The platinum plaque selling Plumstead man has just released a brand new free mixtape which goes by the strangely self-deflating title of "Foreign Object".
(You can find a Download link at the bottom of the page)
The words 'Foreign Object' imply the intrusion of an alien-species and the cover art presents Tinie with a cup of tea and a stern look as if to insinuate 'The British are [Finally] here'. So the packaging has a distinctly home-made feel but the content is still predominantly Americanised with US productions and US collaborations/ features.
Tinie's head takes up the majority of the cover art which is arguably appropriate as the music itself reflect Tempah in an ambitious, egotistical and self-preserving manner:
Tryna sell a billion call me Elvis Presley/Look At Me Now (feat. Lil Wayne)
Keep it old school, you n***as' elementary/
The London boy is definitely not holding back in his US invasion, explicitly declaring his aim to sell gargantuan quantities of records is something we would criticise or brush off as humour with any other UK artist. But with Tinie the tale is different, he has an international buzz and is consistently delivering big commercial successes with his singles, without the need to collaborate with many major names thus far.
It is no secret that Tinie has adapted his flow and style of delivery since the days of "Hood Economics" and "Wifey". His vocal chords in the booth now tread precariously around the thin line of 'Original' and 'Trying to be American'. He dances around his words in a playful fashion allowing his music to reach particularly young Americans who tend to associate the British accent with dullness and monotony.
The unanticipated Russel Brand 'Skits' in the mixtape break up the songs nicely and cleverly remind the listener that this is a British record.
For me, the most interesting track on the mixtape is 'Hitz' it has an eyebrow-raising in-your-face hard rap/ rock sound and serves as a signpost which states "I Can Do Hip Hop Too". It is also interesting to note that a lot of the tracks are hit hip hop songs which are currently out and Tinie takes the backing music and laces his vocals on them, to almost inadvertently suggest that he has the credibility, the quality and the relevance to be on these records with the 'big boys'. To some extent I believe this is a mixtape aimed at the industry as much as it is for the fans.
Read between the lines and you'll see Tinie is constantly telling you that he deserves to be placed at the pinnacle of the pop pyramid.
You don't need a thermometer to tell who's the hottest/Till I'm Gone feat. Wiz Khalifa
Ip dip do motherf***a you are not it/
We can confirm that 'Till I'm Gone' Featuring Wiz Khalifa will be the next official single and what with the song reaching over 120,000 hits in around 72 hours, there's no rationale why this couldn't be another smash hit single.
From a personal perspective the mixtape launches off rocket-fueled as Tinie comes out of his corner fighting on 'Hustle Hard', 'Sh**ted on 'Em' and '6 Foot 7' to name a few. Then the fire peters out towards the end with almost routine songs such as 'Bass Down Low Remix' and 'ET remix'.
I firmly believe that he adequately demonstrates that he is technically equipped and has a fluctuating flow which could keep the international market interested and listening. You can see this for yourself on certain American dominated sites which usually take a critically dismissive stance on UK acts, such as Thisis50.com where Tinie is generally being praised by the masses.
I'd like to conclude this review with two gifts for you. One is my favourite track from the mixtape which is quite unusual because I am not usually an advocator of auto-tune.
And if you, like me, prefer the human voice to that of a computer then open up your mind for this track entitled 'Racks on Racks Remix'.
Volumes up please. This is what I call a 'Vybzerz'.
There is one more gift for you, a download link to the free mixtape!
http://www.zshare.net/download/9010888440c8d9d2/
You can follow Tinie Tempah on twitter @TinieTempah
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