“They call me the Stryderman, top East London writer man” is the lyric I seem to recall that Tinchy Stryder burst onto the UK grime scene with, back in 2008; you have to wonder whether he knew then, though, that it was a song that would herald his arrival on the charts proper, prefacing as it did his debut album, Catch 22, which would end up dropping the following summer and charting at a peak of number two. From there on out, Tinchy looked unstoppable, following Dizzee Rascal’s lead by moving from grime to rap and dance pop and becoming a household name in the process; it was a crossover that afforded Stryder huge chart success, with his single ‘Number 1’ becoming the first song in history to actually reach that position on the charts. His quick-fire follow-up album, Third Strike, was a commercial disappointment, reaching only number forty-eight in the UK, but Stryder has remained an energetic live performer, packing out intimate rooms across the country backed by just a turntablist. He’s currently working on album number four, and his prospects once he does resurface shouldn’t be written off; he’s not hit thirty yet and already has achieved more than most do in a lifetime.
Ezra Collective
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