It was October 2013 when this freestyle was released. It was like an earthquake to the U.K music scene and its tremors are still being felt today. In the video, Timbo is joined by Cass and Mitch. The three of them made up the group STP (Struggle to Proceed and Stack that Paper) which began in 2012. Filmed on a dimly lit street in Waterloo, his light-hearted freestyle acted as a catalyst for the sound that would later become Afroswing.

Afroswing is a fusion of Afrobeats and Jamaican dancehall, a joining of syncopated African rhythms and the sweet melodies of Jamaican dancehall. The genre can be considered a cornerstone of Black British Identity as it perfectly joins together these communities in the diaspora. This freestyle led to him being contacted by Mover and them making Ringtone in 2014. ‘I didn’t like the song that much, but it changed the game’ he says in his interview with BnG TV in 2016.  Timbo then further developed this sound and his distinct melodic flow on 4 1 9ITE with Cass (STP) and Sona.  Using yet again his infectious catch-phrase ‘Eylelele’, it later became a jingle synonymous with a hit Timbo song. And with Yoruba sprinkled on this dancehall-influenced beat, the cross between the two sounds was clear and solidified. There hadn’t been a song with this distinct and catchy sound before Timbo but there were certainly many which followed. Timbo acted as a catalyst and inspiration for the likes of Yxng Bane, Not3s, MoStack, Kojo Funds and J Hus.

 

Despite Timbo being a pioneer of the sound, his name is a relic of the music scene. Once interest in this new sound began, Timbo had a brief reign as King. However, unable to properly utilise his first-mover advantage, he was soon dethroned and overtaken by the very rappers he inspired. Timbo’s fall can be attributed to a lack of artist development. There was no progression with his sound, lyrical ability and his songs began to sound the same. Listeners then began to lean towards other rappers and their own takes on Afroswing.  It appeared Timbo thought opening every song with ‘Eyelele’ would continue to captivate his listeners but that wasn’t the case. His most recent single, Vybzing, opens with his infamous jingle but the production sounds like its stuck in a time warp.

However, this lack of artist development wasn’t Timbo’s fault, it was due to his curse of being first. Between the years 2012 and 2014, the scene was in its primitive stages, labels and A&Rs were showing little interest and certainly weren’t looking to invest in artists. During Timbo’s prime, he was uploading his songs onto Soundcloud which at the time, didn’t contribute to sales. This meant that there was no numerical measure for labels to assess the impact and success of his songs. It took time for the scene to develop and mature, and for labels and A&Rs to finally take an interest. But by the point interest was being shown, Timbo had been overtaken and was unable to catch-up to the likes of J Hus, Kojo Funds, MoStack, Not3s and Yxng Bane. These rappers were taking the sound to the next level and had the investment and interest of labels. These rappers were simply in a better position to reap the benefits of the foundations Timbo helped lay.

When it comes to Timbo, the recurring theme is time. His ascension was just a fraction too early and the scene needed more time to mature. Perhaps if he had been given more time, or better still, the artist development he deserved, the tale of Timbo would be  written much differently. Despite not being at the forefront of Afroswing now, Timbo will always be remembered as a pioneer. His contributions don’t dominate industry discourse as it would be absurd for consumers, artists and the industry to constantly credit him. If you don’t know who Timbo is, then you’re simply uninformed about this genre. Timbo’s contribution to Afroswing is undeniable and his name will permanently be engraved in the history of the genre.