Tinchy Stryder
Encyclopedia
Kwasi Danquah III better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive
Music executive
A music executive or record executive is person within a record label who works in senior management, making executive decisions over the label's artists...

, A&R executive, and businessman. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 (CEO) of Takeover Roc Nation
Takeover Roc Nation
Takeover Roc Nation is a global London-based independent record label and entertainment company, which acts as a co-owned subsidiary of Takeover Entertainment Ltd and Roc Nation...

.

Tinchy Stryder rose to popularity with the song "Take Me Back" which peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 in January 2009. He then released the song "Number 1", (a collaboration with N-Dubz
N-Dubz
N-Dubz are a British hip hop group from Camden Town, London. The group consists of members Dappy, Tulisa Contostavlos and Fazer.N-Dubz were previously signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the World Records...

) which entered the UK chart at number 1 on 26 April 2009. Stryder later released "Never Leave You
Never Leave You
-Charts:The song immediately rushed to the top of the charts, charting at #1 in the UK and #2 in Ireland, the song knocked The Black Eyed Peas's song "I Gotta Feeling" of the top spot on 2 August 2010, but failed to knock I Gotta Feeling of the Irish top spot, and charted behind it.-End-of-year...

" with Amelle Berrabah
Amelle Berrabah
Amelle Berrabah is a British singer, songwriter and member of pop girl group the Sugababes. Since replacing founding member Mutya Buena in the group in December 2005, Berrabah has attained two UK number one singles, "About You Now" and "Walk This Way", as well as a number one album, Change...

 from girl-group Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...

 which became Stryder's second number 1 on 9 August 2009.

Tinchy Stryder has opened other ventures since the beginning of his success. He founded and is the creator of the clothing line Star in the Hood (company)
Star in the Hood (company)
Star In The Hood Unltd. is a international mid-range to luxury clothing company founded by Kwasi Danquah III, better known as Tinchy Stryder in September 2006...

. He is also the President and chief executive of Takeover/Cloud 9
Takeover/Cloud 9
Takeover/Cloud 9 is a global London-based music publishing company. The organisation is a co-owned subsidiary of Takeover Entertainment Ltd and EMI Music Publishing, and was originally founded by Kwasi Danquah III and EMI Music Publishing’s UK president and EMI European creative president, Guy...

 (Music Publishing company through EMI Music Publishing), and he currently serves as the Chairman and A&R executive of Takeover Entertainment Ltd
Takeover Entertainment
Takeover Entertainment is an independent record label, talent agency, musician management company, producer, and publisher of music, currently based in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 2006 and is run by Kwasi Danquah III , Archie Lamb IV and Jack Foster...

.

1997–2006: Education, career beginnings, Ruff Sqwad and Roll Deep

Stryder is a Ghanaian British musician who moved to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 from Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

 in 1995, and grew up in Bow
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...

, East London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

 and attended St Bonaventure's Catholic Comprehensive School
St Bonaventure's Catholic Comprehensive School
St. Bonaventure's Roman Catholic Comprehensive School, also known informally as St. Bon's, is located in Forest Gate, London Borough of Newham, United Kingdom. It is a voluntary-aided Catholic comprehensive secondary school for boys aged 11–18. The school has had Technology College status since...

 in Forest Gate
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a residential area in the London Borough of Newham, 7 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Manor Park to the east and and to the west lies Stratford town centre. The northern half of the busy Green Street runs through it.-History:...

, Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...

; he gained a B.A. (Hons)
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in Digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...

s, Moving image
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 and Animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 at the University of East London
University of East London
The University of East London is a university located in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, based at two campuses in Stratford and Docklands areas...

.
Stryder's recordings date back to 1997, he started at the age of 13 in 2000 on pirate radio
UK pirate radio
UK pirate radio was popular in the 1960s and experienced another surge of interest in the 1980s. There are currently an estimated 150 pirate radio stations in the UK...

 sets in East London with other grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...

 artists such as Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...

 and Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...

