Tinchy Styder ft. Amelle: 'Never Leave You'

Published Jul 25 2009, 09:14 BST  |  By David Balls

Rewind eight months and the name Tinchy Stryder would have been met with blank expressions by all but a core of grime fanatics in East London. Now, having bypassed the critics and trend-setters, the 22-year-old rapper has become one of the year's biggest success stories thanks to a winning combination of pop hooks and hip-hop rhymes. Building on the momentum of his recent chart-topper 'Number One', Stryder's back with summer smash-in-waiting 'Never Leave You'.

It finds him sticking to the Europoppy sound of his previous singles, but this time he's drafted in his starriest sparring partner yet - Sugababes singer Amelle Berrabah. He powers through the verses in his distinctive London twang, she croons the glorious chorus, and Fraser T. Smith keeps the production as fresh and sharp as a grapefuit breakfast. Stryder may have started the year as the so-called "Prince of Grime", but... wait for it... he's fast establishing himself as the King of the Charts.


> Click here to watch the 'Never Leave You' video