Tinie’s got Drake’s back (Picture: Getty, Rex)

Tinie Tempah has weighed in on the ‘culture vulture’ debate after Drake was criticised for supporting the British rap and grime scene.

Drake, 32, was slammed by grime legend Wiley after bringing out several UK artists on his Assassination Vacation Tour last month.

After Drake responded to Wiley’s comments, the row escalated with all corners of grime sharing their opinion on whether Drake and other American artists are really pinching the UK’s sound.

Tinie, 30, has defended Drake in the ‘culture vulture’ argument and says most artists are inspired by different sounds and genres anyway.


Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk for the launch of Lynx’s new Ice Chill grooming products, Tinie said: ‘Sometimes it’s conscious, sometimes it’s subconscious.



‘I’m a London-born Nigerian boy but I know I’ve said a couple Yardie things – I’ve said “wagwan” in some of my songs so for me, when you even think about the melting pot that London is, we’re all inspired by different cultures whether that’s Indian culture, Nigerian or Ghanaian, Turkish… the same way we might get a kebab or some Chinese food, we’re always taking bits of culture from people.’

Tinie continued: ‘I believe that it’s very important to possess the skills and talent to make it all yourself but I believe that some of the best music we’ve ever heard mainly comes from collaboration and sharing different ideas, different walks of life and experiences.

Wiley called Drake a ‘culture vulture’ and a ‘pagan’ (Picture: Rex Features)

‘When it comes to that term, I don’t really see anything wrong with it because I think we all do it in some way.’

Recent years have seen newer acts like J Hus, Not3s and Yxng Bane enjoy success on the charts, creating somewhat of a divide between the younger generation and some of the more established acts.

Addressing the tension, Tinie said: ‘I would say there’s a divide across more than just music in our country when I look at old vs. young.

‘With American culture, someone like Jay Z and Meek Mill – their relationship and how often you see them around each other… or someone like Nipsey Hussle – rest in peace to him – who I would say is one of the newer artists of our time.

‘The amount of pictures he had with Diddy and Jay Z – I definitely think that in the UK it’s not really that.’

Tinie Tempah stars in the new Lynx campaign alongside the likes of Anthony Joshua and Jesse Lingard (Picture: Lynx)

He continued: ‘Sometimes the older generation feel like the younger generation don’t get it or they’re not listening [and vice versa].

‘What I’ve learned as someone in the middle, I’ve always benefited from advice from older people, even up until now.’

Tinie’s optimistic about the future though as he adds: ‘I think you can learn from both ends and it’s down to ourselves to make sure we’re bridging that gap.

‘We’re all one so I think it’s very important for us to take that responsibility.’

Tinie Tempah was speaking on behalf of Lynx at the launch of Lynx’s new Ice Chill grooming products. Follow @Lynx on Instagram and Twitter or visit LynxForMen.com for more information.

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