. Stryder went on to help form the grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...

 collective Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad is a Ghanaian British grime music, post-dubstep and alternative hip hop group originating from Republic of Ghana formed by Tinchy Stryder in 2001...

 in 2001 consisting of 5-UK Garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...

 artists, before the group expanded to six artists in 2004, then finally settling at 7-grime artists in 2006. His pseudonym Tinchy Stryder derives from the arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

 Strider
Strider (arcade game)
Strider, released in Japan as is a 1989 side-scrolling platform game released for the CP System arcade hardware by Capcom. It became one of Capcom's early hits before Street Fighter II, revered for its innovative gameplay and multilingual voice clips during cutscenes .-Plot: Strider is set in a...

 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.
In 2002, the well-known grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...

 collective Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...

 of 13-grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...

 artists was formed, and included Tinchy Stryder and Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...

 as MCs (Master of Ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....

). They were making music that was a derivative of UK Garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...

. For a while there was not even a name for it. The label "grime" was the one that stuck. While Stryder was a member of Roll Deep, he performed some songs including, "U Were Always" in 2002, which was released years later on Roll Deep's compilations album, Street Anthems
Street Anthems
Street Anthems is an album by Roll Deep, released on October 19, 2009. It features all their smash hits from 2002–2009 and some previously unreleased tracks, so it shows you the early days of grime and Roll Deep, as well as giving you a chance to hear tracks from the early members of Roll Deep such...

 in 2009. He also performed on Roll Deep's 2004 mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...

, Creeper Vol. 2. Back then he had a high pitched voice.

Stryder made a number of appearances on Sky's, Channel U (now Channel AKA) between 2004–2006 and also BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1...

 taking part in freestyle rap
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...

, sometimes joined by his rap crew
Crew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...

, (Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad is a Ghanaian British grime music, post-dubstep and alternative hip hop group originating from Republic of Ghana formed by Tinchy Stryder in 2001...

), with whom he released with the studio albums Guns and Roses Volume. 1
Guns and Roses Volume. 1
Guns and Roses Volume. 1 is the debut studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in March 2005 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. It has been ranked amongst the best full-length studio albums...

 in March 2005 and Guns and Roses Volume. 2
Guns and Roses Volume. 2
Guns and Roses Volume. 2 is the second studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in October 2006 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. Along with their debut album, Guns and Roses Volume...

 in October 2006.

2006-2008: Star in the Hood, Cloud 9 The EP and Tinchy Stryder Vs. Maniac

The debut album by Stryder, Star in the Hood, was released on 13 August 2007 on Takeover Entertainment Ltd
Takeover Entertainment
Takeover Entertainment is an independent record label, talent agency, musician management company, producer, and publisher of music, currently based in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 2006 and is run by Kwasi Danquah III , Archie Lamb IV and Jack Foster...

. The album spawned two main singles, "Breakaway", which was released on 9 April 2007 and "Something About Your Smile
Something About Your Smile (song)
-External links:. MetroLyrics...

", released on 6 August 2007, with British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 singer-songwriter, Cylena Cymone. Bonus track "Mainstream Money
Mainstream Money
"Mainstream Money" is a 2007 single by grime vocalist, Tinchy Stryder, which appears as track number 15 on his debut album Star in the Hood. It is a bonus track on his debut album Star In The Hood, and was chosen as the third single from the album, and released in November 2007.The song was written...

" was also released as an underground single in November 2007.
In 2008, Stryder released his debut extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

, Cloud 9 The EP, which was released on 31 March, also on Takeover Entertainment. This was succeeded by Stryder and grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...

 producer Maniac collaborating on the studio album, Tinchy Stryder Vs. Maniac
Tinchy Stryder vs. Maniac
Tinchy Stryder vs. Maniac is a collaborative studio album by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder and grime record producer Maniac...

, which was released on 24 November 2008. Only one single was released from the album, "Rollin", which was released in October 2008. This track was also included on Stryder's 2009 certified gold second solo studio album, Catch 22
Catch 22 (Tinchy Stryder album)
Catch 22 is the second full-length solo studio album by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his major label debut, since allying with Universal Island Records. After three successful singles leading up to the album, the album, was released on August 17, 2009. The album is produced...

, as part of the, Deluxe 2-Disc Edition.

2008-2010: Hit singles and Catch 22

Stryder began a partnership with producer/songwriter Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....

 whom he originally contacted through MySpace and then met while supporting Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...

 on tour. According to Smith in an interview with HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...

