A Recent Discovery

When analyzing music, seeing how other countries interpret different genres is interesting because the qualities that make them fundamentally similar across the globe can generally be concluded as common characteristics that make that genre what it is. British rapper Tinie Tempah’s debut album Disc-Overy is a perfect representation of current European rap.

Although he hasn’t been known too long in the North American music scene, he has a respectable discography, with recognition and accolades at the BET Awards and the Brit Awards. Disc-Overy is sincere, topical at times, yet lyrically light. Tempeh tells stories of infatuation and triumph as most rappers do, but he raps over digital beats that make his album sound like something of a futuristic party, or the soundtrack to an outer space voyage.

The dance tracks, like ” Miami 2 Ibiza” and “Frisky,” make this album exciting. Sometimes the simple rhymes are easy and predictable, leaving listeners in a comfortable place that could border on mediocre. For the most part, though, Tempah’s sound is like a hybrid between Lupe Fiasco circa Food and Liquor and pretty much anything Wiz Khalifa. How fitting that Wiz is featured on his second North American single, “Til I’m Gone.”

With a mixture of his recent success and ambitious endeavors, Tinie Tempah seems to have a bright future in foreign as well as commercial markets.