British grime artist Tinchy Stryder hails from the Bow area of East London. Not only is he one of the genres representative solo artists (referred to by Rewind Magazine as the ‘Prince of Grime’) he is also a member of the grime group Ruff Sqwad.

Tinchy Stryder had his first UK number 1 in the singles chart with the aptly titled song ‘Number 1’ – a collaboration with N-Dubz, which charted on 26th April 2009.

Stryder first gained fame performing on pirate radio stations in his early teens, including Deja Vu and Rinse. He became prominent in the underground scene after constantly appearing on radio and performing live shows with Wiley and Dizzee Rascal, who were prominent figures in grime at the time.

In 2003 he won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the Sidewinder Awards. Since then he has collaborated with many major artists in the grime genre, including two remixes with The Streets.

Stryder signed to independent label Takeover Entertainment during 2006. He also released two solo mix tapes ‘I’m Back U Know’ and ‘Lost and Found’ and joined Ruff Sqwad to make ‘Guns & Roses 2’.

Stryder’s debut album ‘Star In The Hood’ was released on 13th August 2007. He also released his ‘Cloud 9’ EP, from which the songs ‘Sorry, U Are?’ (Feat. Chipmunk) ‘Sick in the Head’, ’16 Writers’ and ‘Thump’ have all received heavy airplay and rotation on grime shows such as Logan Sama’s Kiss 100 grime show. Also, his track ‘Follow’ was featured in the movie Adulthood by Noel Clarke.

Stryder appears on Craig David’s track ‘Where’s Your Love’ and also appeared on the track ‘Princes’ by Gang Gang Dance. He released the single ‘Take Me Back’ featuring Taio Cruz in January 2009. The track was a popular hit following numerous plays on Radio 1, Kiss FM and many other TV and radio stations.

Stryder’s second album ‘Catch 22’ was released in 2009, spawning the hit singles ‘Stryderman’, the aforementioned ‘Number 1’ and ‘Take Me Back’ and ‘Never Leave You’, which features guest vocals from Amelle Berrabah of the Sugarbabes.

Catch Tinchy performing live at Manchester Academy on Thursday 11th February.