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.
Take Off
Tinchy Stryder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I weren't invited here, and I ain't leaving in a hurry,
And that's exactly how I feel so I quoted it from Dizzee,
The flow is like a heart attack,
I'm the cardiac arrest with it,
I see them demons crawling back, so I sign of the cross I'm blessed with it,
They would love to see me fail like him,
They would love to see me skint,
And wait for the day I visit bing,
Some think I don't deserve this,
Irrelevant thoughts are worthless,
Cloud 9 don't touch no surface,
If they're big in the game I'm Elvis,
It's me, myself and I,
When I'm boxed in I'll survive,
I'll box myself out left and right,
Left him there with and awkward eye,
Music, I live this,
I caught this like a sickness,
And where is my witness,
Music shot me down I bleed this,
Music, I sing this,
But to them it's business,
When you're hot they cherish,
When the flame dies out It's finished,
This is why I'm sinning, with a
Master plan I'm killin' 'em,
This is why I scheme with Jack and Arch,
It's why we're winning, winning,
It's nothing but the realness,
Straight from the heart,
You've gotta feel this.
In the opening lines of "Take Off," Tinchy Stryder establishes his confidence and determination as a musician. He's not waiting for an invitation to succeed - he's making his own way. And he's well aware that there are people who would love to see him fail, but he's not going to let them get to him. The powerful flow he describes is a metaphor for his unstoppable energy and drive. He's also aware of the fleeting nature of success in the music industry, and the thin line between being celebrated and forgotten. But he's not going to let that deter him - he's in this for the love of the music, not just to make money.
As the song progresses, Tinchy reflects on the fact that some people might not think he deserves his success. He's not bothered by these "irrelevant thoughts," though - he knows he's worked hard for everything he's achieved. He's also well aware of the fact that the music industry can be cutthroat - when you're on top, everyone wants to be your friend, but when you're struggling, you're on your own. Tinchy is confident that he'll be able to weather any storms that come his way, though. He'll do whatever it takes to keep making music - even if it means "sinning" or going against the conventional wisdom.
Overall, "Take Off" is a powerful statement of artistic intent. Tinchy Stryder is a force to be reckoned with, and he's not going to let anyone stand in the way of his dreams. He has a master plan, and he's executing it with precision and determination. The song is a testament to the power of hard work, dedication, and passion - and it's a call to everyone to pursue their dreams with the same intensity and purpose that Tinchy brings to his music.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome, the doors are open, Stryder,
I am here, I am ready, and I am not leaving anytime soon.
I weren't invited here, and I ain't leaving in a hurry,
I may not have been welcomed, but I am not going anywhere quickly.
And that's exactly how I feel so I quoted it from Dizzee,
These words are so true to me that I borrowed them from another artist.
The flow is like a heart attack,
My flow is so powerful it's like a sudden, overwhelming event.
I'm the cardiac arrest with it,
I am the cause of this powerful flow, like a cardiac arrest of the music industry.
I see them demons crawling back, so I sign of the cross I'm blessed with it,
Negative forces are retreating because I have the power of faith on my side.
They would love to see me fail like him,
Others want me to fail, just like they saw someone else did.
They would love to see me skint,
People want me to be poor and broke.
They would love to see me turn to the roads,
Others want me to fail so badly that they wish for me to resort to a life of crime.
And wait for the day I visit bing,
They are waiting for me to end up in jail or prison.
Some think I don't deserve this,
There are those who don't think I earned my success.
Irrelevant thoughts are worthless,
Negative thoughts about me are unimportant and hold no value.
Cloud 9 don't touch no surface,
I am so high up that even Cloud 9 doesn't compare.
If they're big in the game I'm Elvis,
I am a legend in this industry, just like Elvis was.
It's me, myself and I,
I am alone in my pursuit of greatness.
When I'm boxed in I'll survive,
Even when I am trapped, I will find a way to survive.
I'll box myself out left and right,
I will fight my way out of any situation.
Left him there with and awkward eye,
Others will be left stunned by my ability to overcome obstacles.
Music, I live this,
Music is my life and my passion.
I caught this like a sickness,
My love for music is so strong that it is like a contagious illness.
And where is my witness,
Who can attest to my love for music?
Music shot me down I bleed this,
Although music may have knocked me down, I still bleed this passion.
Music, I sing this,
I express my love for music through my songs.
But to them it's business,
Others see music as a way to make money.
When you're hot they cherish,
When I am popular, they appreciate me.
When the flame dies out It's finished,
When my popularity fades, my time in the spotlight is over.
This is why I'm sinning, with a Master plan I'm killin' 'em,
I am doing what others may see as wrong, but I have a purpose and I am succeeding because of it.
This is why I scheme with Jack and Arch,
I collaborate with others to achieve my goals.
It's why we're winning, winning,
Because of our teamwork and determination, we are succeeding.
It's nothing but the realness,
My lyrics are genuine and authentic.
Straight from the heart,
My music comes from my deepest emotions and experiences.
You've gotta feel this.
My music is powerful and you cannot ignore it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KWASI DANQUAH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind