Tinie Tempah on the importance of good venues and great nights out
Tinie Tempah's new album is The Night's Not Dead. Picture: Marco Grey
Tinie Tempah, who began his career in London’s underground grime scene, is having a full-circle moment with his fourth album,
The 37-year-old rapper, best known for hits including and had the biggest UK rap album debut of the 2010s with and has more UK number one singles than any other British rap artist.
After a series of high-profile collaborations with artists including Labrinth, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sande and Swedish House Mafia, the London-born artist is now turning his attention to the next generation of talent. His latest album features collaborations with emerging artists including Irish grime artist Reggie and Zimbabwean producer Daecolm.
marks Tempah’s first full-length project since 2017’s and celebrates nightlife as a cultural force, while reflecting on the role it has played in shaping his career.
Tempah, whose real name is Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, says the album is not just about clubs or parties, but the human connection that happens when people leave their homes, gather in shared spaces and experience music together.
“I think a night out, not just in London but anywhere, can be one of the most interesting, surreal and often anxiety-reducing, stress-reducing, flow-state-encouraging experiences you can have,” says Tempah.
“I wasn’t lucky enough to go to university, but I did perform at a load of freshers’ weeks, and I guess I would typically see it in the audience’s eyes, their expressions and their emotions.
“‘We’ve just moved to this small town or this big city. We’re from a small town and we’re getting to mix and fraternise with loads of people’.
“You’re finally in the city and there’s all this diversity, and there’s so much going on. You’re stepping into a space to experience and enjoy music, but you’re indirectly experiencing all of these other things as well.”
Tempah, who crossed over into pop rap through some of his earlier collaborations, experiments with drum and bass and tech house on the album.
“The genres that I was experimenting with, they’re all kind of rooted in dance music and embedded within black culture and black music, which a lot of people kind of forget, or it gets lost on them,” he explains.
“So whether it be drum and bass, tech house, dubstep, grime or garage, these are all sounds that stem from dance music and dance culture.
“And when I think about coming up in the scene, I was essentially going in and out of clubs and venues of 100, 200, sometimes 500 people, all while they were experiencing the birth of new scenes, ideas and cultural shifts, and everything that comes with that, whether it be fashion, style or dance.
“So I think there’s way more to a night out than just going out and having it or getting on it. I basically wanted to celebrate it and depict it well over the course of a project.”
Speaking about his decision to work with more emerging artists on the album, he says: “I think my last three projects have been influenced by the fact that I started off in the underground and then crossed over and broke into the mainstream.
“I think it’s understandable that an artist like me, from very humble, working-class beginnings in south-east London, from a council estate, was super excited to work with some of the biggest names in the game.
“For a little while, that kind of gave me validation or kudos. Being co-signed by the right people would, in my opinion, sometimes impact how well a song would do. However, I believe I’ve now got to the point where I can be that kudos, co-sign or validation for an emerging artist.”
He adds: “We’re also living in a time where there are so many sub-genres, sub-scenes, worlds and cultures, and people who are leading in those spaces who may not necessarily have that commercial or mainstream attention. I thought it was apt to shine a light on a lot of talent that is operating, and is very active and successful, in those spaces.”
Tempah, who has backed the Night Time Industries Association’s (NTIA) The Last Night Out campaign in the UK, says it is important to protect grassroots music venues, where he began his career as a musician.
According to recent data from the NTIA, 28.7% of Britain’s late-night economy has disappeared since March 2020, which is the equivalent to an average of 12 net venue closures every month. In Ireland, the Give Us The Night campaign has been making similar points in terms of opening hours and the viability of venues.
“I believe that there are some things that have been put in place recently, but for me, it’s super important because I came through the grime scene at the time,” says Tempah.
“The grime scene was heavily marginalised. There were operations put in place, like Operation Trident, that were essentially targeting rappers, artists and DJs who had come from this world, using things like violence, gun crime and knife crime as a reason to put a stop to these events.
“However, when you toss the coin and look at the other side, these are essentially guys and girls from humble beginnings, marginalised from mainstream culture and pop culture, trying to make a living and trying to build something.”
He adds: “There are loads of artists who could have gone on to be like me, bigger, greater, but were just stopped in their tracks by powers that they couldn’t control, which is why these venues are super important to me.
“There was always a venue, or a promoter, or a club owner who would say, ‘they’re not allowing these events to go ahead in that club, but you can do it in this club’.
“And slowly but surely, grime went on to birth stars such as Dizzee Rascal, myself, Stormzy, even Dave, arguably, and so many more.
“So if we lose these spaces, I guess it makes breaking through for an emerging artist just that much harder. Obviously, we have social media now, but these physical spaces are still incredibly important.”
- is out now
