Biography
Brixton native Tyrone Lindo, widely recognized by his stage name Big Narstie, built a reputation equally through his steady output as a grime MC and his extensive work as a YouTuber. The most viewed content came from his Uncle Pain series, an advice-column format that accumulated hundreds of thousands of plays across numerous installments. He routinely labeled himself the scene’s biggest MC, a nod to his substantial build that he repeatedly incorporated into his lyrics for comedic effect.
His initial breakthrough arrived in 2003 when he joined the N Double A crew, which independently issued a consistent run of singles and mixtapes throughout the middle of the decade. While they generated considerable attention within London’s grime circles, it was his 2006 signing to the independent urban imprint Dice Recordings that expanded his reach, highlighted by his contribution to P Jam’s “grindie” reinterpretation of Coldplay’s “Trouble.” That same year another release, the humorous diss track “Brush Man” aimed at fellow N Double A member Solo, crossed over from pirate stations to mainstream outlets including Kiss and Radio 1 Xtra.
Around the same period the North West London group N-Dubz began gaining traction, leading to name confusion because N Double A frequently shortened its own moniker to N Dubs. Rather than exchanging further diss records, the two acts settled the matter through the joint track and video N-Dubz vs. N.A.A, which quickly became a scene favorite and appeared on N-Dubz’ platinum-certified debut album Uncle B.
Big Narstie kept issuing unofficial mixtapes and free downloads from the late 2000s onward; one of these, 2012’s Pain Overload, directly preceded his first official EP, #Pain, released later that year. The project debuted at number five on the iTunes U.K. hip-hop chart and helped him claim the 2012 Urban Music Award for Best Grime Act, prevailing over established names such as Skepta and Lethal Bizzle. He repeated the win the following year.
After moving to the WagWan label in 2013 he issued What’s the Story Brixton Glory, Vol. 2, the follow-up to a 2008 EP, featuring Brit-pop staples from acts including Oasis and Coldplay sped up to 140 bpm and reworked with heavy bass and grime production. Later that year he received a MOBO nomination for best grime act but ultimately lost to fellow South London MC Stormzy. His most prominent collaboration to date surfaced in 2015 with U.K. garage veteran Craig David; the single “When the Bassline Drops,” his first new material since 2010, reached number twelve on the U.K. singles chart and served as the lead track for David’s sixth studio album, Following My Intuition, released in 2016.
His initial breakthrough arrived in 2003 when he joined the N Double A crew, which independently issued a consistent run of singles and mixtapes throughout the middle of the decade. While they generated considerable attention within London’s grime circles, it was his 2006 signing to the independent urban imprint Dice Recordings that expanded his reach, highlighted by his contribution to P Jam’s “grindie” reinterpretation of Coldplay’s “Trouble.” That same year another release, the humorous diss track “Brush Man” aimed at fellow N Double A member Solo, crossed over from pirate stations to mainstream outlets including Kiss and Radio 1 Xtra.
Around the same period the North West London group N-Dubz began gaining traction, leading to name confusion because N Double A frequently shortened its own moniker to N Dubs. Rather than exchanging further diss records, the two acts settled the matter through the joint track and video N-Dubz vs. N.A.A, which quickly became a scene favorite and appeared on N-Dubz’ platinum-certified debut album Uncle B.
Big Narstie kept issuing unofficial mixtapes and free downloads from the late 2000s onward; one of these, 2012’s Pain Overload, directly preceded his first official EP, #Pain, released later that year. The project debuted at number five on the iTunes U.K. hip-hop chart and helped him claim the 2012 Urban Music Award for Best Grime Act, prevailing over established names such as Skepta and Lethal Bizzle. He repeated the win the following year.
After moving to the WagWan label in 2013 he issued What’s the Story Brixton Glory, Vol. 2, the follow-up to a 2008 EP, featuring Brit-pop staples from acts including Oasis and Coldplay sped up to 140 bpm and reworked with heavy bass and grime production. Later that year he received a MOBO nomination for best grime act but ultimately lost to fellow South London MC Stormzy. His most prominent collaboration to date surfaced in 2015 with U.K. garage veteran Craig David; the single “When the Bassline Drops,” his first new material since 2010, reached number twelve on the U.K. singles chart and served as the lead track for David’s sixth studio album, Following My Intuition, released in 2016.
Albums
Singles
