Tinie Tempah

Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and entrepreneur.

Coming from an African background, obviously the foundation of the family home is education, probably because my parents had to work a lot harder for everything that they've got in this country.

London is one of the only places in the world where you can live in a council block and see a beautiful semi-detached house across the street. Growing up around that was inspirational, it kept me motivated.

I was like 14 and decided I wanted to be a rapper, so I needed a hip rapper name. I was with one of my friends in class and literally went through a thesaurus. I saw "temper" and thought, "I like this, but it's too much." My friend was like, "What about Tinie for tiny," and that was that.

He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment company Disturbing London in 2006.

After releasing a number of mixtapes, he released his long-awaited debut album, Disc-Overy, in October 2010. Preceded by two British number-one singles, Pass Out and Written in the Stars, the album charted at number one and was certified Platinum the next year. In February 2011, he won two Brit Awards for Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Single.

Music has no race. It appeals to everybody. I'm just a young person trying to fulfil his potential and be the best he can be at what he wants to do... I guess that's why people connect with the music.

In November 2013, he released his second album, entitled Demonstration. Preceded by top ten singles Trampoline and Children of the Sun, the album charted at number three and was certified gold by the BPI the next year.

In June 2015, he released Not Letting Go, the first single from his third album Youth. This gave Tempah his sixth UK number one, passing Dizzee Rascal as the most by any rap artist.

Dizzee's just my childhood hero. He's definitely the inspiration. He's got himself to a very good place. He's defied the expectations of what British black urban music was like. He was the first person who made the rest of Britain realise it wasn't just a one-album-type situation. You've got to take your hat off to somebody like that.

Text from Your Ex featuring Tinashe was the third single released from Youth, charting at number 23 on the UK Official Charts. The album was released on 14 April 2017 by Parlophone and Disturbing London Records. The album debuted at number 9 on the UK Official Charts, giving Tempah his third top ten album.

I'm quite a fan of British designers. My glasses are from Cutler & Gross. They're not prescription: I just love wearing them. I used to wear Ray-Ban a lot and then I realised that a lot of the things I've started going for are a little bit more refined. I liked the fact that I was supporting a British brand, somebody I could have a relationship with and people that I could talk to.

What We Wear is a London based contemporary brand, founded by Tinie Tempah inspired by the wardrobe of the modern man.

WWW. Of course it stands for What We Wear, but from the age of 18 it's also work work work!

We are going to try our best to maintain the sports silhouette, but it's always nice to have a few formal accents. I grew up in inner city London so sportswear is always going to be in my DNA, it's what I know. For me, I'm trying my best, through my life experiences, to reflect the life of a young man today. You're young, you're playful, but you've come of age and are now in the working world - things have to be a bit more serious.

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