‘When money talks I listen, swear the UK rap scene got another millionaire’

Which Tinie Tempah declared on his latest offering, Happy Birthday EP. The South London rapper has come a long way from his Wifey Riddim days to making smash hits such as Pass Out, Frisky and Written in the Stars. Tinie Tempah is a rapper to be reckoned within the UK, with a legion of fans worldwide and top 20 hits. With help from his friends from the other side of the Atlantic is the Happy Birthday EP a welcome gift, or a disappointment?

After the intro, Tinie gets down to business with Mayday. Tinie boasts ‘I’m a mill short of the Forbes, That’s a slight exaggeration but I’m never gonna be poor.’ He sets the tone for the theme of mixtape which is money, glamour and bragging. Chipmunk enters with bragging vibe as he raps ‘I got 30 odd on my neck, 25 on my wrist,’. The track has also features Soulja Boy who works well with the UK rappers.

The following track Leak-A-Mixtape has more rhymes about wealth. Tinie boasts “I’m 5″9″ ballin like I’m 6″8″, accompanied by UK rapper Giggs, whose gruff voice is perfectly complimented by the eerie production. Giggs comes with more of the swagger talk proclaiming “I been poppin for a while man I’m swag tired”.

The next track Like It Or Love It has an infectious hook with Tinie proclaiming “You ain’t got enough bottles in your bucket, Bitch you ballin’ on a whole different budget” Tinie shows how far he’s come “If it ain’t Adele out in London, I’m with Pharrell in Miami” Wretch 32 who’s on the track also does some name checking “They see my Ralph and thinking that I’m stable”. Roc Nation prince J Cole, completes the track perfectly on the last verse, as he shows us that he’s down with #TeamUK.

100K is a UK all stars anthem with G-Frsh, Tinchy Stryder, Krept and Konan. Every artist delivers, with conviction, but Krept and Konan stand-out lyrics makes it track a winner, and hopefully they produce visuals to accompany this track . Konan makes a witty reference to Jay-Z making YouTube remove Krept and Konan’s Otis video ‘99 problems, a 100k,Views in a day on the YouTube vid’. Krept continues with the clever wordplay ‘Because I’ll rap a singer Drake him’. 100K is a testament to the talent in the UK rap scene and how far it has come.

On Lucky C**t Tinie gets some stateside help  from G.O.O.D music star, Big Sean. The two work well together, Tinie supplies sharp lyrics, and Big Sean acknowledges Tinie’s hits ‘that tinie shit, might pass out’. It’s good to see not only US and UK artists working together but also acknowledging each other’s music.

On Till I’m Gone Remix Tinie is the only UK rapper on the track, but is not outshone by his American counterparts. With Wiz Khalifa on the hook, Pusha T and Jim Jones on the verses it’s a guaranteed hit.

Overall the mixtape is a good effort, and will excite his fans for his sophomore album. The mixtape has definitely been influenced by the emergence of luxury rap; it’s a cocky British take on it. The American features fit in seamlessly, nobody sounds out of place. Tinie picks his features and his beats well, and the materialistic content doesn’t become too tiring and stays captivating. Tinie’s lyrics are consistently good, and the mixtape is rich in wordplay. It’s a very good look for the UK scene showing how talented it is.

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By Ella December
@elladecember