Sixteen years after dropping the legendary line, “I been Southampton but I’ve never been to Scunthorpe” in his hit track Pass Out, rapper Tinie Tempah is finally making the trek.
The campaign
The movement to get the London-born artist to the town was spearheaded by Scunthorpe local Ben Johns. The internet is honestly undefeated—Johns launched a dedicated campaign that involved dragging a cardboard cutout of the rapper around local landmarks like the Scunthorpe United grounds and John Leggott college to hype up pre-saves for Tempah’s new album, The Night’s Not Dead.
Johns slid into the rapper’s DMs on Instagram to ask what it would take to make a visit happen. Tinie Tempah saw the vision and proposed a deal: 5,000 pre-saves for the new record, and he’d pull up to Lincolnshire.
Why it matters
It’s giving major main character energy for the people of Scunthorpe. After the campaign went viral, Tempah confirmed on social media that he’s holding up his end of the bargain. “I can’t wait to come down to Scunny, and meet the wonderful people of Scunthorpe,” the rapper said. While the specifics of the visit are still being cooked up by his management, it’s a massive W for the fans who turned a 2010 pop culture reference into an actual event. Real talk, the plot thickens—Tinie Tempah officially credited Johns for the work, noting that while the song put the town on the map, the campaign made sure it wouldn't be forgotten. It’s lowkey wholesome.
