Australian Beat Prophet, Ta-ku, recently disclosed his thoughts on the next movement in dance floor/beat scene music to be a “…loud stripped-back kind of trap” with “a big resurgence of industrial sounds and anthems”. This is exactly the blend of music Tinie Tempah has released on his second studio album Demonstration and is more credit to his vision rather than showing his following a trend. That’s because this is the vibe he’s always been on. His instrumental choices and rhyme schemes tell of his beginnings as a London grime MC and turning his sights on pop-rap might see his style of hip hop shunned by purists but haters are always gon’ hate when it comes to pop so can we just look past the genre for a minute? Cool.
The album is a cohesive tale of Tempah’s proliferating success since his last album and his braggadocio has grown symbiotically. While he used to brag that he had so many clothes he had to store them at his Aunt’s house, now he’s bragging about “shopping for clothes when it’s closed” and tripling his cost of living. Though for all the album’s competencies some tracks like Heroes, A Heart Can Save The World, and Children Of The Sun sound atrocious. I can respect pop music’s sensibilities but a chorus chanting “we are the children of the Sun”…c’mon, I’m sure Tempah spent more time thinking about his outfit that day than the song.
And while it was stated that the album had no obviously constructed singles, Trampoline, featuring Two Chainz and flexing Diplo’s production chops, wreaks of a boardroom engineered anthem of Simon Cowell proportions. Witch Doctor is a standout with rolling, tweaking bass reminiscent of Roots Manuva’s early work with Tempah’s kookie character and Shape too is a track flowing through both a rap and pop conduit without sacrificing integrity.
A lot of English homage is paid across the 15 songs with references to Dover St., Stephen Fry and James Bond, but Tempah’s very ungentlemanly personality is what makes him so compelling. Lyrics like “Better keep your mouth open if your legs closed” or “If life is a bitch, then life is my ex” alongside sing song hooks make up for a gritty and up-beat album that will be very popular….whether you hate it or not.
BY EDGAR IVAN
Best Track: Witch Doctor
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