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.
We Got Dem
Tinchy Stryder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're wishing them the best,
We're wishing them the best,
This is catch two-two, I'm age two-two,
Spent like two-two on a black out coupe,
Wanna know how I'm looking lately,
Don't stare through limousine tints that's rude,
And back then I was a first time learner,
I skipped classes, straight to the masters,
Now look I'm a skyline earner,
Cash in hand no finance
When we cash in grands it's violent,
Chipmunk co-pilots the airlines,
So flee we land on next islands,
I topped the bill, we can't relate
'cause you earn the bill, $100,
There's chrome on the grills,
No less than 19's on the wheels,
Back to the music wheel this,
I flow crazy, mental illness, brainless,
But I'm amazing grace so thy shall feel this,
I'm raising the bar, your waistline,
I liaise with stars on cloud nine,
Wings on my back, skydive,
It's over, wrap, night time.
Trust, no stress we're calm,
We're shooting far, we got dem trust,
We glow in the dark,
We're some superstars,
We got dem, Trust, no stress we're calm,
We're shooting far, we got dem trust,
We glow in the dark,
We're some superstars
They wanna know, How we sounding lately,
Tell me how we're sounding lately,
We're down, we're moving,
So we keep it moving,
How we sounding lately,
Tell me how we're sounding lately,
The grams, we're moving,
Flee, keep it moving,
I'm the cream of the crop,
Flee but I ain't all over the dog,
My collar I pop, I'm heavy I pop,
I'm heavy on grime, I'm heavy on rock, (anything)
And the garments speak for themselves,
Your outfit cost the same as my belt
Five bills,
So don't question me about wealth,
You get a pair I get the shelf,
And that was before the deal,
Assassinate versus born to kill,
Colder tham Neptune's, so Pharall,
I mean for real, you know the deal,
You know the drill
Yeah G, I nail it, I talk money, more so, I make it,
And Tinchy don't boast too much,
But his stack is not what his name is,
'Munk, it's not what my name is,
I've got money coming out of my anus,
I set trends, don't follow what the craze is,
If they're hood rich we're Vegas,
Lifestyles for the rich and famous,
Face on the front page papers,
A-list, they trail by acres,
Trust, no stress we're calm
We're shooting far, we got dem trust,
We glow in the dark,
We're some superstars, we got dem, trust,
No stress we're calm,
We're shooting far, we got dem trust,
We glow in the dark,
We're some superstars, they wanna know
How we sounding lately,
Tell me how we're sounding lately,
We're down, we're moving,
So we keep it moving,
How we sounding lately,
Tell me how we're sounding lately,
The grams, we're moving,
Flee, keep it moving,
The song "We Got Dem" by Tinchy Stryder is a track that exudes confidence and success. The lyrics showcase the rapper's rise to fame and fortune, as well as his status as a head-turner who sets trends rather than follows them. His success is portrayed as both material and artistic, as he boasts about his wealth and also his unique approach to making music. The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes the trust and calm that Tinchy and his team possess, as well as their superstar status.
Tinchy begins the verses of the song by introducing himself with his age and a reference to his expensive tastes. He then describes how he has worked hard to become a master of his craft, and how he now earns money easily. He speaks about his ability to turn heads and his love for luxury, such as chrome and 19-inch wheels on his car. Throughout the song he references his collaborator Chipmunk, who is apparently just as wealthy and successful as Tinchy. The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the message of trust and success.
One interpretation of the song could be that it is a celebration of hip-hop culture and the American Dream. Tinchy and Chipmunk are both British, but the song references the kind of wealth and success that is often associated with rappers from America. They brag about money, cars, and designer clothes, but also about their artistry and their ability to stand out from the crowd. The repetitive "trust" and "no stress" refrain could also be interpreted as a way of expressing the confidence and calm that comes with knowing that they have made it to the top.
Line by Line Meaning
Cloud nine, 'Munk, We're wishing them the best, We're wishing them the best,
Feeling elated and hopeful, Tinchy and Chipmunk express their support to people around them.
This is catch two-two, I'm age two-two, Spent like two-two on a black out coupe, Wanna know how I'm looking lately, Don't stare through limousine tints that's rude, I break necks I'm a real head turner, And back then I was a first time learner, I skipped classes, straight to the masters, Now look I'm a skyline earner, Cash in hand no finance
Tinchy speaks about his life journey, where he's now at an age of 22 and enjoys a luxurious lifestyle that he earned through smart moves and hard-earned money without any financial aid, and he advises others not to stare at him through car windows as it's impolite.
When we cash in grands it's violent, Chipmunk co-pilots the airlines, So flee we land on next islands, I topped the bill, we can't relate 'cause you earn the bill, $100, There's chrome on the grills, No less than 19's on the wheels, Back to the music wheel this, I flow crazy, mental illness, brainless, But I'm amazing grace so thy shall feel this, I'm raising the bar, your waistline, I liaise with stars on cloud nine, Wings on my back, skydive, It's over, wrap, night time.
Tinchy mentions that when he and Chipmunk make a lot of money, it becomes a frenzy as they fly to different islands to have fun. He talks about his music, which is unique enough to make people go crazy and uses his gifts to uplift others with his greatness. He's living his best life, soaring high like the wings on his back, and time to call it a day.
Trust, no stress we're calm, We're shooting far, we got dem trust, We glow in the dark, We're some superstars, We got dem, Trust, no stress we're calm, We're shooting far, we got dem trust, We glow in the dark, We're some superstars
Tinchy and his people trust each other and are confident in their abilities to succeed. They radiate like stars and persevere through challenges.
They wanna know, How we sounding lately, Tell me how we're sounding lately, We're down, we're moving, So we keep it moving, How we sounding lately, Tell me how we're sounding lately, The grams, we're moving, Flee, keep it moving,
Inquisitive people are curious about their recent musical works. Tinchy and his entourage are humble and dedicated, keep working, and moving forward towards their goals.
I'm the cream of the crop, Flee but I ain't all over the dog, My collar I pop, I'm heavy I pop, I'm heavy on grime, I'm heavy on rock, (anything) And the garments speak for themselves, Your outfit cost the same as my belt
Tinchy claims to be the best of the best regarding his music and style. He's flashy and wears expensive clothes, and mocks those who can't afford what he has.
Five bills, So don't question me about wealth, You get a pair I get the shelf, And that was before the deal, Assassinate versus born to kill, Colder tham Neptune's, so Pharall, I mean for real, you know the deal, You know the drill
He explains that he's so rich that $500 means little to him, and he doesn't want anyone to question his wealth because he had more money than even before he signed a record deal. He also mentions his style and how it's superior to the competition, and everyone should get on board with it.
Yeah G, I nail it, I talk money, more so, I make it, And Tinchy don't boast too much, But his stack is not what his name is, 'Munk, it's not what my name is, I've got money coming out of my anus, I set trends, don't follow what the craze is, If they're hood rich we're Vegas, Lifestyles for the rich and famous, Face on the front page papers, A-list, they trail by acres, Trust, no stress we're calm
Tinchy confidently boasts that he not only talks about money but also makes it. He's too rich that his name doesn't hold any weight, and he sets fashion trends rather than being a follower. He and Chipmunk are living their lives like celebrities in Las Vegas, and everything they do puts them in the news for being an A-list celebrity. Again, they trust each other and remain calm amidst this chaos.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID NKRUMAH, KWASI DANQUAH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind