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British rapper, fashion icon and TV presenter Tinie Tempah joins the culinary world with the launch of his fried chicken brand, RAPS. RAPS is an inclusive community of indulgent and healthy soul food fans, with hip hop ideologies at its core. A nostalgic nod to Tinie’s early childhood spent frequenting the chicken shops of South East London after school and to family dinners, RAPS is both a trip down memory lane and a celebration of Tinie’s desire to reinvent a classic.

In partnership with Kitchen Ventures, RAPS will officially launch on Friday 11th March both online and physically; RAPS will be available via home delivery and will debut with a 4 month residency at Willows on The Roof, the must-visit rooftop bar in partnership with Night Tales. Kitchen Ventures’ vast network of dark kitchens fulfils the needs of a vast array of London neighbourhoods via their website and Deliveroo, stretching from the likes of Shoreditch, Hackney and Dalston to Brixton, Camberwell, Queen’s Park and Willesden with plans to expand delivery both nationally and internationally.

The cult dish has received a star makeover and Tinie Tempah has spent the last year in the kitchen with chef Big Has, who played an integral role in co-developing the menu amplifying Tinie’s desired taste profile and playfully weaving in references to the rapper’s heritage and unique life experiences; the two acclaimed names bonded over reminiscing about the role that fast food played in their respective upbringings, whilst enjoying rigorous tasting sessions in order to finalise the launch RAPS menu.

Tinie’s initial menu consists of chicken wraps (or ‘Raps’) which include the ‘Unruly’, featuring deep fried jerk marinated corn fed chicken, plantain, jerk bbq sauce and lime mayo slaw, Tinie’s personal favourite, the ‘African Giant’ which sees buttermilk fried chicken, jollof salsa, plantain, lettuce, tomato and mayo and the ‘Buffalo Soulja’ blending buttermilk fried chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese, house pickles, lettuce and tomato and the vegan ‘JME’ wrap. The eclectic menu will also offer the ‘Unknown T’s Buttermilk Brined Tenders’ and ‘Peng Wings’ with bespoke RAPS freshly made sauces such as jerk bbq, pineapple hot sauce and Korean bbq, to complete the offering.

Tinie’s latest venture came to fruition during the pandemic, whilst we were all locked away and reliant on at-home delivery services. Tinie had always imagined that his first foray into the hospitality industry would be via a restaurant concept, however his entrepreneurial mind quickly led him to realising the importance of offering consumers a physical and at-home experience, in keeping with millennials’ reliance on restaurant-quality food at the tap of a button.

RAPS became an instant reality through Tinie’s friendship with Jonny Boud, the CEO of Kitchen Ventures, whose mission it is to deliver the highest quality chef-cooked food brands via their network of delivery kitchens, whilst also overseeing the food offering at Willows on The Roof, in partnership with Night Tales.

Tinie’s vision for RAPS is inspired by his love of food and how it has the power to build a community of like-minded cultural tastemakers through shared experiences.

Tinie comments:

‘I have been talking with Jonny about working on something for ages. RAPS just felt right. Food is an exploration of culture through its ingredients and flavours and London, the city I’m from, is rich with diversity and culture; it was really exciting to work on something where I was able to combine the food I love and grew up on (both in the home and on the high street) and the music that inspired me to be who I am today.’ 

Jonny Boud, the Founder and CEO of Kitchen Ventures, comments:

‘I’ve long been in collaboration talks with Tinie and RAPS offered the perfect opportunity – I am thrilled to embark on this journey together and I am so excited to finally share the news. The disruptive nature of digital food delivery will allow us to succinctly scale the brand quickly across London, the UK and internationally. Tinie’s instinctive passion for food and natural creativity has made this project a pleasure to work on and I look forward to developing RAPS further.”

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