tinchy’s second 1 single ‘Never Leave You’ featuring Amelle from the Sugababes.
Tinchy Stryder, is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most exciting artists, The Independent recently said, “If Grime was the football world, Tinchy Stryder would be like your Michael Owens and Wayne Rooney’s of today.” He just completed a sold out arena tour in September 2009, which caused such a demand with fans that he has had to put a larger arena tour straight on for February 2010.
Tinchy, real name Kwasi Danquah, was born in Ghana in 1986 and moved to East London at a young age. He was brought up and still lives in one of the capital’s most dangerous boroughs – Tower Hamlets; yet despite his tough upbringing he has a distinctly positive outlook on life and is determined to provide a positive role model for kids across the country. Having started making music, along with his group ‘Ruff Sqwad’, aged just 13 Tinchy has seen through the years the negative press that the music he loves has received and is on a mission to change this. He recently completed a degree in Digital Arts and Moving Imagery at University of East London.
“It’s important to me to show that black males aren’t all about looking threatening and robbing your granny” Tinchy quips. “It’s not always easy growing up in an inner city area, wherever it is, but in my music I want to show people that you can take that experience and turn it into something positive.”
“I guess my writing is pretty much from my life experience right now” says Tinchy. “That’s why I’ve focused a lot on the whole star in the hood thing – cos I’m still here – where I always have been, but now people know me, so I can’t always go the same places I used to be able to. I’m not in a rush to get out cos I know my area and I love it, but hopefully one day through my music I can.”
By the age of 21, Tinchy was a seasoned MC on the grime and London pirate radio scene. One of the industry’s main players, Wiley of ‘Wearin’ my Rolex’ fame, crowned Tinchy the ‘Prince of Grime’. In 2006 he was booked by two forward thinking teenagers, Archie Lamb and Jack Foster to play one of their club nights they ran while at school; this meeting changed the course of his career. The three of them struck an immediate bond and Tinchy signed to their company Takeover – for management, live, recording, merchandise and publishing. Together they designed the ‘Star in The Hood’ T-shirts which they sold on myspace and ebay and the profits financed the promotion/marketing of Tinchy’s debut album Star In The Hood. It’s now a flourishing clothing line, which has just expanded into retail, with the kind of profit margins that would impress Phillip Green. The buzz surrounding ‘Stryderman’, one of the singles released from the album caught the attention of execs at Island records. Tinchy Stryder, Jack and Archie signed a joint venture with the major at the end of 2008.
Having just released his major label debut, Catch 22, which went Gold within 2 weeks of release and just signing a joint venture deal with EMI Publishing alongside Takeover for a joint music publishing company allowing Tinchy Jack and Archie the opportunity to develop and invest in new talent, the future is looking extremely bright for Stryder.
As 2010 draws near he embarks on pushing the boundaries of Star In The Hood clothing and entering into partnerships with some of the UK’s largest retailers, planning his all new fully live show and summer full of festivals whilst also beginning the recording process for his second major label album with a host of exciting collaborators including re-uniting with Fraser T Smith and working with some of the top US record producers and writers, Tinchy is feeling great about the new year, “I’m out to takeover the world this time round, for 2010 and beyond” he smiles.
Never Leave You
Tinchy Stryder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoa, whoa, and I will never leave ya
I'm still lovin' you, like it was the first time
I'm still lovin' you, like it was the first time
(Like the very first time)
Yo I've been here right here in them bold streets
A king here music world at my own feet
Dealing with the mainstream thank the lord daily
I'm sincere and I've been from the start
Ask Dyl (Dizzee Rascal), ask Will (Wiley), man I've had it in my heart
So I drop tears cause everything's changed reminiscing them days tryna turn the page
Cause I've been around the world I've seen so many places,
Livin' the life I've worked so hard to make it,
Trading the world for money, stars, and power, living my life at 100 miles an hour.
I'm still loving you like it was the first time,
I'm still loving you like it was the first time
Whoa, whoa, and I will never leave ya
Whoa, whoa, and I will never leave ya
You must be joking, don't tell me that its over
I'm driving the scene forward I'm a chauffeur
Its open so come we all enter
Tired of being in the back now we're center
We're chosen but they're telling us we're selling out
All we wanna do is open doors man hear me out
Were frozen cause they left us in the cold
Only right I took my chance now I'm bringing it home
Cause I been around the world I seen so many places
Living the life iv worked so hard to make it trading the world
For money stars and power living my life at 100 miles an hour
I'm still loving you like it was the first time (Like the very first time)
I'm still loving you like it was the first time (Like the very first time)
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya (I will never leave)
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya (I will never leave)
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya (I will never leave)
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
And yo I dived in and now I'm swimming in the deep end
And iv been gone since the weekend
So how's your week been without me how you keeping
Well this is come back season.
