“Written In The Stars” by Tinie Tempah

Tinie Tempah is a British born rapper who crossed over into the American mainstream with his 2010 hit “Written In The Stars”. Featuring a hook sung by American singer Eric Turner, the song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Tempah’s second number-one single in the United Kingdom. The song was released as Tempah’s debut U.S. single, and has peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Because of its grandiose theme and anthemic sound, the song has become a staple of sports broadcasts in the US. It was used as the official theme song for both the 2011 MLB Postseason and Wrestlemania XXVII.

The song is about Tempah’s passion for his music, and his long struggle to get his name known. Tempah’s flow his very rhythmic, and has the same cadence and feel as a drumline drum. Eric Turner’s voice sounds distorted, and almost sounds like it’s coming through an old speaker. This gives his hook a very unique sound, and it adds a cool element to the song. The hook soars, and gives a euphoric feeling to the listener, making it sound as though they can and will accomplish whatever they set their mind to. This makes it easy to see why the track became such a popular choice for sporting events.

The video features Tinie Tempah rapping on the roof of a building, while Eric Turner performs the chorus seated at a piano in a white room. We spend most of the video following a troubled, young boy living in New York City. The boy lives with his mother in what looks like a project, and we see that their lives are financially unstable. He is regularly bullied by the other kids in his neighborhood for unknown reasons. We see he is a writer, and throughout the video he keeps his head down in his book writing. The bullies end up slapping the book out of his hands, spilling his pages out all over the street. We get the sense fro the end of the video that the boy dreams of a bigger life, as he stands on the rooftop in a pair of gray chucks with Tinie. Tempah has stated that the boy is not supposed to represent his younger self, but that he was trying to portray the life of a normal kid growing up in the city. It’s a positive video that a lot of people can relate to, and it fits with Tempah’s lyrics about his struggle to rise up through music.