, "Tinchy had no shortage of beats and cool sounding production, but I think he wanted to try and break through into the mainstream, and I had some experience crossing urban over into pop having worked with artists like Kano and Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...

."

His next single, "Stryderman
Stryderman
-Release history:-Charts:...

", became his first single to chart in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, peaking at number 73. It was the first single taken from his second album, Catch 22
Catch 22 (Tinchy Stryder album)
Catch 22 is the second full-length solo studio album by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his major label debut, since allying with Universal Island Records. After three successful singles leading up to the album, the album, was released on August 17, 2009. The album is produced...

. The second single, "Take Me Back", entered the official UK Singles Chart at 39 on downloads alone, one day before its official release. The following week the single moved up 36 places to peak position 3.
On 26 April 2009, Stryder's next single, a collaboration with N-Dubz
N-Dubz
N-Dubz are a British hip hop group from Camden Town, London. The group consists of members Dappy, Tulisa Contostavlos and Fazer.N-Dubz were previously signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the World Records...

 titled "Number 1," topped the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 giving Stryder and N-Dubz their first number one single. Stryder's fourth single from Catch 22, "Never Leave You
Never Leave You
-Charts:The song immediately rushed to the top of the charts, charting at #1 in the UK and #2 in Ireland, the song knocked The Black Eyed Peas's song "I Gotta Feeling" of the top spot on 2 August 2010, but failed to knock I Gotta Feeling of the Irish top spot, and charted behind it.-End-of-year...

", was released on 3 August 2009 with the album following on 17 August. "Never Leave You" went to Number 1 on the week of its release. Catch 22 debuted at Number 2 on the UK albums chart, only beaten by Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...

. The fifth and final single from Catch 22 is "You're Not Alone
You're Not Alone (Tinchy Stryder song)
"You're Not Alone" is a song composed by Ghanaian British electro hop vocalist, Tinchy Stryder. The song was released as the fifth and final single from Stryder's second studio album, Catch 22 on November 2, 2009...

," which was released in November 2009 and samples the Olive
Olive (band)
Olive was a breakbeat/trip hop group from the North of England. The founding membership consisted of producer, instrumentalist and songwriter Tim Kellett, producer and keyboard programmer Robin Taylor-Firth, and singer Ruth-Ann Boyle...

 song of the same name.

On Monday 20 July 2009, Stryder was part of a line-up at The O2 arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...

 3D ELEKTRO RAVE that included Caspa
Caspa
Caspa is the stage name of Gary McCann, a Dubstep music producer from West London.-Biography:McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising basketball career was cut short by a shoulder injury...

 and Rusko
Rusko (musician)
Christopher Mercer, more commonly known as Rusko, is an English dubstep record producer and DJ who was born on 26 January 1985 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Rusko graduated from Leeds College of Music with a degree in Music Performance...

, Frankmusik
Frankmusik
Vincent Frank born Vincent James Turner is known professionally as Frankmusik is an English electropop musician. The name "Frank" is derived from the surname of his grandfather, whose name he took in tribute.-Early life:...

, High Contrast
High Contrast
Lincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast , is a Welsh drum and bass DJ and producer.-History:...

 and Dancing Robot Music.

He also took part in the charity single "I Got Soul
I Got Soul
"I Got Soul" is a 2009 charity single by charity group War Child UK, recorded by Young Soul Rebels. It was released on October 19, 2009. It is a cover of The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done"...

", a cover of The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done
All These Things That I've Done
"All These Things That I've Done" is a song performed by The Killers, and written by lead vocalist Brandon Flowers. The song appears on their debut album Hot Fuss. It was released as the third single in 2004 in the United Kingdom and as the fourth single in the United States...

", to raise money for War Child charity
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...

. The single was released on 19 October 2009 and peaked at number 10 in the Official UK Charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and 19 in the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

. In February 2010 he toured with Example and JME.

Stryder opened on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...

 on Saturday 27 June 2010. He also performed at the O2 Arena
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...

 for the Transformation Trust's first birthday alongside The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...

 and Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon is a British singer, television presenter, model and reality TV star. She rose to fame during her time on the sixth series of The X Factor, coming third overall on the show...

.

