Tinie Tempah is that British hip hop nerd. The one who's made music for video games and who funded his early career by buying and reselling cars with his cousin (now manager). He's the one who shows up in black wire rim glasses and snug prep gear for events and then switches to jeans and sunglasses for his performances. His sound is a mix between dirty East London grime and Dizzee Rascal, but poppier.

Born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu in 1988, Tinie describes himself as having been "...nurtured by the Grime Scene [and] discovered from the Grime Scene." With money saved from their car sales and using student loans, he and cousin Dumi Oburota (now his manager) launched the independent label, Disturbing London primarily as an outlet for Tinie's music, but also to sign other young artists that the big labels, in their eyes, weren't taking risks with.

In 2009 a scout from Parlophane saw him performing at the Wireless Festival Tinie eventually signed with the label. He released his first debut album, Disc-Overy in October 2010. The album's early releases, "Pass Out," "Written in the Stars," "Frisky" and "Miami 2 Ibiza," were all top singles before the album's release. He's been featured on tracks with M.I.A, Jay Sean, Sway, Chipmunk. His sudden global pop stardom has only energized Tinie, who writes breathlessly on his Facebook: "Stay tuned to my...new exciting blog for updates on every single move I make!"