Stryder, Stryder...

tinchy stryder, originally uploaded by chantelle.

He may look young enough to be Wiley’s love child, but in grime terms, Tinchy Stryder is nearing veteran status. Dip into the Sidewinder DVD archives, and you’ll find classic footage of Dizzee Rascal and newcomer MC Tinchy Stryder, holding the stage, mic and audience to ransom. Back in the early 00’s rumour had it dinky Stryder, with his trademark lyric ‘let me see the gun finger’, was only 12 years old. Not true. But his Oil of Olay (shower) face has continued to serve him well.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, people still think I’m a kid but really I turned nineteen the other week… I’m driving a Rover now.” Stryder states, nonchalantly. Standing at a respectable ( and estimated) 5ft 5, you can be forgiven for pondering, however briefly, Stryders ability to see over the wheel, or the rate at which the feds might be routinely checking him given his Home Alone meets Different Strokes cheeky-charm. “I got tints innit so man can’t see in.” Stop and search procedures aside, he doesn’t care for smoking so at least there’s no worrying about getting asked i.d for fags.

Scribing lyrics and building hits with his east London based Ruff Squad family. Tinchy and co have been rising to prominence in underground circles since 2002. Playground anthems like ‘Tings In Boots’, mistaken by many as a reference to ladies in fuck me knee-highs (more romantically it related to stashing weapons), ‘Anna’, ‘Down’ (not going south on girls either, come on that’s just like soooo wrong), and the mixtape series Guns & Roses. Despite other talent in the crew, namely producers Rapid and Slicks, it’s Stryder that’s become the synonymous member, partially thanks, yet again, to Eski Godfather Wiley pulling him through the trenches. Cameo’s on remixes such as Mike Skinner’s ‘Fit But U Know It’ and Brucker & Sinden’s remix of Sovereign’s ‘Hoodie’, haven’t gone unnoticed by the trend spotter muso’s either.

“I think ‘Underground’ is the best thing I’ve done, I can listen to it anytime, anywhere. Actually thinking about it the only thing I can never listen to is rock. Everything else is getting downloaded though.”

When not getting his Limewire on or flicking through Max Power at his local newsagents, Tinchy can be found looking for management, juggling overseas bookings, the next stop being Sweden, and putting the finishing touches to Guns & Roses 2 (which he promises will boast more original UK production than the debut).

“Yeah, It’s mostly Ruff Squad beats, more like an album. But it’s not an album. That will come next year. I can’t tell you what we sound like cause I don’t know. We’re unique and I’m well… unique.”

Guns & Roses Vol.2 is out in all good independent stores early 2006. A version of this article appeared in i-D Magazine, Dec 2005. Words: Chantelle Fiddy. Thanks to Zezi on the picture front. Check out Tim & Barry's in the mag.