Well this is come back season I call it come back
I've seen the whole map and I'll be back by the evening
Cause I'm still loving you like it was the first time (Like the very first time)
I'm still loving you like it was the first time (Like the very first time)
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
In Tinchy Stryder’s song “Never Leave You”, the artist expresses his devotion to a lover, pledging to never leave her side. He starts the song by asserting that his love for her is as strong as when they first met - “I’m still lovin' you, like it was the first time”. Despite his busy life as a musician, he is committed to her and won’t abandon her.
Tinchy goes on to talk about his journey in the music industry, highlighting how far he has come and how hard he has worked to get where he is. Despite facing challenges and critics who accuse him of selling out, he remains determined to succeed and bring home his success. He mentions being away from his lover for the weekend, but assures her that he will be back soon and their love will remain unchanged.
Overall, “Never Leave You” is a heartfelt song about the artist's commitment to his love, even in the face of challenges and success.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa, whoa, and I will never leave ya
I will always stick by your side, no matter what challenges we may face.
I'm still lovin' you, like it was the first time
My love for you is as strong as the day we first met, and will never fade.
Yo I've been here right here in them bold streets
Late nights tryna write mums sayin' go sleep.
A king here music world at my own feet
Dealing with the mainstream thank the lord daily
I'm sincere and I've been from the start
Ask Dyl (Dizzee Rascal), ask Will (Wiley), man I've had it in my heart
So I drop tears cause everything's changed reminiscing them days tryna turn the page
I've worked hard to achieve my dreams in the music industry, and always appreciate where I came from. I'm filled with emotion as I remember the days of struggling to make it, but I'm grateful for all that has changed since then.
Cause I've been around the world I've seen so many places,
Livin' the life I've worked so hard to make it,
Trading the world for money, stars, and power, living my life at 100 miles an hour.
I've experienced so much through my success, but it's come at the cost of sacrificing other parts of my life. The fame, fortune, and excitement comes with living life at a fast pace.
You must be joking, don't tell me that its over
I'm driving the scene forward I'm a chauffeur
Its open so come we all enter
Tired of being in the back now we're center
We're chosen but they're telling us we're selling out
All we wanna do is open doors man hear me out
Were frozen cause they left us in the cold
Only right I took my chance now I'm bringing it home
I refuse to believe that my career has hit a dead end. I'm determined to lead the way in the industry and bring new opportunities for others to succeed. Despite facing criticism and opposition, my goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone to thrive. I've taken risks and made sacrifices to get to where I am and won't let anything stop me from achieving my goals.
And yo I dived in and now I'm swimming in the deep end
And iv been gone since the weekend
So how's your week been without me how you keeping
Well this is come back season.
I've been fully immersed in my career and haven't had time for anything else. Now, I'm ready to make a comeback and re-emerge in the industry stronger than ever before.
Well this is come back season I call it come back
I've seen the whole map and I'll be back by the evening
My comeback is not only a personal achievement, but also a statement to the industry. I've been taking time to plan my strategic moves and know exactly where I'm headed. I'm confident that I'll make a swift return and have a strong impact once again.
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
No matter what happens, I will always stand by you and be there when you need me.
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
Whoa whoa I will never leave ya
My loyalty to you will never waver and I will always be here for you whenever you need me. No matter how many times I repeat it, my promise remains the same.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRASIER SMITH, KWASI DANQUAH, TAIO CRUZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@damo128
This is one of those awesome songs what sounds as good as the first time when you play it 100 times
It's awesome
It always puts me in a good mood when my depression tries to get the better of me
They should play this on the radio more frequently
Awesome tune!!!
@jrim92
Still a banger to this day. its a shame music today isn't like this. I'm blessed to be a 90s kid and grown up with music like this
@JuiceyTutorialsHD
Most music now is a joke totally agree, it was so much better back then
@QuakkHan
Ikr- I’m a 2000s kid, I would’ve loved to have been born in the 90s
@danfrost6753
I'm a 90s kid I was 17 when this came out everyone had this song on thier phones what a tune
@omarshire6664
This track was dead
@Girl-101
80s kid but had teenage years from 1994 and the 90s hits were everything 🩷
@DweenieeTodd
I'll admit that 2009 was an awesome year fo music.
@neilmurphy8520
DweenieeTodd yes it definitely was a very good year for good music like this one
@WedgePee
@Sorrowli I've reviewed every number one from November 1952 to the present time.
2009 was consistently bad, so much so that, unlike any year before, I almost gave up.
@AbhijeetSingh-tr3tn
Damn true