Rapper Tinie Tempah has said grime music was the “uninvited genre” as he lauded British stars for launching it into the mainstream.
He named Skepta and Stormzy among a generation of musicians who have boosted the popularity of the genre by recording and sharing their material.
The south London star, 28, told the BBC: “(Grime) was almost like the uninvited genre.
“I think that’s basically changed now. We get to be ourselves and make hits, just like everybody else.”
Praising the “self-reliance” of other big names in the genre, he said: “Against all the odds, they’re setting up their own infrastructure, putting out records, creating their own hype and achieving things that, five years ago, you could only have achieved on a major label.”
His comments followed the release of his third album, Youth, last month.
Speaking about the career explosion that has seen him collaborate on five chart-topping tracks since his number one hit Pass Out in 2010, he said his latest work required a journey back to his roots.
He told how he refuelled his creativity by reconnecting with childhood friends – but stopped short of moving back in with his mother.
“It would just be too annoying,” he said.
