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Wednesday, April 12, 2017 5:11am ET by  

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Tinie Tempah on quirky home: 'I bought a zebra, so the giraffe could have a friend'

Tinie Tempah's first ever raps were recorded on a £20 microphone from PC World.

The 'Pass Out' hitmaker has opened up about his humble start in life and how he has had to graft his way to becoming a star, which is something he has put across in his forthcoming LP, 'Youth'.

The 28-year-old reveals how the cheap recording device from the British computer store was the only thing he could afford to make music on. The British rapper said:

"A lot of people see it (his career) as glitz and glamour but this has by no means been easy at all. I grew up in Peckham, I got a £20 microphone from PC World and started recording my first raps when I was 12 or 13.

"We didn't really have anything, there weren't that many prospects or hopes.

"There were hardly any British rappers we could look at. I've put in a lot of graft."

Now Tempah lives in an East London home that once belonged to the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who died in 2010. His home is full of stuffed animals, which he recently said helped with his creativity for 'Youth'. He said:

"The giraffe was already there, but I bought a zebra, which is my favourite animal, so that the giraffe could have a friend in the house.

"I'm not going to lie because I get some weird vibes in there, but it's positive and I think it's added and contributed to my creativity."

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