Our special Umbro Tee Shop collaboration with Tinchy Stryder has been getting plenty of attention since we revealed it last week, but just how did this special connection come about? While we were finalising the design earlier this week, we spoke to Tinchy about the tee, the song and his admiration of Mario, despite being a Manchester United fan! Here’s what he had to say:

So how did the song Why Always Me come about?

‘Slix, one of the members of Ruff Sqwad reached out to me and said he had this song Why Always Me that would be good for the EP we were working on. So he sent it over and I really liked it. Why Always Me is something that anyone can relate to whether it’s positive or negative, so I got involved and people seem to really like it.

When the track got sent over, the hook really stood out, and it got me thinking. At the time I was supposed to be going into the Celebrity Big Brother house, so my verse is a lot around that and how I was feeling about that. Something about the whole Mario Balotelli character appealed to me in that way.’

What is it that you like about Mario Balotelli?

‘I like everything about him, his whole character. For example, when I first met him I said, “why do you never smile when you score goals?” and he said: “I’m a striker, that’s just what I do. You’re a performer, so that’s what you go out and do.” That’s a good way of looking at it, he’s just doing his thing, he’s not putting it on, he’s just naturally like that. I think people can relate to him, he’s got a good heart and he’s strong to his beliefs. That’s the thing that I think the world of football needed, we haven’t had a character like that in England for a long time. And to go along with all of that, he’s also a good footballer, which helps!’

That must be difficult for you to say, as a Manchester United fan?

‘Yeah, that’s the hard part! But I just love football. I am a United fan, so I know people are going to be thinking “Tinch supports Man U, he’s done a track with Ruff Sqwad that’s all about Mario Balotelli, that doesn’t add up.” But, I like him as a person, and it was the ‘Why Always Me’ moment that grabbed me. If you’re a football fan and you know football, you’ll know he’s a good player.’

So ideally, Mario will be the top scorer in the league but United will win it?

‘That’s the dream world, yeah. Mario can be top scorer but United win the league, I’ll take that.’

Why did you decide to create the tee shirt with Umbro?

‘I guess the whole situation is that, music is my first thing in life, but I’ve always been interested in the business world as well. So when the Mario Balotelli track came up, we knew that it’d be good to come together with Umbro and design the tee based on the Why Always Me design. We related it to me, to him and to the whole situation really. It’s all for good reasons, so it’s all positive.’

What did you think of the designs?

‘The designs have been really cool man, when I explain something and then someone can capture what you’re thinking and put it onto a tee shirt, that’s great. It doesn’t look like it’s representing any one thing either, anyone can wear this shirt, but there’s little things in there like the music notes for me. It’s a great collaboration that represents me, Mario and Umbro all linked into one.’

I hear that you’re quite a decent footballer, who would you compare yourself to?

‘Yeah, I was good at football, and then I guess music just became a bit more important for me. If I was going to suggest a player I always liked or hoped I played like, I’d say Ronaldo – the older, Brazilian one – or maybe Aguero, another City player! I was quite quick, good on the ball and I scored goals, so maybe Romario as well.’

You were born in Ghana but grew up in England, so who do you support?

‘I went to that game against England, and I was supporting Ghana, that was a great game. It felt like a win for Ghana even though it was 1-1. If they’re not playing against each other, then I’ll be supporting England. I was born in Ghana, so that’s where my heart is.’

What else have you got planned for this year in terms of music?

‘After this EP, I’ve been working on loads of different things. I’ve got a single out with Pixie Lott called Bright Lights, and then I’m launching my own label Cloud 9. With music I never like to plan too far in advance, so things come up all the time. I know this year is going to be really exciting for me though.’

You’ve met Jay-Z a couple of times, do you think he’d enjoy watching a game of football?

‘Yeah, it’s different because he likes basketball, but I reckon he’d like football. He’s a really cool guy, really laid back. If he wanted to come over I’d take him to Old Trafford for a game. I’m not sure if he’d want a pie and chips though!’

Thanks to Tinchy for taking the time to speak to us. The special Why Always Me tee shirt is available exclusively from the Umbro Tee Shop now. Ruff Sqwad’s EP is out on January 24th, here’s the video of the track Why Always Me: