Tinie Tempah – Not Letting Go feat. Jess Glynne

Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu is a rapper who performs under the stage name Tinie Tempah. Born on the 7th of November 1988 and hailing from Plumstead, London, England, he’s one of the most famous and commercially succesful British rappers of all time. While the most commercially successful rappers in the U.S have also been pop stars since the late 80’s and early 90’s, it’s only relatively recently that the U.K has been producing home grown rappers of the same size and ubiquity. Sure, rappers could have hits, just look at So Solid Crew getting “21 Seconds” to number 1 in August 2001. However it wasn’t until Dizzee Rascal collaborated with Calvin Harris and gave the world “Dance Wiv Me” in 2008 that UK hip-hop got its first legitimate, arena playing sensation who could take anything into the top ten at least. So it went for a couple of years that Dizzee was the undisputed top dog of U.K Hip Hop, and then this guy showed up. And Dizzee suddenly had competition.

Tinie Tempah - Not Letting Go feat. Jess Glynne

From a young age, Tinie Tempah was nothing if not driven and amazingly talented. The kind of artist that could do anything he wanted with his life and music’s gain is everything else’s loss. Conceiving his stage name at the age of 12 after seeing the music video for the aforementioned “21 Seconds”, he was writing, recording, producing and releasing his own mixtapes by 17. In 2005 he joined the label Aftershock Hooligans, where he cut his teeth writing, recording and performing on hundreds of different songs with various other members of the label. In the same year he was ready to step out on his own, “Chapter 1: Verse 22” was his debut mixtape and the following year he had an underground hit with his single “Tears”.

Tinie Tempah – Not Letting Go feat. Jess Glynne

Inspired by the likes of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella, he left Aftershock in 2007 and along with his manager and cousin Dumi Oburota, created his own label Disturbing London. The idea was that it would also sign and nurture young artists as well as put out Tinie’s own records, but it was 2009 when everything changed. A talent scout called Jade Richardson called Miles Leonard, the head of Parlophone Records, personally and implored him to check out Tinie’s set at that year’s Wireless Festival in Hyde Park. The reception that the young rapper got from just his live show and one independently released album that was already two years old was enough to knock them both for six, and by October Tinie had been signed.

Tinie Tempah – Not Letting Go feat. Jess Glynne Lyrics:
[Intro: Tinie Tempah]
Yes, ah, yo
[Verse 1: Tinie Tempah]
Yeah, ready for the summer, girl, your hair looks killa
See your batty getting bigger but your waist looks slimmer
And I hope I’m still with you when your hair get thinner
I ain’t gotta work it out, I know I’m onto a winner
And I love it when I see you sing a song in the mirror
When you play your favourite records where there ain’t no filler
Chicky-cha, chicky-chicky-cha, Sade, J Dilla
Now I’m on the right track, from the train to the limo
Now we’re on the right track (right track), yeah
Used to know me back in college, now I got it like that
Could have got the side track, now I’m back on my feet
If I hadn’t achieved, would you pack up and leave?
Now you scratchin’ on me like we’re Adam and Eve
Playing remix to Ignition in the back of the Jeep, ah
She like the hook but she don’t know the verse
She know I love her even if I never say the words

[Hook: Jess Glynne]
You were something I can’t replace
You made my heart work
You make me stronger
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go
You were something I can’t replace
You made my heart work
You make me stronger
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go

[Post-Hook: Jess Glynne]
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go

[Verse 2: Tinie Tempah]
Livin’ in a bubble, we ain’t struggling in life
Ready for your trouble and a couple of fights
Why don’t you stay over here and keep me up in the night
And when you comin’ in here, I’ll do you just like you like
Girl I’m ready for your loving, girl I keep on falling
You my lucky number that I keep on calling
Wanna never let me go, she said she fed up of touring
Because I kiss her in the night and then I leave in the morning
I tell her one, already know she the one
She’s 22, we in Le Fountain Blu
And when she’s free, you know she call on me
And then I make her take it off and pull it all on me
Playing in the sheets, don’t sleep tonight
Playing R. Kelly “I Believe I Can Fly”, yeah
She like the hook but she don’t know the verse
She know I lover her even if I never say the words

[Hook: Jess Glynne]
You were something I can’t replace
You made my heart work
You make me stronger
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go
You were something I can’t replace
You made my heart work
You make me stronger
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go

[Post-Hook: Jess Glynne]
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go

[Bridge: Tinie Tempah & (Jess Glynne)]
Oi my size, I see you’re quite shy
Guess I’m a sucker for those nice eyes
I ain’t in it for the money or the fame
I’m the one that all the honeys couldn’t tame, yo I change
(You make my heart work, you make me stronger)
You know I changed
(This thing we have, it can’t be bought or sold, now)

[Hook: Jess Glynne]
You were something I can’t replace
You made my heart work
You make me stronger
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go
You were something I can’t replace
You made my heart work
You make me stronger
I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go

[Post-Hook: Jess Glynne]
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, I’m not letting go, I’m not letting go