2010-2011: Third Strike

Tinchy Stryder's third solo studio album, Third Strike
Third Strike (album)
Third Strike is the third solo studio album from Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his second studio album with Universal Island Records. It was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010...

 was released on Monday 15 November 2010, but it failed to match the commercial success of Catch 22.
Stryder began recording Third Strike shortly after he completed his previous album, he then released a promotional single, "Gangsta?
Gangsta? (Tinchy Stryder song)
"Gangsta?" is a song by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder. It was produced by TMS and Co-written by Stryder and TMS, for Stryder's 2010 album, Third Strike...

", six month's prior to the release of the studio album. This was followed by Stryder releasing the first official single from it, a year from the day he released his second studio album. He began working with Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....

 who also worked on his second studio album. Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...

 produced the largely, along with Fraser T. Smith. The album title was picked as Stryder thought the album would be a smash hit, so he thought he would rip off the title of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike which was also a massive success. Third Strike features several artists, including Amelle
Amelle Berrabah
Amelle Berrabah is a British singer, songwriter and member of pop girl group the Sugababes. Since replacing founding member Mutya Buena in the group in December 2005, Berrabah has attained two UK number one singles, "About You Now" and "Walk This Way", as well as a number one album, Change...

, with whom he collaborated on Catch 22 on the single "Never Leave You
Never Leave You
-Charts:The song immediately rushed to the top of the charts, charting at #1 in the UK and #2 in Ireland, the song knocked The Black Eyed Peas's song "I Gotta Feeling" of the top spot on 2 August 2010, but failed to knock I Gotta Feeling of the Irish top spot, and charted behind it.-End-of-year...

" where the pair gained a number one in the UK. The album features Taio Cruz who also featured on the Stryder's last album. The album also features artists affiliated with Roc Nation: Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...

 "Let It Rain
Let It Rain (Tinchy Stryder song)
-Chart performance:"Let It Rain" first debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 103 on 9 January 2011. The following week, the single rocketed up the chart, jumping 65 places to number 38; marking Stryder's ninth Top 40 hit and fourth consecutive Top 40 single to have been released from Third...

", Alexis Jordan
Alexis Jordan
Alexis Jordan is a National-Record-holding swimmer from Barbados. She swam for Barbados at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2005 World Championships, and CARIFTA and CCCAN Championships.-References:...

, and Bridget Kelly
Bridget Kelly
-Early life and career beginnings:She is a graduate from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan. She is signed to Roc Nation....

 "Take The World
Take the World (song)
"Take the World" is a song by Tinchy Stryder, which appears as the 1st track on his 3rd album Third Strike. The song is Co-written by Takeover Entertainment singer-songwriter Ayak Thiik, and produced by TMS who also produced the promotional single Gangsta? for the album. It features vocals from Roc...

". The song "Game Over" features six different artists. Eric Turner
Eric Turner (singer)
Eric Turner is an American singer-songwriter who currently resides in Sweden. He is the lead singer in the band Street Fighting Man and is also a teacher.-Background:...

 also features on the album.

2011-2012: Full Tank

The first single from this forthcoming solo studio album entitled; "Full Tank", is "Spaceship
Spaceship (Tinchy Stryder song)
-Critical reception:Lewis Corner of Digital Spy Blog gave the song a positive review stating:It's been a rocky few months for Tinchy Stryder. After catapulting to the upper echelons of the charts with his debut LP and its subsequent spinoff singles, the pint-sized rapper suffered a textbook case of...

" and it features Dappy
Dappy
Costadinos Contostavlos better known by his stage name Dappy, is a British singer-songwriter, rapper, actor of Greek descent. He is best known for being the lead singer of the Camden-based Grime/hip hop/R&B trio N-Dubz, with his cousin Tulisa and their friend Fazer...

 from N-Dubz. Stryder performed at the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final
2011 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 28 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London that decided the winner of the 2010–11 season of the UEFA Champions League. The winners received the European Champion Clubs' Cup...

 in support of the single, making him the first rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

, contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...

ist and singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

 in history to perform at a UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 final. Stryder teamed up with Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 DJs/producers Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...

 and Matt Burns credited as 'BURNS', for the second single from this fourth solo studio album, "Off The Record
Off the Record (Tinchy Stryder song)
"Off the Record" is a 2011 single by Ghanaian British recording artist, Tinchy Stryder. The single features Scottish disc jockeys and record producers, Calvin Harris and Matt Burns . It is the second single from his fourth studio album entitled, Full Tank...

". On Thursday, November 3rd, 2011, Stryder announced in an interview that his new album will be entitled; "Full Tank".

Businesses

Takeover Entertainment Ltd.

Since 2006, Kwasi Danquah III music career has been managed by Takeover Entertainment Ltd, comprising Archie Lamb IV and Jack Foster. Archie Lamb's father is Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

 MP, Norman Lamb
Norman Lamb
Norman Peter Lamb is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.He is the Member of Parliament for North Norfolk....

, who has invested in Danquah's music career. Kwasi Danquah III became the company's Chairman and A&R executive in January of 2010.

Star in the Hood (company)

Kwasi Danquah III founded the clothing brand Star in the Hood (company)
Star in the Hood (company)
Star In The Hood Unltd. is a international mid-range to luxury clothing company founded by Kwasi Danquah III, better known as Tinchy Stryder in September 2006...

, named for his pseudonym "Star In The Hood", in September of 2006, which he also named his first solo studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

.

Takeover/Cloud 9

In December of 2008, Kwasi Danquah III, Archie Lamb IV and Jack Foster the two-man management team behind Danquah’s success, signed a joint venture publishing deal with EMI Music Publishing to create a global publishing company, Takeover/Cloud 9, which will enable Takeover Entertainment to publish the work of Takeover Entertainment's musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

s and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

s in partnership with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

.

Takeover Roc Nation

In June of 2010, Kwasi Danquah III signed a business deal with Shawn "Jay-Z" Cater
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

 to ally Danquah's company, Takeover Entertainment Ltd, with Roc Nation LLC
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation...

. The new leg of the company is called Takeover Roc Nation.

Endorsements

Honda Motor Company, Ltd.
On Tuesday, November 8th, 2011, Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

's motorbike division hired Kwasi Danquah III for their pan-European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 campaign. The campaign featuring Kwasi Danquah III is being supported by Facebook, Inc.
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

, and a tie-up with fashion brand GAS
Gas jeans
GAS is a men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, footwear and accessories brand registered in 1984 by Grotto S.p.A., the family business founded in the early 70s in Chiuppano , in the heart of north-east Italy, by Claudio Grotto, the company’s President.Denim is GAS’s core business, the element...

 in order to push the Vision 50, Honda's 50cc entry level scooter. The Vision 50 was launched on (November 8th, 2011) at the EICMA
EICMA
EICMA , or the Milan Motorcycle Show is an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring motorcycles. The 2008 show drew over half a million visitors. The show is frequently used by manufacturers to debut new models....

 (Milan Motorcycle Show) in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 along with six other bike models.

Charitable causes

On Thursday, November 4th, 2010, Kwasi Danquah III performed at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, along with other musicians and special guests for Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

' charity, Keep a Child Alive
Keep A Child Alive
Keep a Child Alive provides first class AIDS care, treatment, surrounding support and food for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.-Background:...

, charity ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...

. All proceeds from the tickets sales for the event was donated to Alicia Keys’ charity, Keep a Child Alive
Keep A Child Alive
Keep a Child Alive provides first class AIDS care, treatment, surrounding support and food for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.-Background:...

 (KCA).

Personal life

Kwasi Danquah III revealed in January 2010 that if his music career did not take off he would have become a professional football (soccer) player, by stating that: "I was quite athletic, I had to choose between football and music". Danquah was originally scheduled to be a professional footballer, being left-footed he played in the striker and second striker positions and was enrolled at the academy of Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...

 from 2000–2003 and the youth team of Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...

 from 2003-2006.
As a footballer Kwasi Danquah III was described by his coach at Wimbledon F.C. at the time, Peter Cawley
Peter Cawley
Peter Cawley is a retired English footballer who played as a defender.Cawley is best known for his spell at Colchester United, where he made more than 200 appearances during his six years at the club between 1992 and 1998.He also had a spell at Wimbledon from 1987 to 1989, making one appearance in...

.

Kwasi Danquah III is known to be a big fan of Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

. He has an executive box
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...

 at Manchester United's football stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

, Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...

 and considers himself to be their lucky mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

, as he told to Manchester United F.C. soccer player and good friend Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...

.

Kwasi Danquah III also has a hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...

 of playing golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

 in his free time
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....

. He gives golf lessons to business partner Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

 and his wife Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

.

Kwasi Danquah III also loves returning to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

 and visiting his relatives whenever he can, as he can be "normal" there and because everyone always seems to be happy in Ghana.

Discography

Solo
  • 2007: Star in the Hood
  • 2009: Catch 22
    Catch 22 (Tinchy Stryder album)
    Catch 22 is the second full-length solo studio album by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his major label debut, since allying with Universal Island Records. After three successful singles leading up to the album, the album, was released on August 17, 2009. The album is produced...

  • 2010: Third Strike
    Third Strike (album)
    Third Strike is the third solo studio album from Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his second studio album with Universal Island Records. It was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010...

  • 2012: Full Tank


Mixtapes
  • 2006: I'm Back U Know
    I'm Back U Know
    I'm Back U Know is the first of 3 mixtapes by Tinchy Stryder, It was released on 2 March 2006 on the label Boy Better Know. The mixtape sees Stryder rapping with big name rappers such as Wiley, Kano and Flow Dan from the grime collective Roll Deep...

  • 2006: Lost and Found
    Lost and Found (mixtape)
    Lost and Found is the second of 3 mixtapes by Tinchy Stryder, It was released on 24 October 2006 on the label Boy Better Know. The mixtape sees Stryder rapping with Wiley, who featured on Stryders first mixtape, I'm Back U Know, and the mixtape also features a few members of Ruff Sqwad...

  • 2010: Before the Storm
    Before the Storm (mixtape)
    Before the Storm is the third and final of 3 mixtapes by Tinchy Stryder, It was released in March 2010 on the label Takeover Entertainment. The mixtape sees Stryder rapping with Wiley, who featured on Stryders first and second mixtapes, I'm Back U Know and Lost and Found. The mixtape also features...



Extended plays (EP)
  • 2008: Cloud 9 The EP
  • 2009: Star in the Hood EP Vol. 1
    Star in the Hood EP Vol. 1
    -External links:* . Grimepedia....

  • 2009: Star in the Hood EP Vol. 2
    Star in the Hood EP Vol. 2
    -External links:* . Grimepedia....

  • 2010: III EP
    III EP (extended play)
    III EP is the fourth and final of 4 extended plays by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder. It was released on 27 September 2010 by Takeover Entertainment as a free downloadable EP prior to the release of Stryder's third solo studio album, Third Strike, which was released on November...


With Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...

  • 2004: Creeper Volume 2
  • 2002-2009: Street Anthems
    Street Anthems
    Street Anthems is an album by Roll Deep, released on October 19, 2009. It features all their smash hits from 2002–2009 and some previously unreleased tracks, so it shows you the early days of grime and Roll Deep, as well as giving you a chance to hear tracks from the early members of Roll Deep such...



With Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad is a Ghanaian British grime music, post-dubstep and alternative hip hop group originating from Republic of Ghana formed by Tinchy Stryder in 2001...

  • 2005: Guns and Roses Volume. 1
    Guns and Roses Volume. 1
    Guns and Roses Volume. 1 is the debut studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in March 2005 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. It has been ranked amongst the best full-length studio albums...

  • 2006: Guns and Roses Volume. 2
    Guns and Roses Volume. 2
    Guns and Roses Volume. 2 is the second studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in October 2006 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. Along with their debut album, Guns and Roses Volume...

  • 2012: Guns and Roses Volume. 3


With Maniac
  • 2008: Tinchy Stryder Vs. Maniac
    Tinchy Stryder vs. Maniac
    Tinchy Stryder vs. Maniac is a collaborative studio album by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder and grime record producer Maniac...



External links

  • Tinchy Stryder at MTV
    MTV (UK and Ireland)
    MTV is a 24-hour general entertainment channel operated by Viacom International Media Networks.The channel was launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localization strategy in 1997. MTV UK was launched on 1 July 1997. The channel was set up to provide audiences with local artists and more relevant...

  • Tinchy Stryder talks through Jay-Z business deal collected news and commentary at BBC
    BBC News
    BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...

  • MistaJam in conversation with Tinchy Stryder - MUSICIANS' MASTERCLASS 2011 collected video and commentary at BBC
    BBC
    The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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