This year we’ve seen the “Champions of Grime” return to the scene following a few years of commercial success. To many die-hard grime fans, this lack of loyalty is unforgivable, so what shall we make of this new Tinie Tempah mixtape, Junk Food?
Unlike Chip, Tinie hasn’t appeared back on the scene like an unreliable dad after all these years; nor has he tried to fit back into the genre. Instead, he has used Junk Food to bring some of UK Grime’s biggest names to him. Regardless of what a Grime fan thinks of Tinie, it’s hard to deny that his global success outshines most of your favourite artists. Therefore, working with the likes of JME, Wretch 32, Stormzy, Giggs, Big Narstie and many others, will not only help to regain acceptance from their fans but will push their already impressive careers out to a larger audience.
When listening to this 10-track mixtape, it’s hard not to think of this as being a Young Thug ‘Slim Season’ project. From track 1 to 10 the induced styles of Atlanta’s rap scene are constantly rumbling through the speakers with rapid high-hats and roaring club beats. This makes the project sound like a continuous blur of bass. Throughout the mixtape, Tinie delivers witty one-liners but Wretch 32’s verse in ‘All You‘ stands out. Following Junk Food’s theme, Wretch uses this attitude to discuss race in a boastful way.
Overall, the mixtape doesn’t bring anything new to the table but doesn’t hurt anyone in the process. Except the verse from Wretch, most of the features on here join Tinie in giving predictable verses over some numb trap-influenced instrumentals. Everyone seems to be playing it safe and not overreaching. Whether that’s because they’re not comfortable with this sound it’s not clear. However, Junk Food is what the title implies; all taste with no substance.
