Atlanta, GA 12/21/2010 12:03:22 AM
Tinie Tempah doesn’t want to sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label.
The British ‘Frisky’ rapper was said to be being courted by Jay for his
New York based label – which counts Willow Smith, Alexis Jordan and Jay
himself among its artists - but thinks, although he is promoting
himself in the US, he would currently rather stick to his British roots
and record label.
When asked if he’d sign to Roc Nation, Tinie told website M is for
Music: “I just been here in America doing quite a few things actually,
and none of them has been that.
“D’ya know what, at this moment in time I’m just concentrating on what
I’m doing. What Jay-Z has achieved for himself is incredible and if I
could achieve something like that I’d be happy. But not at this minute.
Only time will tell.”
The 22-year-old ‘Pass Out’ star also said he thinks hip hop in the UK
is becoming as big a part of mainstream culture as it is in the US, and
the country will soon see the emergence of a few huge rap stars.
He added: “I think Rap is doing just like it did in America, slowly
becoming part of popular culture, it’s gonna get to a point where Rap
music I believe will have a few prominent figures, in the same way
that America has the iconic Jay-Z, Kanye West and now Drake.
“I definitely think there will be a few iconic figures in British music
who will have that sort of iconic status and will be able to headline
festivals and tours.”
