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.
Pit Stop
Tinchy Stryder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm half way down the hall way,
My sight is that much clearer,
Keep it hood in the mainstream,
You can blame it on my area,
Wish me luck and the rest of it,
Success I can say I've tasted it,
When the chance cam I never wasted it,
Yeah, I'm here, I'm right up in the mix of it,
More cake, more hate you can't forget the
Stress with it,
Rub shoulders with different starts,
One's you only read about,
From the Sugababes to the Akon's,
One's you never see about,
Swimming in the need end,
Small fish but tell them sharks I'm creeping,
Deep in, don't sleep on me, no dreaming,
I started writing rhymes around the
Years of 99
Comparing me to one these new M.C's
Is like a crime,
Today is a brand new day,
Clock my wrist, check the time,
I'm headlining the show, for real I'm
Here performing live,
And I hit hard, I'm rattling your rib cage,
Know they feel my presence here I'm coming
For the first place gold,
Don't get stuck in the halo, no, no
Don't get stuck in the halo
In Tinchy Stryder's song Pit Stop, the lyrics express his journey towards success in the music industry. He starts by welcoming his audience back and describing his current situation as halfway down the hallway with a clearer perspective. He gives credit to his upbringing in his hood and how it has helped him to maintain his authenticity while achieving recognition in the mainstream. He acknowledges that he has tasted success but has not stopped chasing his dreams. He values the opportunities he has had and has never wasted them. Tinchy Stryder boasts of rubbing shoulders with different stars, some popular, and some less visible. Even though he is a small fish in a big pond, he is determined not to let anyone sleep on him because he has what it takes to come on top.
Tinchy Stryder is proud of his roots and considers himself incomparable to the new MC's in the game as they do not have the same skillset and experience that he possesses. He is living in the moment, and as he looks at his wrist, his clock, he realizes that today is a brand new day, and he is the headliner of the show, performing live. He is confident in his ability to shake things up, and people can feel his presence. Tinchy Stryder advises people not to get stuck in the halo and to keep pushing forward in pursuit of their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome, you're welcome back
Greeting and welcoming the listener or audience to continue listening.
I'm half way down the hall way,
Metaphor for progressing towards success or reaching a goal.
My sight is that much clearer,
Metaphor for having a better understanding or perspective on life and career.
Keep it hood in the mainstream,
Staying true to one's roots or upbringing while still succeeding in the mainstream industry.
You can blame it on my area,
Acknowledging and taking pride in one's hometown or neighborhood.
Wish me luck and the rest of it,
Asking for support and good wishes in achieving further success.
Success I can say I've tasted it,
Acknowledging past achievements and successes.
I've got a dream still chasing it,
Continuing to work towards achieving one's goals and aspirations.
When the chance cam I never wasted it,
Taking advantage of opportunities and not wasting them.
Yeah, I'm here, I'm right up in the mix of it,
Being present and involved in the music industry and its culture.
More cake, more hate you can't forget the Stress with it,
With more success comes more criticism and pressure, which should not be ignored.
Rub shoulders with different starts,
Meeting and interacting with various famous individuals in the industry.
One's you only read about,
Famous individuals who are not commonly seen or known to the public.
From the Sugababes to the Akon's,
Famous individuals from various genres of music.
One's you never see about,
Famous individuals who are not commonly seen or known to the public.
Swimming in the need end,
Being in an environment or situation where competition and challenges are high.
Small fish but tell them sharks I'm creeping,
Even though not as well-known or established, still making moves and advancing in the industry.
Deep in, don't sleep on me, no dreaming,
Working hard and focused on achieving further success, not taking breaks or slacking off.
I started writing rhymes around the Years of 99
Sharing information about when and how Tinchy Stryder began his music career.
Comparing me to one these new M.C's Is like a crime,
Recognizing and proclaiming superiority or originality in his style of music.
Today is a brand new day,
Looking forward to the present and future with optimism and positivity.
Clock my wrist, check the time,
Boasting about owning valuable and expensive possessions.
I'm headlining the show, for real I'm Here performing live,
Being a featured and prominent performer at an event or show.
And I hit hard, I'm rattling your rib cage,
Performing with great intensity and passion, generating a strong and emotional response from the audience.
Know they feel my presence here I'm coming For the first place gold,
Having a strong and ambitious drive to succeed and be the best in the industry.
Don't get stuck in the halo, no, no
Warning against getting too comfortable or complacent with current achievements, and not striving for further success.
Don't get stuck in the halo
Repeating the warning against getting too comfortable or complacent with current achievements, and not striving for further success.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KWASI DANQUAH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind