In March 2010, a young rapper from south London went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart with a song that mixed grime, drum and bass and pop. “Pass Out” made Tinie Tempah a star.
Tinie Tempah was born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu in London in 1988 to Nigerian parents. He grew up in Peckham and on the Aylesbury Estate in south London, and was drawn to grime and garage music as a teenager, recording on home equipment and building a following through mixtapes and the internet.
Pass Out
“Pass Out”, produced by Labrinth, was released in early 2010 and went to number one in the UK. Its confident mix of genres and its shouted hook made it an anthem in clubs and school playgrounds. It won the Brit Award for British Single.
Disc-Overy
His debut album, Disc-Overy, released in October 2010, went to number one on the UK Albums Chart. It included “Frisky”, “Written in the Stars” featuring Eric Turner, which was also a UK number one and a hit in the United States, and “Wonderman”. At the 2011 Brit Awards, he won Best British Breakthrough Act and British Single.
Fashion
Tinie Tempah became known for his style, appearing at fashion weeks and launching his own clothing brand, What We Wear. He was part of a new generation of British rappers treated as style icons.
Later career
His second album, Demonstration, followed in 2013. He collaborated with artists such as Zara Larsson on “Girls Like”, Calvin Harris and Jess Glynne. He also moved into business and investment.
Labrinth, the producer of “Pass Out”, later became a star in his own right and wrote the music for the HBO series Euphoria.
Nigerian pride
Tinie Tempah has spoken about his Nigerian background and the ambitions of his parents for their children. Nigerian and British-Nigerian audiences celebrated his success as part of a wave of British-Nigerian artists, alongside names such as Skepta and JME and later Dave and Stormzy.
Legacy
“Pass Out” arrived during a run of UK rap number ones, alongside Dizzee Rascal and Chipmunk, that showed British rap could dominate the pop charts. Later artists built on that opening.
The boy from the Aylesbury Estate became a young man with two Brit Awards on his shelf before he turned 23. The estate where he grew up is being torn down and rebuilt; the song has not aged.
